Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium
Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب جابر الأحمد الدولي) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Ardhiyah area of Kuwait City, Kuwait. Completed in 2009, it is used mostly for football matches and athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 seated spectators, the building is constructed in 4 levels, with 54 corporate boxes and a parking lot with a 6,001-car capacity. It was expected to open in the second quarter of 2010, but the building failed structural-integrity testing and remained closed for nearly half a decade due to a miscalculation by structural engineers. It was finally opened on 18 December 2015. Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium is currently the new home of the Kuwait national football team.[1]
Shiekh Jaber Stadium Kuwait International Stadium | |
 Aerial view of the stadium in January 2019 | |
| Location | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°16′17.14″N 47°55′07″E |
| Owner | Kuwait national football team, Kuwait Football Association |
| Operator | Kuwait national football team |
| Capacity | 60,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2 June 2006 |
| Built | 2006–2010 (4 years) |
| Opened | 10 September 2010 |
| Renovated | 2015 |
| Reopened | 18 December 2015 |
| Construction cost | 120 million Kuwaiti dinar (US$394.6 million) |
| Tenants | |
| Kuwait national team (2010–2011; 2015–present) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.stadjaber.com/ | |
The stadium was named after late Amir of Kuwait Shaikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Kuwait celebrated their winning of the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup in that stadium.
History
First match
Was an International Friendly between Kuwait National Team and Bahrain National Team ended 2-1 win to Bahrain.
| 8 October 2010 | Kuwait | 1 – 2[2] | Bahrain |  Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Ahmad Ajab  66' |
Ismaeel Latif 9' Fouzi Ayesh 47' Salma Isa 51' |
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
Second match
| 12 October 2010 | Kuwait | 1 – 0 | Vietnam | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Ahmad Ajab 66' |
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
AFC Cup 2010
The first ever official match held in the stadium was the 2010 AFC Cup Final between Qadsia SC and Al-Ittihad SC the match ended with a total of 59,783 total attendance and a scored of 1–1. The final score was 5–3 on penalties for the Syrian Team.
| 6 November 2010 | Al-Qadsia | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (2 – 4 p) |  Al-Ittihad | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Al Enezi 29' |
Report | Dyab 53' |
Attendance: 58,604 Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) |
| Penalties | ||||
| (penalty takers may not be in correct order) Al Ansari  Al Bloushi  Al Khatib Al Mejmed |
(penalty takers may not be in correct order) Hemidi Dyab Dakka Kalaji |
|||
Renovations
In 2010 after the 2010 AFC Cup Final problems started to occur to the stadium which led to closing the stadium in 2011. Renovations started in 2014 and ended in 2015.
Re-opening
The re-opening was announced on 28 November 2015 for the 2015 Kuwait Champions Challenge, where late Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to the opening. The match was between Kuwait XI and World Stars XI. The Kuwait XI won with a 4–2 score. LET'S PLAY!, the multimedia opening show (which was performed right before the match), was produced by Laser System Europe and Groupe F. It was written and directed by Rodolph Nasillski[3]
The Kuwait FA at the time were banned by FIFA (starting in October 2015) due to the Kuwaiti Government's interference in sports. With that, FIFA prevented Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo (who both were playing at the MLS), and Xavi (who was playing for Al Sadd SC at the Qatar Stars League) from playing in the match.[4]
Crown Prince Cup
The Crown Prince Cup Final between Kuwait SC and Al-Salmiya SC was hosted there. The KFA was given 150,000 KD to host the final. The final show was right before the match, and it included prizes for the visitors, including phones, cars, computers. There was also a firework show before and after the match.[5]
The match was played on Tuesday 12 January 2016.[6] The referee was Ahmed Al-Ali.[7]
The match ended a 1–0 win for Al-Salmiya SC over Kuwait SC in the final of 2015–16 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup and gave Al-Salmiya their 9th official Championship and the first ever team to win a championship in this stadium.
