Zayed Sports City Stadium ( ar, ستاد مدينة زايد الرياضية) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Zayed Sports City,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates. The largest stadium in the UAE with 45,000 seats, it has iconic status and was featured on the AED 200 banknote. The stadium was opened in 1979 and was renovated in 2009, with many of the facilities and amenities upgraded to ensure that it complies with international standards and can be used for a wide range of events. The stadium hosted the

1996 AFC Asian Cup The 1996 AFC Asian Cup was the 11th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in the United Arab Emirates between 4 and 21 Decembe ...

including the final, where the United Arab Emirates lost against Saudi Arabia in penalty shoot-outs. The stadium also hosted the

2003 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. U20 Brazil claimed their fourth title. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested. The tournament was originally planned to be ...

and the

18th Arabian Gulf Cup The 18th Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, was the كأس الخليج العربي) 18th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup. It took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 17 to 30 January 2007. The tournament was won by hosts UAE, who beat neighbor ...

. The semifinals and finals of

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and

2010 FIFA Club World Cup The 2010 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament that was played from 8 to 18 December 2010. It was the seventh FIFA Club World Cup and was ho ...

s were also held at the stadium. The stadium again hosted the Club World Cup in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. It also held the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...

. It staged the opening and final matches.

History

Development

Initiated by then-UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's desire, directions were issued to the Town Planning Department in 1974 to build a comprehensive sports complex of high international standards in Abu Dhabi. Zayed Sports City Stadium was the crux of the first project phase, and a 60,000 seat stadium was constructed. This phase also included perimeter fencing, utility services and an internal road network. It was completed in 1979 and the stadium was inaugurated in January 1980. The total cost of this phase was AED 550 million. The stadium included full size grass pitch surrounded facilities to host athletics competitions. An electronic board and a sound system were installed as well as a modern electronic irrigation system. The building was designed to host international sporting events and provided media personnel with sufficient facilities to cover and broadcast tournaments via satellites. The external design of the stadium features iconic arches which are showcased in the venue’s logo as well as on the AED 200 banknote.

Renovations

Throughout the years, the stadium has undergone significant renovations to ensure that it can accommodate the high-quality international events it was designed for. Hospitality areas, including the Royal Box interior and exterior, VIP seating and media seating were created throughout the years. Two scoreboards at either end zone were added in 2003. Renovations such as these have reduced the capacity to 43,791 public seats. In preparation for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, architecture firm Populous led renovation works at the stadium, including brand new team locker rooms, wayfinding updates, refurbishments to the public facilities, updates to the Royal Box and installation of a new pitch lighting system. London-based company ISG was the construction contractor for the project.

Current features

The stadium is a traditional, open-air stadium that is defined on its exterior by iconic arches. Within the stadium is a full-size football pitch and a wide concrete apron surrounds it. There are 42,355 general entry seats on two levels plus 1,436 hospitality seats and 277 media seats. There is also a royal box with indoor and outdoor viewing areas and six media / hospitality sky boxes. On the concourses are concession kiosks, toilets and first aid facilities. Back of house areas include space for media, hospitality, players, referees and storage. There are also several offices located in the stadium. Three LED scoreboards are present in the venue as well as a sound system for spectators. The venue is fully lit to the standard required for HDTV broadcasts. Surrounding the stadium is a pre-event plaza, then a series of fountains. Beyond this is the ring road, parking lots, training pitches and the rest of the Zayed Sports City facilities.

2019 AFC Asian Cup

Zayed Sports City Stadium hosted eight games of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, including the opening match, and a Round of 16 and quarter-final match, as well as the final.

Events

Zayed Sports City Stadium has hosted hundreds of events, large and small, in its history. Some of these have left a mark on the history of not only the stadium, but also on Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the GCC. * 1980– Friendship Football Tournament * 1981 – Asian Youth Cup * 1982 – 6th Arabian Gulf Cup * 1983 – Saudi v Kuwait military football match * 1984 – Olympic Football Qualification Matches * 1984 – International Athletics Meet (included Italian National Team) * 1985 –

AFC Youth Championship The AFC U-20 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC Youth Championship and AFC U-19 Championship, is a biennial international association football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-20 national teams ...

* 1986 – 2nd Asian Juniors Football Championship * 1988 – Asian Cup Qualification matches * 1989 – American Rodeo Festival (on the occasion of UAE 18th National Day) * 1991 – Abu Dhabi Police Directorate Soccer Tournament * 1994 –

12th Arabian Gulf Cup The 12th Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي) was held in the UAE, in November 1994. The tournament was won by Saudi Arabia for the first time Iraq were banned from the tournament because of invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Tou ...

* 1996 –

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

* 1998 – Arab Knight Festival Closing Ceremonies * 1999 – 14th FIQ World Bowling Championships Opening Ceremony * 2003 – FIFA World Youth Championship * 2007 –

* 2008 – George Michael and Alicia Keys Concert * 2009 –

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...

* 2010 –

* 2011 – UAE 40th National Day Official Ceremony * 2013 – Monster Jam * 2014 – Nitro Circus Live * 2017 –

* 2018 –

* 2019 –

* 2019 – Special Olympics World Summer Games * 2019 – UAE National Day Celebrations

References

External links

Official website of Zayed Sports City
* {{2019 AFC Asian Cup stadiums Athletics (track and field) venues in the United Arab Emirates Sports venues in Abu Dhabi Football venues in Abu Dhabi AFC Asian Cup stadiums National stadiums Multi-purpose stadiums in the United Arab Emirates Sports venues completed in 1980 1980 establishments in the United Arab Emirates