Zayed Sports City
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
As part of a greater vision to nurture and host major sporting events in the United Arab Emirates, the FIFA Club World Cup competition was held in Abu Dhabi in 2009 and 2010. One of the two stadia used for the event was the impressive Zayed Sports City Stadium, built in 1979 as a multisport venue and seating up to 43,000 spectators. The brief was to refurbish key areas within the stadium, to provide state-of-the-art facilities that meet FIFA requirements and breathe new life into the building.
Populous received local support from Atkins, which helped to ensure that this project was done within program and budget, delivering a revitalized venue in time for the Club World Cup competition and providing a facility for future years that Abu Dhabi can be proud of.