Qatar promotes coming World Cup at Expo 2020 pavilion

Doha will host international football's showpiece event next year

A holographic display of the Fifa World Cup at the Qatari pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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Qatar is using its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to celebrate hosting the Fifa World Cup.

One of the biggest global sporting events, the football tournament gets under way on November 21 next year, the first time a Middle East country will stage the World Cup.

The countdown to international football's showpiece event is continuing at the world's fair, which itself is making its debut in the region.

Spectacular, technicolour holographic images preview the competition where some of the world's biggest sporting stars will take centre stage.

Qatar's cultural heritage and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are also on display at its pavilion.

The pavilion was designed by internationally renowned Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the UAE pavilion, inspired by the falcon – the Emirates's national bird.

Mr Calatrava studied Qatar's national emblem before sketching a pair of buildings, which come together to make the pavilion.

"The design draws inspiration from the four elements represented on the Coat of arms of Qatar and pays tribute to the nation’s cultural heritage," he said.

The arching walls of the structure mirror the two crossed and curved swords from the country's Coat of arms.

Other elements in the architecture represent a modern interpretation of a Dhow and an island with two palm trees.

Cooling refection pools flank the pavilion and mirror the building's smooth white lines.

Under the slogan “The Future is Now”, the gallery invites visitors to explore the past, the present, and the future of Qatar through visual arts, sound effects and music.

A combination of devices, including mirror screens, holographic projections, 3D mapping and transparent LED screens bring the exhibits to life.

Key areas of focus were derived from the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals such as urban development, biodiversity, and natural resources; governance and investment in human capital; education, youth employment, and community welfare; industrial transformations, pioneering change and green economy initiatives; innovation and development.

The pavilion, inaugurated by Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater, Qatar's undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is within the Sustainability District at Expo 2020.