Following a lengthy competition process, Foster + Partners has been chosen to be the lead architect for the Lusail Stadium, the centrepiece of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Working in conjunction with stadium specialists Populous and ARUP on the project, the Foster + Partners-designed stadium will be located in Lusail City, north of Doha, and will have a capacity of around 85,000. It's expected that the stadium will be used for both the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2022 World Cup.

Lord Foster, founder of Foster + Partners, said: “It is an honour to design this centrepiece stadium - this is an exciting step forward in stadium design – it will be the first to break the mould of the freestanding suburban concept, and instead anticipates the grid of this future city, of which it will be an integral part.”

Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – which is in charge of delivering a legacy for Qatar post-World Cup – added that the stadium will be: “an architecturally innovative stadium which maintains sporting functionality and delivers on our sustainability commitments.”

Accessible by six bridges, the stadium is surrounded by a moat and is part of a wider development with amenity buildings, including hotels and retail outlets.

Foster’s design, released back in 2010 as part of Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup, has a near circular footprint and is expected to be fully integrated into the surrounding infrastructure. The structure has been designed to be extremely efficient, sustainable and capable of performing in harsh climates.

Featuring key components such as a retractable roof above the pitch - supported by a ring of arching columns - with internal temperature controls, the project has been designed to "offer an enhanced visitor and player experience".