Al Thumama Stadium has become the latest FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament venue to receive a five-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is administered by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).The prestigious award is considered a mark of excellence in sustainability, design and construction. The 40,000-capacity Al Thumama – designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah to resemble the ‘gahfiya’ head cap worn by men and boys across the Middle East and Arab world – follows Education City and Al Bayt in achieving a five-star rating.GORD presented two certificates to Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) executives for Al Thumama: a five-star rating for GSAS Design & Build, and a Class A* rating for GSAS Construction Management. Senior leadership from the SC and GORD were present at the awards ceremony, as well as delegates representing the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), the Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology and the GSO Technical Subcommittee for Green Building Standardization.“We are very proud to have been awarded a five-star sustainability rating from GORD,” said Eng. Ghanim Al Kuwari, Deputy Director General, SC Technical Services. “This is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in this massive project – including our architects, contractors and stakeholders. We look forward to seeing Al Thumama play a vital role during Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup later this year.”All eight Qatar 2022 venues are mandated to receive a minimum four-star rating from GSAS, which was adopted as a sustainability rating system by FIFA and will ensure all tournament-related infrastructure meets stringent environmental standards."This is yet another milestone on our journey to hosting a sustainable FIFA World Cup,” said Eng. Bodour Al Meer, the SC’s Sustainability Director. “We are very proud that all our stadiums meet comprehensive sustainability criteria that will ensure they are environmentally-friendly, both during the tournament and in legacy mode.”Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said: “We are delighted to recognise the hard work and commitment of everybody involved in the Al Thumama Stadium project. These certificates are yet another fine example of the SC’s commitment to sustainable building and construction. Our assessment process included a full review of the stadium’s design followed by 11 site inspections by GSAS inspectors. Our final assessment reviewed all aspects of the project and evaluated the implementation to be outstanding.”Inaugurated on 22 October 2021 when it hosted the Amir Cup f­inal between Al Sadd and Al Rayyan, Al Thumama’s sustainability features include a refurbished energy centre, LED lighting and efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The stadium is currently undergoing assessment for GSAS Operations certification to ensure sustainability during the operational phase. As part of Qatar’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup™, a prototype stadium was developed on the site of Al Thumama to demonstrate Qatar’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. The showcase facility has transformed into a platform for pilot-scale research, through which the SC develops innovations in the field of environmental sustainability.Al Thumama will host eight matches up to the quarter-finals stage during the FIFA World Cup™. This includes two Group A encounters: Senegal v Netherlands (21 November) and Qatar v Senegal (25 November); the Group B clash between Iran and USA (29 November); the Group E showdown between Spain and the winner of Intercontinental Play-Off Two (Costa Rica or New Zealand) (23 November); and two matches in Group F: Belgium v Morocco (27 November) and Canada v Morocco (1 December).