The Rajamangala National Stadium ( th, ราชมังคลากีฬาสถาน; , ) is the national stadium of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. It is part of the
Hua Mak Sports Complex
The Rajamangala National Stadium ( th, ราชมังคลากีฬาสถาน; , ) is the national stadium of Thailand. It is part of the Hua Mak Sports Complex, and is located in Hua Mak Subdistrict, Bang Kapi, Bangkok. It offici ...
, and is located in
Hua Mak Subdistrict,
Bang Kapi, Bangkok. It officially opened on 6 December 1998.
Overview
It was first used for the
1998 Asian Games
The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...
in 1998 and
1999 ASEAN University Games in 1999. Since then, it has been used for many international matches and football tournaments. Most notably, for the
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...
. Thai club sides have also used the stadium when playing in continental cup competitions. Krung Thai Bank FC (now
BG Pathum United) used it for
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
matches, and
PEA FC and
Chonburi FC
Chonburi Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดชลบุรี) is a Thai professional football club based in the city of Chonburi, Chonburi province, that competes in the top division in Thai football, th ...
have recently used it in the
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying ...
. Aside from football, it has been used for athletics, pop concerts, and political rallies.
Rajamangala Stadium was designed by the Faculty of Architecture at
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...
. The main material used in construction was concrete and therefore, though the stadium is impressive and imposing, it could never be described as beautiful. However, it is undoubtedly dramatic. The stands rise and fall like a giant, exaggerated version of Huddersfield's
Galpharm Stadium
Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby league s ...
. At each end are quite narrow tiers of seats but the tiers rise and rise as they move around the sides until they peak at level with the halfway line. From an aesthetic point of view, the stadium is best viewed from a distance, preferably from the air, where the elliptical shape of the side tribunes seems particularly pronounced.
The aforementioned side tribunes are designated 'East' and 'West'. 'East' is the uncovered popular side; 'West' is the covered side where the more expensive seats are. The two ends are designated 'North' and 'South'. 'North' is the more popular of the two. It's where the more vocal and colorful elements of the Thai support congregate.
The capacity of the stadium is 65,000. When the stadium first opened the capacity was 80,000. But plastic seats were installed on the North, South, and East sides, where previously there had been bare concrete steps, in readiness for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
The stadium is not served by public transport which has always been a source of frustration for fans. Presently, there are no train stations anywhere near the stadium (unlike at the
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, which is served by the Skytrain -
National Stadium BTS station). However, there are buses and taxis which pass fairly close to the stadium. From 2027, the stadium will be served by the
MRT Orange Line
The MRT Orange Line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายสีส้ม) is a rapid transit line of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand. When fully completed, the MRT O ...
.
The stadium hosted the 2012
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event held at the end/start of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers. It is the only competition in the world where stars from Formula One, World Ral ...
.
On 24 November 2013, a crowd estimated at 100,000 joined the rally around Bangkok's Democracy Monument in an anti-government protest, according to the Democrat Party, as pro-government red shirts gathered at Rajamangala Sports Stadium.
On 16 September 2019
Sports Authority of Thailand
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports ( Abrv: MOTS; th, กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา, ) is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry's primary areas of responsibility are to ...
has been closed for renovation to be used as one of the stadiums for
2020 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship was the fourth edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. ...
, which Thailand hosted in January 2020 to select 3 teams to compete in the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in Tokyo, Japan.
On 12 July 2022, Rajamangala Stadium held the official final between two world-class football teams in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
named The MATCH Final Bangkok Century Cup 2022 between
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, with improvements of the field and stadium to support the competition.
Other stadiums in Bangkok include the
Thai Army Sports Stadium
The Royal Thai Army Stadium ( th, สนามกีฬากองทัพบก) is a multi-purpose stadium on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in the Phaya Thai of north Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium ...
, the
Thai-Japanese Stadium
The Thai-Japanese Stadium ( Japanese: タイ・ジャパニーズ・スタジアム; th, ศูนย์เยาวชนกรุงเทพมหานคร), also called Thai-Japanese Bangkok Youth Center ( is a multi-purpose stadium in D ...
and
Chulalongkorn University Stadium.
Performances
Past performances
*
Carabao
The carabao ( es, Carabao; tgl, Kalabaw; ceb, Kabaw; ilo, Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'') native to the Philippines. Carabaos were introduced to Guam from the Spanish Philippines in the 17th century. They ...
