The Abbasiyyin Stadium ( ar, مَلْعَب ٱلْعَبَّاسِيِّين, Malʿab al-ʿAbbāsīyīn) is a multi-use all-seater stadium in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, currently used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

matches and serves as the home venue of the Syrian national team. The stadium which was built in 1976 is able to hold up to 30,000 spectators, being the 4th largest stadium in Syria.

History

The stadium was originally opened in 1957 with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, to host football matches and local athletics events. On the occasion of the 5th Pan Arab Games in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, the stadium was entirely renovated and the capacity was expanded up to 40,000 spectators. However, after the most recent renovation in March 2011, Abbasiyyin Stadium was turned into an all-seater stadium and the capacity was reduced to 30,000 seats. Abbasiyyin Stadium hosted the 5th and 7th Pan Arab Games in 1976 and

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

respectively as a main venue. On 6 May 2001, a holy mass was conducted by Pope John Paul II in the Abbasiyyin Stadium.Pope John Paul II, holy mass in Damascus Abbasiyyin Stadium
/ref>

References

Football venues in Syria Buildings and structures in Damascus

Buildings and structures completed in 1957 Sports venues completed in 1957 1957 establishments in Syria {{syria-sports-venue-stub