Water-efficient practices at the tournament

The key measures implemented at all stadiums to maximise water efficiency included the installation of low-flow fixtures and taps including movement sensors, aerators and other flow restrictors. In addition, many stadiums had toilets installed with either movement sensors or dual flush systems. Water metering and leak-detection systems were installed to allow facility management teams to manage water use and identify plumbing in need of maintenance or repair.

Water efficiency in landscape design was another important area of conservation in the lead up to the tournament. Many of the plants used in landscaping around stadiums and other tournament precincts are native species, drought tolerant, and selected specifically to combat desertification. In addition, most of the landscaping used trees and shrubs from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Nurseries which used recycled water for irrigation. Irrigation systems predominantly used recycled water to irrigate external landscapes and pressure-compensated bubblers as well as in-line drip irrigation systems which were installed with automatic control units.

With regards to the irrigation of stadium and training site pitches, many of the latest inbuilt and handheld sensors were used to maintain soil moisture at the necessary levels. These sensors enabled the turf management team to monitor moisture levels accurately and continuously, to ensure that only the necessary amount of water was used for irrigation, while also ensuring that pitches didn’t dry out, which could lead to turf health and playability concerns.

Water consumption during the tournament was monitored and recorded by designated central building management teams via their command-and-control centre. The graph below shows the total potable water consumption for each stadium during tournament time (i.e. from 20 November 2022 to 18 December 2022). Total water consumption for all stadiums was 96,693 cubic metres.

All FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadium designs were assessed and awarded Design & Build certifications in accordance with the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), of which water efficiency is a main category. Furthermore, six* of the eight stadiums were assessed during the operational stage for GSAS Operations certification. This certification assesses how buildings perform in terms of water consumption (as well as other criteria) using a benchmark system based on international standards.
*Lusail and 974 stadiums were excluded from this certification which required the collection of operational data over one year. This was not possible prior to the tournament due to construction timelines.

To demonstrate the energy and water savings achieved by implementing the GSAS Design & Build scheme for all FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Stadiums – Energy and Water Performance Report was developed in a collaboration between GSAS and the SC.

The report showed that FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums utilised (on average) approximately 40% less water when compared to the International Plumbing Code (IPC-2015).

For more information about stadiums' GSAS certifications, please visit the sustainable stadiums and offices web page of this report.