Alassane Ouattara Stadium, commonly known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé and formerly as the National Stadium of the Ivory Coast, is a multi-purpose stadium in Ebimpé and Anyama, in northern Abidjan. It opened in 2020. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the Ivory Coast national football team. Alassane Ouattara Stadium is owned by the Government of Ivory Coast. With 60,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in Ivory Coast and one of the most modern stadiums in Africa.
Designed by the Beijing Institute Architectural Design The new national stadium of Ivory Coast was strategically situated away from Abidjan, positioned between the communes of Ebimpé and Anyama. In a direct distance, it stands approximately 20 km north of central Abidjan. The decision to relocate the country's sporting hub beyond the city limits was a deliberate one. Ultimately, it is envisioned to be an integral part of a sprawling 287-hectare sports city, set to become one of the largest sports and leisure districts in Africa to host multiple sports like
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 ...
,
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
and athletics. As for the stadium itself, the initial construction phase covered only its immediate surroundings, encompassing four plazas and providing 1,400
parking spaces
A parking space, parking place or parking spot is a location that is designated for parking, either paved or unpaved. It can be in a parking garage, in a parking lot or on a city street. The space may be delineated by road surface markings. The ...
. The stadium is situated on a rectangular plot spanning 20 hectares. Due to variations in land elevation, the project necessitated extensive excavation, involving the removal of approximately 500,000 tons of soil. This early stage presented considerable challenges, exacerbated by heavy rainfall that led to instances of mud flooding.
The stadium was primarily designed and its construction was initiated with the intention of hosting the
2021 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...
, under the leadership of Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, but On 30 November 2018, CAF stripped Cameroon of hosting the
2019 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (abbreviated as AFCON 2019 or CAN 2019), known as the Total 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football champion ...
because of delays in the construction of stadiums and other necessary infrastructure; it was relocated to Egypt. CAF President at the time,
Ahmad Ahmad
Ahmad Ahmad (born 30 December 1959) is a Malagasy politician and football leader.
He was the President of the Confederation of African Football, and vice-president of FIFA from 2017 to 2021.
Biography
Ahmad Ahmad was born in Madagascar ...
, said that Cameroon had agreed to host the 2021 tournament instead. Consequently, Ivory Coast, original hosts of 2021, will host the
2023 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2023 or CAN 2023) is scheduled to be the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's association football, football championship of Africa organized by the ...
. On 30 January 2019, the CAF President confirmed the timetable shift, after a meeting with Ivory Coast President,
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The African Cup will be the first major competition that the country will host since the 1984 African Cup of Nations
History
Construction
The ground was broken for the stadium on 22 December 2016 by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, with the presence of a China embassy representative.In keeping with the common practice in Chinese-African partnerships, the lion's share of the work on the stadium was carried out by Chinese companies, with an array of Chinese brands involved in the project. The design documentation for the stadium was prepared by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD), while the construction itself was executed by the Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG). From the early stages of conceptual design, the stadium earned its nickname, the "Arc de Triomphe." This moniker was bestowed due to the presence of 96 columns encircling the entire structure, creating a dynamic arcade adorned with stained glass in the national colors. These columns serve both as a striking façade and as support for the roof. At its peak, the stadium reaches a height of 51.4 meters, with approximate dimensions of 290 meters in length and 270 meters in width.The stadium boasts an impressive blueprint covering over 61,250 square meters and offers five floors of facilities, particularly concentrated within the main stand. The seating bowl is divided into three tiers, each providing 24 rows, 13 rows, and up to 28 rows from bottom to top, respectively. Only the third tier is not a continuous ring, featuring openings in all corners. Despite the auditorium being topped by 32 spacious roof girders, the roof fully covers only the third tier and part of the second tier.
Official construction activities commenced on December 22, 2016, with an initial delivery deadline set for October 2019, totaling 34 months for completion. At its peak, the construction site saw around 1,500 individuals working, with approximately 400 of them being Chinese personnel. However, the project experienced significant delays, leading to the stadium's completion only in late spring of 2020. Several factors contributed to the delay, including adverse weather conditions, a considerable number of malaria cases among the Chinese workforce, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic late in the project timeline. Consequently, the opening date was postponed to October 2020. Due to the international collaboration involved in the stadium's construction, the Ivorian government was responsible for covering only a portion of the project's cost, with the remaining funds provided by China. The reported total cost of the stadium was XOF 143 billion (approximately $257 million at the time of opening), with China contributing 63 billion.With a seating capacity of just over 60,000, the stadium is nearly twice the size of Ivory Coast's previous national stadium,
Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
The Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, nicknamed Le Félicia, is a multi-purpose stadium, which can host football, rugby union and athletics, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is the former national stadium of the Ivory Coast national football team. It is ...
. Following its inauguration, it became one of the largest stadiums in West Africa. In November 2019, the stadium was near its completion. It was expected to be delivered to the government of Ivory Coast in February 2020. However, there was a delay due to the weather and health issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inauguration
The stadium was inaugurated on 3 October 2020 and was named after President
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)ASEC Mimosas
The Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas, literally Mimosas Commerce Employees' Sporting Association, is an Côte d'Ivoire, Ivorian Association football, football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ''ASEC Mimosas A ...
List of football stadiums in Ivory Coast
This is a list of Association football, football (soccer) stadiums in Ivory Coast, ranked in descending order of Seating capacity, capacity with at least 5,000 seating capacity. Some stadiums in the country are soccer-specific stadiums, football-s ...
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List of African stadiums by capacity
The following is an incomplete list of sports stadiums in Africa. They are in order by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators the stadium can accommodate.
Most large stadiums in Africa are used for football (soccer), with some a ...
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List of association football stadiums by capacity
The following is a list of football stadiums. They are ordered by their seating capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the stadium can accommodate in seated areas. All stadiums that are the home of a club or national team with a ...