Kigali Pelé Stadium, nicknamed Nyamirambo Regional Stadium, is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in the Nyamirambo neighbourhood of

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. It is currently used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

matches and hosts several teams in the Rwanda Premier League, including

APR FC Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Football Club (APR FC or APR) is a professional football club from Kigali in Rwanda. The club plays their home games at Kigali Pelé Stadium. The club was founded in June 1993 as the team of the Rwandese Patriotic ...

and

Rayon Sports Rayon Sports Football Club is an association football club from Nyanza, Rwanda, Nyanza, Southern province, Rwanda, now based in Kigali. The team currently competes in the Rwanda National Football League, and plays its home games at the Stade Amaho ...

. It has an

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

surface and seats 22,000 spectators. The stadium was deemed unfit to host international matches in 2021 by the

Confederation of African Football The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the ''Grand Hotel'' in Khartoum, Sudan. At the FIFA Co ...

and underwent a renovation that began in January 2023 ahead of the 73rd FIFA Congress, hosted by Kigali. It reopened on March 15, 2023, and was renamed in honor of the late Brazilian footballer

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

by Rwanda president

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

and FIFA president

Gianni Infantino Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (); (born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss-Italian Association football, football Administrator (business), administrator and the president of the FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) since 26 Febr ...

. In 1998, the stadium was used for the public executions of four individuals convicted of involvement in the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

, including Froduald Karamira.

References

Football venues in Rwanda Athletics (track and field) venues in Rwanda Multi-purpose stadiums in Rwanda Sports venues in Kigali {{Rwanda-sports-venue-stub