Al Thumama Stadium

2022 FIFA WORLD CUP:
CRAFTING A STORY FOR AL THUMAMA STADIUM

With FIFA 2022 approaching, Qatar is in the process of developing multiple state-of-the-art stadiums to host the coveted international tournament. In preparation, the Supreme Council of Delivery & Legacy, responsible for the delivery of the required infrastructure and host country planning and operations, looked to create a short animation to exemplify the cultural and technical aspects of Al Thumama Stadium.

LNG Studios was tasked with crafting a story that would become the template for this 3D animation video. The question became, how to create a story that intertwined the rich history of Qatar, the core design concept of the stadium, and the variety of technical amenities all while laying the foundation for a realistic animation?

The design of the stadium was based off the Gahfiya, a traditional headwear native to that region of the world. The Gahfiya is often given as a gift to young boys to strengthen the sense of belonging to a mutual culture and the family values. We looked to embody these values, highlight the beauty of Qatar and show the FIFA values of sportsmanship and bringing the global community together.

Within each story, the client found appealing elements such as the string in “The Children of Qatar” or the Gahfiyas lighting up in “The Pillar of Light”. Through working with the client we were able to develop a singular story in which “Drumbeat Heartbeat” acted as the core and elements from other stories influenced the final product.

Once a final concept was chosen, we proceeded to pair the words with a storyboard. Through our in-house design team, we were able to use illustration and bring the words to life. This allowed LNG Studios to properly convey the vision that our team was crafting. Within this process, many specifications were added to ensure that the story was conveying the technical aspects that the Supreme Council was looking for. This included the conversion of the stadium from “Tournament” mode, which was designed for the duration of FIFA, to “Legacy” mode, which would downsize the stadium after the tournament to better suit the needs of the Qatari soccer scene.

Developing a story is a complex collaborative process, but when done properly, it can bring life to stories and create a product worth watching. Our collaboration with FIFA was a great success, helping push the animation out on a tight deadline. The Al Thumama project was a great opportunity for us to showcase our creative capabilities and our ability to work with multiple clients across the globe.