Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium ( ar, ملعب جابر الأحمد الدولي) is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
in the Ardhiyah area of
Kuwait City
Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
, Kuwait. Completed in 2009, it is 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
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 seated spectators, the building is constructed in 4 levels, with 54 corporate boxes and parking lot with a 6,000 car capacity. It was expected to open in second quarter of 2010, but the building failed structural-integrity testing and remained closed due to a miscalculation by structural engineers for nearly half a decade. However it was finally opened on 18 December 2015. Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium is currently the new home of the
Kuwait national football team
The Kuwait national football team ( ar, منتخب الكويت لكرة القدم) is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. Kuwait made one World Cup finals appearance, in 1982, managing one point in ...
.
The stadium was named after late Amir of Kuwait Shaikh
Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (29 June 1926 – 15 January 2006) ( ar, الشيخ جابر الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Jābir al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ) was Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwai ...
. Kuwait celebrated their winning of Arabian Gulf Cup 20 in that stadium.
History
First match
Was an International Friendly between
Kuwait National Team and
Bahrain National Team ended 3-1 win to Bahrain.
Second match
AFC Cup 2010
The first ever official match held in the stadium was the
2010 AFC Cup Final between
Qadsia SC
) The Royal ( ar, الملكي) The Yellow Castle ( ar, القلعة الصفراء)
, founded = as ''Al-Jazira''
, ground = Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium Hawalli
, capacity = 26,000
, chairman = Khaled Fahad Al Sabah
, manager = Boris ...
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.
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
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, الشيخ صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Sabāh al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ; 16 June 192929 September 2020) was the Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwa ...
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
The Kuwait FA at the time were banned by
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
(Starting in October 2015) due to the
Kuwaiti Government's interference of sports. With that, FIFA prevented
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
,
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo (; born 19 May 1979) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is head coach of Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük. Considered one of the best deep-lying playmakers ever, Pirlo was renowned for his visio ...
(Who both were playing at the
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
), and
Xavi
Xavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), known as Xavi is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of La Liga club FC Barcelona, Barcelona. Widely con ...
(Who was playimg for
Al Sadd SC
Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the ...
at the
Qatar Stars League
The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotio ...
) from playing in the match.
2015–16
Crown Prince Cup
The Crown Prince Cup Final between
Kuwait SC
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
and
Al-Salmiya SC
Al-Salmiya Sporting Club ( ar, نادي السالمية الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football and sports club in Salmiya. They have won the Kuwaiti Premier League four times, most recently in 2000. They were founded in 1964 and th ...
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.
The match was played on Tuesday 12 January 2016. The referee was Ahmed Al-Ali.
The match ended a 1–0 win for
Al-Salmiya SC
Al-Salmiya Sporting Club ( ar, نادي السالمية الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football and sports club in Salmiya. They have won the Kuwaiti Premier League four times, most recently in 2000. They were founded in 1964 and th ...
over
Kuwait SC
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
in the final of
2015–16 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup
This is the 22nd edition of the tournament and first appearance for Burgan SC, while rules have changed that there are no more 2 legged matches all from 1 knockout match.
Al-Arabi SC are defending champions.
Preliminary round
Round 1
Rou ...
and gave Al-Salmiya their 9th official Championship and the first ever team to win a championship in this stadium.
Emir's Cup
KFA decided to just host the final of the Kuwait Emir Cup. It will be
Al-Arabi SC against
Kuwait SC
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
The match was played on 5 April 2016 6:30 GMT+3, and ended 3-1 win for Kuwait SC. Kuwait SC won their 11th Emir Cup and the second team to win a domestic championship in the stadium.
2016–17
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. The Game will be the league champions Qadsia SC against the emir cup champions Kuwait SC.
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
Burgan Sports Club ( ar, نادي برقان الرياضي ) is a professional sports club best known for its football team. Based in Al Farwaniyah, the club competes in the Kuwaiti Division One.
History 2014–15 inaugural season
Burgan SC ...
joining the league, while 2 other teams renovating their own respectful stadiums, one of these matches include the Kuwaiti Classico.
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.
=Semi-Finals
=
=Final
=
2016–17 Emir Cup
2017–18
2017 Super Cup
2017–18 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup
=Final
=
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
=
=Semi-Finals
=
=Final
=
National Team friendlies
2017-18 Emir Cup
=Final
=
2018–19
With the start of Evolution and expansions in Kuwait organized by
Kuwait Football Association
The Kuwait Football Association ( ar, الإتحاد الكويتي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Kuwait.
Kuwait has thrice been suspended by FIFA for political interference since 2007 and were allowed to participate ...
this is the first time the football season starts this early in August.
2018–19 Crown prince Cup final
Statistics
Most appearances & wins
*
Club
Country
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
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
10 times
Highest scoring Match: 9 Goals
Kazma SC
Kazma Sporting Club ( ar, نادي كاظمة الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional association football club. Founded in 1964, the club competes in the Kuwaiti Premier League.
Club history
Naming
The club is named after the area of Kathma. ...
7-2
Al-Shabab SC
Most team winning in the stadium:
Kuwait SC
Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
7 times
Most team losing:
Qadsia SC
) The Royal ( ar, الملكي) The Yellow Castle ( ar, القلعة الصفراء)
, founded = as ''Al-Jazira''
, ground = Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium Hawalli
, capacity = 26,000
, chairman = Khaled Fahad Al Sabah
, manager = Boris ...
3 times
First goal in the stadium:
Ismail Abdul-Latif
Ismail (Ismaeel) Abdullatif Ismail Hassan, also spelled Abdullatif ( ar, إسماعيل عبد اللطيف; born September 11, 1986), is a Bahraini professional association football, football Forward (association football), forward, currently pl ...
First red card:
Hussain Ali Baba
Hussain Ali Baba Mohamed ( ar, حسين علي بابا; born 11 February 1982) is a former Bahraini footballer who last played for Bahrain Riffa Club, Al Riffa and the Bahrain national football team.
Career
Baba first played for Bahrain Riffa C ...
References
{{reflist
Football venues in Kuwait
Athletics (track and field) venues in Kuwait
Multi-purpose stadiums in Kuwait