World Cup briefing: Final whistle blows for Qatar’s shortlived stadiums

Less than two weeks after making its debut as a World Cup venue, Stadium 974 will bid farewell on Monday night after hosting Brazil’s round of 16 match against South Korea. The shortlived arena — made from 974 stacked shipping containers — will have fulfilled its purpose after hosting seven matches.

The first temporary stadium in World Cup history could yet have a second life. Organisers have promised to dismantle it, pack it up, put it on a ship and reassemble it overseas. Originally it was expected to go to somewhere in Africa, but the latest noises suggest that it might end up in Uruguay. If that does happen, it could even be reborn as a future World Cup stadium: Uruguay is likely to be part of a pan-South American bid for the 2030 competition.

Stadium 974 was designed to address concerns that Qatar was spending billions of dollars on white-elephant venues that would have no use after the tournament was over. But questions remain over the other stadiums.

The Zaha Hadid-designed Al Janoub will also get its last moment in the spotlight on Monday, before half its seats are pulled out and “donated to football development projects overseas”. All together, Qatar has promised to give away around 170,000 seats after the final whistle.

Al Janoub is one of two grounds that will be handed over to local football teams after the World Cup, while Khalifa International will remain as Qatar’s national stadium.

The vast tent-like Al Bayt, some 50km north of Doha, is slated to become a luxury hotel (with a 32,000-capacity venue in the middle of it), while Lusail, the largest of the eight venues and host for the final on December 18, is set to become a “community hub”.

Qatar’s remarkable collection of World Cup stadiums were built at great cost, yet details remain pretty vague on what will actually happen to them when the Fifa circus leaves town.

One to watch on Monday: Japan look to make history

Japan have already set records in Qatar. They beat Spain in their final group game with just 17 per cent possession. No team has seen so little of the ball in a World Cup match since 1966.

They also put Germany on the path to an early exit, defeating them 2-1 in the opening game in one of the tournament’s shock results. Those twin upsets put Japan top of their group.

The next challenge will be to overcome Croatia, losing finalists from Russia 2018, and their former Ballon d’Or winning talisman Luka Modrić. Success would see the Samurai Blue make their first ever World Cup quarter-final. Speaking ahead of the game, Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo called on his teammates to show “samurai spirit”.

Croatia have not looked convincing so far, progressing to the last 16 with two 0-0 draws and a win over relative minnows Canada. This could be a close one.

Fixture list:

Croatia vs Japan, 3pm UK time/6pm Doha time

Brazil vs South Korea, 7pm UK time/10pm Doha time

Weekend highlight: Defensive Dutch chart different course to success

In a break from last week, there were few surprises in the first four knockout games. Lionel Messi powered a lacklustre Argentina past a plucky Australia, Kylian Mbappé powered a slick France past a drab Poland, and Jude Bellingham, 19, powered a ruthless England past an energetic Senegal. You can read our profile of England’s teenage wonder here, and Simon Kuper’s post-match analysis of the team’s 3-0 win here.

Meanwhile Louis van Gaal conducted his Netherlands team into the quarter-finals. The team are now unbeaten in 19 matches under the 71- year-old former Barcelona coach.

Echoing the Japanese experience, the Dutch beat the USA 3-1 on Saturday with just 35 per cent possession, as van Gaal chose to rely on swift counter-attacks to punish a slow American back line.

While most of the “big” teams in Qatar will look to control games and keep hold of the ball, the Netherlands are using a different playbook. That could make them a threat in the knockout stages. Next up they face Argentina in a rerun of the 1978 World Cup final.

Read Simon Kuper’s profile of Louis van Gaal here.

Sunday’s results:

France 3 Poland 1

England 3 Senegal 0