15 Year Celebrate-Made in Thailand Concert - 25 December 1999
*
B - Day Concert - 10 December 2004
*Bangkok Music Festival - 7 May 2005
*
Asanee-Wasan Rumrai Concert - 17 November 2007
*YAMAHA Presents
SMTOWN
SM Town (stylized as SMTOWN) is a musical collective for the recording artists under South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment.
SM Town artists have performed at the annual SM Town Live world tours since the SM Town Live '08 Asia tour ...
Live’08 in Bangkok - 7 February 2009
*Show King M Bangkok - 6 April 2010
*Soda Chang Presents
Bodyslam Live In Kraam By Air Asia - 27 November 2010
*Korean Music Wave in Bangkok presented by JL Starnet - 12 March 2011
*Bangkok Summer Festival By Coca-Cola - 7–8 May 2011
*MBC Korean Music Wave in Bangkok 2012 - 7 April 2012
*
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
Born This Way Ball Tour
The Born This Way Ball was the third concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga, in support of her second studio album '' Born This Way'' (2011). The tour visited all continents, except Antarctica, and was ranked as the fifth highest-grossing to ...
- 25 May 2012
*M! Countdown Smile-Thailand - 11 October 2012
*Race of Champions - 14–16 December 2012
*The Voice Thailand "True Sound Real Sound" - 2 March 2013
*
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
On the Road Again Tour - 14 March 2015
*
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
A Head Full of Dreams Tour - 7 April 2017
*
BTS Love Yourself World Tour
BTS World Tour: Love Yourself, commonly known as the Love Yourself World Tour, was the third worldwide concert tour headlined by South Korean band BTS to promote their ''Love Yourself'' series, including their '' Love Yourself: Her'' EP, '' Love ...
- 6–7 April 2019
*
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
÷ Tour
The ÷ Tour (pronounced "Divide Tour") was the third world concert tour by English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran, in support of his third studio album, '' ÷'' (2017) (pronounced "divide"). Comprising 260 shows, it officially began on 16 March ...
- 28 April 2019
*
Justin Bieber Justice World Tour - November 6, 2022 (Postponed)
* Maroon 5 World Tour 2022 - December 10, 2022
Upcoming performances
* 37th
Golden Disc Awards
The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...
- January 7, 2023
*
Harry Styles Love On Tour - March 11, 2023
Tournament results
The stadium has hosted several international FIFA matches. Here is a list of the most important international matches held at the Rajamangala Stadium.
1998 Asian Games
The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...
2000 AFF Championship
The 2000 AFF Championship, officially known as the 2000 Tiger Cup, was the third edition of the AFF Championship and was held in Thailand from 5 November 2000 to 18 November 2000.
Singapore had been the defending champions, but was eliminated i ...
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...
2008 AFF Championship
The 2008 AFF Championship was the seventh edition of the tournament. It was primarily sponsored by Suzuki and therefore officially known as the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup. The group stage was held in Indonesia and Thailand from 5 to 10 December 2008. T ...
2012 AFF Championship
The 2012 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 9th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of Southeast Asia. It was co-hosted for group stage by Malaysia and Thailand a ...
2014 AFF Championship
The 2014 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 10th edition of the AFF Championship, an international association football competition consisting of national teams of member nations of the ...
2016 AFF Championship
The 2016 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016, was the 11th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The whole tourn ...
2018 AFF Championship
The 2018 AFF Championship was the 12th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of nations affiliated to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the 6th under the name AFF Suzuki Cup. This was the first time a new format has ...
2020 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship was the fourth edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. ...
Gallery
File:Rajamangala Stadium.jpg
File:2007 AFC Asian Cup Welcome Banner.jpg
File:RajamangalaStadium.jpg
File:Rajamangala pitch.JPG
File:Raja 01.JPG
File:Raj 02.JPG
File:Raj 03.JPG
File:Rajamangala Stadium Panorama.jpg
See also
*
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
References
External links
Stadium pictureWorld Stadiums.com
{{2007 AFC Asian Cup stadiums
National stadiums
Sports venues in Thailand
Football venues in Thailand
Athletics (track and field) venues in Thailand
Sports venues in Bangkok
AFC Asian Cup stadiums
Stadiums of the Asian Games
Bang Kapi district
Sports venues completed in 1998
1998 establishments in Thailand