Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium construction began in early 2016, on the site of the former stadium, named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972. It was designed by UK architecture studio Pattern Design and the reported cost was in the realm of $360m. Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was inaugurated on 18 December 2020, marking the Qatar National Day, two years ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ tournament. Built on the edge of the desert, this stadium acts as a landmark for those arriving or leaving the city.
The city of Al Rayyan is known as the gateway to the desert and has always championed environmental issues. Hence, the new stadium was designed with sustainability very much in mind. Over 90% of the previous stadium site, built in 2003 and demolished in 2015, was reused or recycled. After the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the upper tier and almost half of the 40,000 seats were handed over to help football development projects abroad.