World Athletics Championships 2019: Doha to host showpiece The Qatari capital Doha will stage the 2019 World Athletics Championships after beating rival bids from Barcelona and the American city of Eugene. It has been suggested the event runs from 28 September to 6 October to avoid the extreme heat of Qatar's summer. Qatari officials claim that average temperatures at this time of year are lower than May, when Doha stages its annual Diamond League event. Doha wanted to stage the 2017 championships but lost out to London. The city is also due to host the Fifa World Cup in 2022. The 2015 World Athletics Championships take place in Beijing from 22-30 August, while the 2017 event is also scheduled for August. "We had a dream for organising such an event for a long time," said Doha bid leader Dahlan al Hamad. The refurbished Khalifa International Stadium, which is also a World Cup venue, will be the main arena for the championships.