King Fahd International Stadium

The King Fahd Stadium (Arabic: استاد الملك فهد الدولي), also nicknamed "Tent Stadium" (ملعب الخيمة Mala'ab al-Khaymah) or "Pearl of Stadiums" (درة الملاعب Durrat al-Mala'eb), is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently used mostly for football matches as the home of Saudi Arabia, and it also has athletics facilities.

For the stadium in Ta'if, see King Fahd Stadium, Taif.

King Fahd Stadium
الدرة
Al-Nassr supporters at King Fahd Stadium in 2008
LocationRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
OwnerMinistry of Sport
Capacity68,752 [1] (to be expanded to 80,015)[2]
Construction
Broke ground2 December 1982
Opened1987 (1987)
RenovatedStart in May 2023 and Ends at 2026
ArchitectIan Fraser, John Roberts, Michael KC Cheah & Partners
Tenants
Al Hilal (1987–2018, 2020–present)
Al-Shabab (1987–present)
Al-Nassr (1987–2020)
Saudi Arabia (most matches)

Overview

The stadium was built in 1987 with capacity over 67,000 seats.[3] It measures 116 yards by 74 yards. It also has one of the largest stadium roofs in the world. It was a venue for matches of the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989, including the final match.

In September 2017, as part of Saudi Vision 2030, there was a celebration of the 87th anniversary of the Saudi founding with concerts and performances, with women for the first time being allowed into the stadium.[4]

The stadium has been included in the FIFA video games since FIFA 13, when the Saudi Professional League began being featured in the game. A modified version of the stadium with two tiers all around was featured in the Pro Evolution Soccer series during the PlayStation 2 era under the name 'Nakhon Ratchasima'.

The cost of construction was about 1.912 billion Saudi riyals or $510 million.[3] The stadium's roof shades over 67,000 seats and covers an area of 47,000 square feet. The 24 columns are arranged in a circle with a 247-metre diameter. The huge umbrella keeps the sun off the seats and concourse slabs, providing shade and comfort in the hot desert climate. The first goal in an official game was scored by Majed Abdullah.

As a personal touch to the stadium, a royal balcony was constructed. The architect was Michael KC Cheah.

Events

The stadium's first major musical event was holding a concert by BTS, which was their first concert in the Middle East, as part of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour on 11 October 2019. This made the band the first international act to perform in the stadium. They played to an audience of 31,899 people.

The stadium hosted WWE's event Crown Jewel on 31 October 2019.[5]

The stadium also hosted all the three matches of 2021–22 Supercopa de España which was won by Real Madrid.[6] The semi-final between Barcelona and Real Madrid was the first official Clásico to be held in a stadium outside of Spain.

On 28 October 2022, David Guetta performed during the opening ceremony of Saudi Games 2022.[7]

On 15 January 2023, the 2023 Supercopa de España Final was hosted in the stadium with Barcelona winning the cup.[8] Three days later, the stadium hosted the 2022 Supercoppa Italiana between A.C. Milan and Inter Milan.[9]

See also

References
  1. "King Fahd International Stadium".
  2. "Bidding Nation Saudi Arabia". Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
  3. "King Fahd International Stadium". StadiumDB. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. "Women allowed into stadium as Saudi Arabia promotes national pride, part of reform push". 23 September 2017.
  5. "THE NEXT WWE EVENT IN SAUDI ARABIA WILL TAKE PLACE.... | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  6. "Athletic Club 0-2 Real Madrid - Goals and highlights - Supercopa 21/22". MARCA. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  7. "Saudi Games 2022 Opening Ceremony | Saudi Games 2022". Saudi Games. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  8. "Barcelona secure 3-1 victory over Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup". France 24. 15 January 2023.
  9. "Super Cup clash between Milan giants brings Italian football renaissance to Riyadh". Arab News. 18 January 2023.
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