Graniteville, SC (August 18, 2021) – With the 2020 Olympic Games complete in Tokyo, the eyes of the sports world turn to another major international competition, the 2022 World Cup, being played in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

SubAir Sports Systems and their patented technologies have been chosen to support all eight of the stadium venues. The U.S.-based SubAir team—in partnership with its European distributor, Bernhard and Company—has been coordinating with World Cup representatives over the past 24 months to provide eight custom systems that meet the individual demands of each venue.

“The expectations set forth by the governing body are clear,” said Trey Crabill, Vice President, Sales of SubAir Systems. “The players are to have the highest performing pitches in the world, the games are to be played when scheduled without delays or cancellations, and the spectator experience will be electric as the most talented footballers in the world compete for soccer’s greatest prize. SubAir meets these criteria.”

All eight stadiums are in a year-round arid, desert climate, each with its own microclimate. Doha, Qatar’s capital city, will stage events in three separate venues. Opening ceremonies and the final match will take place in Lusail Stadium in the coastal city of Lusail, 14 miles north of Doha’s city center.

“SubAir Sport Systems have already been proven in every kind of climate. Besides the World Cup stadiums in Russia (2018) and Brazil (2014), our systems are in place in soccer and football stadiums around the globe,” said Brad Dennis, President, SubAir Systems. SubAir’s proprietary TurfWatch Technology ensures that each system is programmed to meet the needs of the individual microclimate within each stadium. The wireless in-ground sensors and adaptive technology of the SubAir Technological Systems guarantees that ideal pitch performance requirements are met as the SubAir Systems automatically adjust to live pitch conditions. Moisture, oxygen, and temperature will be monitored and controlled to ensure soccer’s most elite players are safe while competing on the most ideally conditioned pitches in the world.

This marks the third straight World Cup—across 13 stadiums—in which SubAir has provided system support.

Other recent SubAir installations in elite venues include:

• Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville, Kentucky) is a soccer-specific stadium that has hosted Louisville City FC of the USL Championship since it opened in 2020 and Racing Louisville FC of
  the National Women’s Soccer League since 2021.
• Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio), which opened in July 2021, is home to the Columbus Crew, an American professional soccer club and current MLS Champions.
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida), home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami, and site of Super Bowl LIV.

Upcoming projects include:

• St. Louis City Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri), opening March 2023, future home of MLS expansion franchise St. Louis SC and the first female majority-owned team in MLS.

Al Thumama – Doha

MEDIA NOTES

2022 World Cup Stadiums in Quatar

• Lusail Stadium – Lusail – Opening Ceremony and Finals
• Al Bayt Stadium – Al Khor
• Ras Abu Aboud Stadium – Ras Abu Aboud
• Al Thumama – Doha
• Khalifa International Stadium – Doha
• Al Janoub Stadium – Al Wakrah
• Al Rayyan Stadium – Al Rayyan
• Education City Stadium – Doha

The World Cup
The World Cup is the most prestigious association football tournament in the world, as well as the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world. The cumulative viewership of all matches will be in the billions with an estimated 715.1 million people—more than a 10th of the planet’s population watching the final match on December 18.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, July 20 to August 20, 2023. For the first time, the Women’s World Cup will be contest with an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24.

The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico and will be the first World Cup to include 48 teams.

About SubAir Sport
The SubAir Sport system is an essential component of turf-management equipment and technology. Combining engineering and agronomy with operations technology to create, monitor, and control the entire subsurface of the playing field to provide the best growing environment for natural turf.

SubAir’s latest technologies, including wireless in-ground sensors that relay subsoil conditions; a secure dedicated communications network; and proprietary computer programs to collect, relay, and interpret field-conditions data. This data activates aeration and moisture-control operations to proactively respond to changing field conditions. The systems’ proprietary technology allows turf-management teams to review all data and operate equipment through smartphones, computers, and digital notebooks.

The SubAir Sports System controls environmental impact improves turf recovery from high volumes of play, and monitors field consistency to produce firm footing while at the same time, ensuring player safety.

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