Campus Operations During the FIFA World Cup 2022
Updates
For the latest, go to https://www.qf.org.qa/getting-around-education-city.
8 December
Reopening of Education City parking lots
The following car parks within Education City will re-open on Saturday, 10 Dec.:
- Southeast car park
- Northeast car park
- LAS building parking
- Ceremonial Court parking
- Green Spine parking
- Ceremonial gate 2 parking
- QFIS parking
Please note that all parking inside the Education City Red Zone will remain closed until after the World Cup final on Sunday, 18 Dec.
17 November
A full World Cup rehearsal will be held at Education City on Friday, 18 November
- All gates at Education City will be closed from 12 to 7 p.m.
- The Northeast Underground Car Park (Oxygen Park), the Southeast Car Park (Al Shaqab), and Minaretein parking will remain accessible on 18 November.
- However, residents of QF Housing and Student Housing will be unable to reach their accommodation by car during the rehearsal period and should use the available parking areas and the Education City Tram, which will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Parking at Education City
- On Education City Stadium match days, no parking will be available at Education City
- On Sunday, 20 November, the following car parks at Education City will be handed over for the World Cup and will then be inaccessible on all days until Friday, 9 December.
- Northeast Underground Car Park (P33) – Oxygen Park
- Southeast Car Park (P34) – Al Shaqab (except for the rooftop parking area)
- Minaretein Parking
- All cars must be removed from these car parks no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, 20 November.
- Parking areas at Penrose House (LAS Building), Ceremonial Court, and the Green Spine remain inaccessible on all days until Friday, 9 December.
- The West Car Parking, Academyati Parking, and Sidra Academy Parking remain inaccessible on all days until Sunday, 18 December.
- Any staff or visitor parking areas not mentioned above – including Multaqa, Qatar National Library, and Qatar Academy Doha – remain accessible as usual on days when no matches are taking place at the Education City Stadium.
EC tram transport rehearsal set for 18 Nov.
A full Education City tram transport rehearsal will take place Friday, 18 Nov., from 7 to 9 a.m.
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On 18 Nov., the EC Tram will be available for one shift only. Tram staff will be mobilized from 5 a.m.
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Once the rehearsal is done, an hour buffer time will be needed to reset the system ready so that it is ready for passenger operation. Normal passenger service will start at 10 a.m. and will run until 2 p.m.
- From 2 p.m., there will be a bus replacement service running every five minutes.
- On Saturday, 19 Nov., normal Saturday service will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and bus shuttle service will take over from 5 to 10 p.m.
For more information, please visit the World Cup section on the QF website.
Reminder: parking lot closures beginning 1 Nov.
- Green Spine parking, Penrose parking (LAS building), and Ceremonial Court parking will be handed over to the Supreme Committee starting 1 Nov. until 9 Dec. All of these car parks should be evacuated by midnight on 31 Oct.
- All partner university students and staff should use the public parking (Southeast car park and Northeast car park) 1 Nov. through 9 Dec.
- PUE students and staff can park at Ceremonial Gate 2 parking and take the shuttle buses or walk to reach the schools if the building parking is not available.
World Cup operational updates and reminders
On 27 Oct., Texas A&M at Qatar dean Dr. César Malavé announced the following:
- TAMUQ will continue face-to-face classes, labs and exams, including final exams. The last day of classes is Monday, 7 Nov. Final exams begin on Wednesday, 9 Nov., and conclude on Monday, 14 Nov. Refer to the academic calendar for other important dates and deadlines.
- Starting Tuesday, 1 Nov., staff members who do not work directly with students may work remotely from within Qatar if approved by their supervisor or unit leader. Staff whose work requires direct interaction with students, such as lab coordinators or teaching assistants, may not work remotely until finals conclude on Monday, 14 Nov. Researchers should coordinate with their PI or supervisor. Staff, including researchers, will be expected to resume work in the Texas A&M Engineering Building on 26 Dec. after the winter break.
- Remote work is not allowed for staff on personal travel outside Qatar. Staff whose plans include personal travel between 1 Nov. and the winter break beginning on 18 Dec. should request appropriate leave from their supervisor. Faculty may travel as soon as their semester grades are submitted.
- Tuesday, 22 Nov., will be the first of eight matches in the stadium in Education City. On those match days, we will have no access to campus or the Texas A&M Engineering Building, and all staff and researchers should work remotely from within Qatar unless they are on approved leave. Dates of matches in Education City are listed on this webpage in the details below.
- Finally, please remember that updates to our operating scenario will be posted on this webpage as circumstances require. This also will be an authoritative source for updates distributed by Qatar Foundation on road closures, campus access restrictions or other changes.
Please remember that Wednesday, 2 Nov., is another scheduled rehearsal with road and parking closures in Education City. See info in the column to the left for details.
If you have questions regarding building access, please contact buildingsecurity@qatar.tamu.edu.
World Cup Red Zone at Education City
With the World Cup now just a few weeks away, and Education City Stadium being one of the venues for matches, it is necessary for us to adapt our operational model at Education City as we prepare to welcome visitors from around the world.
Some changes to access and road arrangements at Education City will be in place ahead of and during the tournament. These will include the area around the stadium from Gate 14 to Al Awsaj roundabout – the Red Zone — with the changes being in place from 1 Nov. to 18 Dec. Please refer to the map here.
For more information about accessing and travelling around Education City during the World Cup, please click here. If you have any queries about World Cup operations at Education City, please contact Dana Al Zard of City Operations at dalzard@qf.org.qa or 4454 6727.
Throughout the World Cup, there will be many events and activities taking place at Education City, and we encourage you to come with your families and friends to experience them. You can find out more at the World Cup section of the QF website.
Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the access arrangements to Education City during the World Cup, and we hope to see you there to celebrate this special time in Qatar’s history.
25 October
Education City tram operations
During this period, the Yellow line will be in service and will operate from Al Shaqab Station (Tram stop 17) to Qatar Academy South (Tram stop 5), stopping at every tram stop in between, until 21 Nov.
Beginning 21 Nov., the tram service will operate per this schedule, which includes match and non-match day service.
Upcoming road closures, parking closures and disruptions to campus access
As we approach the FIFA World Cup 2022, please note some important dates of expected road and parking closures within Education City to facilitate preparations for matchday traffic and transportation management. These events will impact our TAMUQ community, and we encourage you to plan accordingly.
Parking closures
Control of the following parking lots will be transferred to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy on the dates listed and will remain closed for general use until further notice.
- 23 Oct. — Green Spine parking lot
- 1 Nov. — Ceremonial Court and West Campus/Stadium parking
- 20 Nov. — Southeast, Penrose House (LAS) and QFIS parking
FIFA rehearsal dates with road closures
On Wednesday, 26 Oct., and Wednesday, 2 Nov., matchday traffic and transportation rehearsals are scheduled to take place across Education City. During these rehearsal dates, the Texas A&M Engineering Building will be open for normal operations. However, the Education City campus will not be accessible by car.
In-person classes and labs will be allowed on 26 Oct. and 2 Nov., but everyone will be required to use public transportation or take the tram from outlying parking structures. Extended travel time is expected so please plan accordingly.
- On 26 Oct., open parking structures will be Oxygen Park (Northeast underground car park), Southeast car park (Shaqab parking) and West car park (Academic parking).
- On 2 Nov., open parking structures will be Oxygen Park and Southeast car park (Shaqab parking).
Tram service is scheduled to run normal operations during rehearsal dates. Access for disabled individuals is possible through the tram.
Staff members who do not work directly with students may work remotely if approved by their supervisor or unit leader. Staff whose work requires direct interaction with students, such as lab coordinators or teaching assistants, may not work remotely.
For more information or clarification regarding EC’s operational protocol during the rehearsals, please contact Dana Al Zard at QF City Operations – Initiatives, Services and Security Department, at dalzard@qf.org.qa or 4454.6727/3301.0880.
Closure of Ceremonial Court parking 17 Oct.
EC tram service during FIFA World Cup 2022
- Matches at 4 p.m. — The tram will run its normal service stopping at each tram stop from 9 to 11 a.m. for the matches that start at 4 p.m.
- Matches at 6 p.m. — For the games that start at 6 p.m., the tram will run its normal service stopping at each tram stop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
EC parking lots closed 22 Sept. until 12 p.m.
Temporary closure of Ceremonial Court parking 20-24 September
In preparation for FIFA World Cup 2022, the Ceremonial Court parking lot will be closed 20-24 September.
During these dates the Ceremonial Court parking will be closed and inaccessible.
Temporary road closure and traffic diversion near Education City Stadium
In line with the preparations for FIFA World Cup 2022, there will be temporary road closures and traffic diversions near the stadium roundabout (exit road leading to Gate 1) to give way to heavy construction to be done from 28 Aug. until further notice.
Please note the below instructions:
- All Education City visitors and staff will be able enter through Gate 1 and reach the West Car Park, Mathaf and all other entities as usual.
- All EC visitors and staff can exit through Gate 14 near Sidra Academy or through any other gates around Education City (except Gate 1).
- During the road closure, tram service will continue to operate as usual.
Please do not hesitate to contact Dana Al Zard via email dalzard@qf.org.qa or call +974.4454.6727 or +974.3301.0880 for any concerns related to this activity.
The State of Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup from 19 Nov. through 18 Dec. 2022. Matches will be played in eight stadiums around Qatar, including one in Education City.
The World Cup is the most prestigious association football tournament in the world and the most widely viewed and followed single sporting event in the world. Qatar is expecting more than 200,000 spectators to be travelling to matches on game days. This may create traffic congestion and will require security sweeps of the stadium on match days.
The last day of fall finals is 14 Nov. 2022, and spring classes start on 8 Jan. 2023. Faculty are not required to be in the building when classes are not in session. TAMUQ’s winter break is 18 Dec. 2022 with offices reopening on 26 Dec. Employees who are not working or are not in Qatar are expected to take leave as they normally would during this time. Supervisors can determine if there is justification for business trips during this time.
Texas A&M University at Qatar Operations
Access to Education City is limited, either temporarily for gameday operations or for some time period during the World Cup. Operations will continue as normal. Employees will work from home in Qatar, continuing with normal operations.
Access during FIFA World Cup Match days
The TAMUQ Engineering Building will be closed on FIFA World Cup 2022 match days held in the Education City Stadium. Though we highly recommend all avoid the building on these match days, the security team appreciates that there are special circumstances that may require access (e.g., academic/research project activities, business support actions).
On condition that a special circumstance arises, your PI/Supervisor will be required to complete and submit the FIFA World Cup Match Day Building Access Form. The form must be submitted at least 48hrs before the anticipated time of requested building access. Only personnel approved through this process will be allowed into the building.
Matches in the Education City Stadium
- Tuesday, 22 Nov.
- Thursday, 24 Nov.
- Saturday, 26 Nov.
- Monday 28 Nov.
- Wednesday, 30 Nov.
- Friday, 2 Dec.
- Tuesday, 6 Dec.
- Friday, 9 Dec.
Please refer to the match schedule for updated information. Also please note the maps listed below: