Al-Najaf International Stadium ( ar, ملعب النجف الدولي) is a newly built
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, which was opened on 5 May 2018. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of
Al-Najaf FC and
Naft Al-Wasat SC
Naft Al-Wasat Sports Club ( ar, نادي نفط الوسط الرياضي, lit=''Midland Oil'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Najaf, Iraq. Its professional football team plays in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of Iraqi football. The c ...
. The stadium has a capacity of 30,000 spectators and the construction was at an overall cost of $83.75 million funded entirely by Iraqi government.
Design
The final design by Kansas City-based
360 Architecture
360 Architecture was an American architectural practice acquired by HOK in 2015. The firm provided services for a range of project types including corporate headquarters and commercial office buildings, sports arenas, stadiums and ballparks, mun ...
has won the competition and was selected by
Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports. The first proposed design was to include an athletics track but it was agreed to remove it in order to achieve a football specific stadium. The sports complex also contains two additional stadiums with 400 and 2000 spectators respectively, mainly used for training. The religious ornaments and mosaics on the outer facade are inspired by
Imam Ali's mosque which is 10 km away from the stadium.
Prix Versailles 2019
Al Najaf International Stadium has been nominated among five other finalists to win the
2019 Prix Versailles for the most beautiful sporting facility in the world (architecture and design). The committee considered various criteria including innovation, creativeness, attention to landscaping, recognition of local, natural and cultural patrimony, and environmental efficiency. The importance of social interaction and participation were also part of the assessment criteria.
See also
*
List of football stadiums in Iraq
The following is a list of football stadiums in Iraq, ordered by capacity.
Current stadiums
Future stadiums
Stadiums which are currently in development include:
See also
* List of Asian stadiums by capacity
* List of association football st ...
References
Football venues in Iraq
Sports venues completed in 2018
2018 establishments in Iraq
Najaf
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