| 12-1-2016 | Kuwait SC | 0 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| 17:30 (KSA) | Faisal Al Enezi |
Emir's Cup
KFA decided to just host the final of the Kuwait Emir Cup.[8] It will be Al-Arabi SC against Kuwait SC The match was played on 5 April 2016 6:30 GMT+3, and ended 3-1 win for Kuwait SC.[9] Kuwait SC won their 11th Emir Cup and the second team to win a domestic championship in the stadium.[10]
| 5-4-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 1 – 3 | Kuwait SC | Jaber International Stadium, Kuwait City |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Hussain Al-Musawi 60' |
Report | Yassine Salhi 3' Talal Al-Enizi 9' Yassine Salhi 19' |
Attendance: 42,604 |
Super Cup 2016
KFA decided that Jaber International Stadium will host the Super Cup on 23 September after being delayed twice, and the dates were 21 September and 9 September.[11] The Game will be the league champions Qadsia SC against the emir cup champions Kuwait SC.[12] Kuwait won 3-2 on penalties after drawing 2-2 at full time.
2016–17 league matches
During the season a couple of match weeks were played on the stadium due to lack of stadiums available due to Burgan SC joining the league, while 2 other teams renovating their own respectful stadiums, one of these matches include the Kuwaiti Classico.
| 28-9-2016 | Sahel SC | 0 – 1 | Qadsia SC | Week 1 |
| Bader Al-Mutawa 12' |
| 28-9-2016 | Al-Sulaibikhat SC | 1 – 2 | Kuwait SC | Week 1 |
| Mishaal Deyab 61' | Khalid Ajab 28' Adel Arhily 93' |
| 14-10-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 0 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 2 |
| 21-10-2016 | Al-Fahaheel FC | 2 – 0 | Al-Jahra SC | Week 4 |
| 21-10-2016 | Al Tadhamon SC | 0 – 2 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 4 |
| 28-10-2016 | Al-Jahra SC | 0 – 2 | Qadsia SC | Week 5 |
| 28-10-2016 | Al-Fahaheel FC | 0 – 4 | Kazma SC | Week 5 |
| 24-12-2016 | Al-Tadhamon SC | 3 – 0 | Khaitan SC | Week 8 |
| 25-12-2016 | Al-Nasr SC | 1 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 8 |
| 29-12-2016 | Al-Tadhamon SC | 1 – 1 | Al-Sahel SC | Week 9 |
| 30-12-2016 | Al-Shabab SC | 0 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 9 |
| 4-1-2017 | Al-Shabab SC | 0 – 0 | Al-Sulaibikhat SC | Week 10 |
2016–17 Crown Prince Cup
Same as the league that season due to lack of available stadiums some matches will be played on this stadium.
| 8-12-2016 | Al-Shabab SC | 2 – 7 | Kazma SC | Group B Week 5 |
| 12-12-2016 | Kazma SC | 4 – 2 | Burgan SC | Group B Week 6 |
| 16-12-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 0 | Kuwait SC | Group B Week 7 |
Semi-finals
| 21-12-2016 | Qadsia SC | 4 – 0 | Al-Salmiya SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| 21-12-2016 | Kuwait SC | 5 – 0 | Al-Jahra SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
Final
2017 Super Cup
2017–18 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup
| 16-11-2017 | Al-Salmiya SC | 1 – 1 | Qadsia SC | Group B Week 1 |
| 28-11-2017 | Kazma SC | 3 – 1 | Al-Jahra SC | Group B week 3 |
| 9-12-2017 | Kuwait SC | 2 – 1 | Al-Arabi SC | Group A Week 4 |
23rd Arabian Gulf Cup
the Arabian Gulf Cup returns to Kuwait after 3 years and after the Ban by FIFA has been lifted the AGCFF all decided to switch the host country to Kuwait. Oman were crowned Champions for the 2nd time after beating UAE on penalties in the final.
