Khalifa International Stadium: Qatar's all-weather venue set to host the Portugal vs Austria 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup final

The 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar has reached the ultimate showdown, with Portugal set to take on Austria. And the venue for the final is the Khalifa International Stadium near Doha. 

And it might well be the apt venue to host the finale of the first-ever 48-team World Cup held across any level. 

The 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup has been a revolutionary tournament, the hosting of which in Qatar has been utterly smooth. Despite the logistical challenges of organising 104 matches in just 25 days, the facilities in the Aspire Zone which also had eight match-ready world class pitches helped Qatar organise this tournament without any hiccups. 

And now the final will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium which also, incidentally, lies within the Aspire Zone near Doha. Let us take a look at the distinctive stadium that the young stars of Portugal and Austria would have had their eyes on for a while. 

The Khalifa International Stadium in Doha and inaugurated and opened in 1976 ahead of the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament. It has undergone two transformations or remodellings ever since - once in 2005 and then in 2017. 

In 2005, it was remodelled for the 2006 Asian Games which was held in Doha while the 2017 transformation was for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

One of the distinctive features of the Khalifa Intenational Stadium is two roof arches and the roof that covers more than 70% of the stadium. The venue also has a cooling tech that drops the temperature inside it to a comfortable 24 degree celsius during matchdays. 

Khalifa International Stadium was the first of the eight venues in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be opened (after remodelling). The venue was thrown open to the public in 2017 and upon its reopening, became the first venue to be awarded a four-star rating by the Global Sustainability Assessment System of the Middle East and North Africa. 

The stadium, which has a maximum capacity of 45857, hosted eight matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Six of them were group stage clashes, followed by a Round of 16 match between Netherlands and the USA and a third-place play-off between Croatia and Morocco. 

The Khalifa International Stadium has been one of Qatar's most important venues for a long time. And after its remodelling for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it has hosted matches in numerous other high-profile competitions too. 

The 2019 World Athletics Championship was held at the Khalifa, not to mention the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final. It also hosted six matches of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

No wonder the young stars from Portugal and Austria can't wait to don their boots at the Khalifa.

"Whenever we come to play here, all our eyes are on the stadium," said Portugal's Mateus Mide before the semifinals. "It's a huge stadium. [It's] very beautiful. Of course we all dream of playing there, and I'm confident that we'll get there and win the tournament."

The final of the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup will see Portugal take on Austria on Thursday, November 27. The game at the Khalifa International Stadium will kick off at 7:00 pm local time.