Group stage
| 22-12-2017 | Kuwait | 1 – 2 | Saudi Arabia | Group A |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 59,762 Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain) |
| 22-12-2017 |  Oman | 0 – 1 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 21:00 | Report | Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq) |
| 25-12-2017 | Saudi Arabia | 0 – 0 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 17:30 | Report | Attendance: 47,556 Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan) |
| 25-12-2017 | Kuwait | 0 – 1 | Oman | Group A |
| 20:00 | Report | Al-Mahaijri 58' (pen.) |
Attendance: 58,583 Referee: Saoud Al-Athbah (Qatar) |
| 28-12-2017 | Kuwait | 0 – 0 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 18:30 | Report | Attendance: 24,563 Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq) |
Semi-finals
| 2-1-2018 | Oman | 1 – 0 | Bahrain | |
| 17:15 | M. Al Jabar 29' (o.g.) |
Report | Attendance: 19,534 Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka) |
| 2-1-2018 |  Iraq | 3 – 0 (a.e.t.) | United Arab Emirates | |
| 20:30 | Report | Attendance: 27,142 Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan) |
Final
| 5-1-2018 | Oman | 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) (5 – 4 p) | United Arab Emirates | |
| 17:30 | Report | Attendance: 56,344 Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
|
|
|||
National Team friendlies
| 25-3-2018 | Kuwait | 1 – 3 | Cameroon | |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 4,762 Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
2017–18 Emir Cup
| 25-4-2018 | Qadsia SC | 0 – 3 | Al-Arabi SC | Round of 16 |
Final
| 8-5-2018 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 3 | Kuwait SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| Attendance: 23,465 |
2018–19
With the start of Evolution and expansions in Kuwait organized by Kuwait Football Association this is the first time the football season starts this early in August.
Statistics
Most appearances & wins
- As of 28 February 2019
Club
| Club | appearances | wins | draws | loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait SC | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| Kazma SC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Al-Salmiya SC | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Qadsia SC | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Al-Ittihad SC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Tadhamon SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Al-Fahaheel FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Al-Nasr SC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Al-Arabi SC | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Khaitan SC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Al-Shabab SC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Burgan SC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sahel SC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Al-Sulaibikhat SC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Al-Jahra SC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Country
| Club | appearances | wins | draws | loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oman | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kuwait | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 Qatar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
 Egypt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
 Indonesia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Iraq | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Vietnam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Goals
- Number of goals scored in the stadium: 106
- Scored in First Half: 44
- Scored in Second Half: 62
- Scored at Extra Time: 0
Records
Most team played in the stadium: Kuwait SC 10 times
Highest scoring Match: 9 Goals Kazma SC 7-2 Al-Shabab SC
Most team winning in the stadium: Kuwait SC 7 times
Most team losing: Qadsia SC 3 times
First goal in the stadium: Ismail Abdul-Latif
First red card: Hussain Ali Baba
See also
- List of football stadiums in Kuwait
References
- "World Stadiums - Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- Jude
- "LET'S PLAY! - The Pictures". Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- "FIFA stops Gerrard, Pirlo from playing game in banned Kuwait". Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- "الكشف عن ميزانية نهائي كأس سمو ولي العهد الكويتي". كووورة. 9 July 2019.
- "تأجيل نهائي كأس سمو ولي العهد الكويتي". 9 July 2019.
- "أحمد العلي حكما لنهائي كأس سمو ولي العهد الكويتي". 9 July 2019.
- "استاد جابر الدولي يستضيف نهائي كأس سمو أمير الكويت فقط!". 9 July 2019.
- "كووورة: الموقع العربي الرياضي الأول". www.kooora.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- "بالفيديو.. فريق الكويت بطلا لكأس الأمير للمرة الـ11 فى تاريخه". اليوم السابع. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- "رسميًا.. استاد جابر الدولي يستضيف السوبر الكويتي". كووورة. 9 July 2019.
- "كأس السوبر الكويتي - هداف - الموقع العربي الوحيد المختص بإحصائيات و مباريات كرة القدم". Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.