Multi-purpose sports venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
King Fahd Sports City Stadium
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/A_future_picture_of_King_Fahd_Sports_City.jpg/250px-A_future_picture_of_King_Fahd_Sports_City.jpg) Render image for King Fahd Sports City Stadium in 2026
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![Map](https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,13,a,a,250x200.png?lang=en&domain=en.wikipedia.org&title=King_Fahd_Sports_City&revid=1228486741&groups=_cd9b0ceb5cb598c13a6909cacbf35abe2eec2e44) |
Former names
| King Fahd International Stadium (1982?2023)
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Location
| Riyadh
, Saudi Arabia
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Owner
| Ministry of Sport
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Capacity
| 58,398
[1]
(to be expanded to 92,000)
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Broke ground
| 2 December 1982
|
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Opened
| 1987
; 37 years ago
(
1987
)
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Renovated
| 2023?2026, 2027?2034
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Closed
| 2 December 2023
|
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Architect
| Ian Fraser, John Roberts, Michael K.C. Cheah and Partners
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|
Al-Hilal
(1987?2018, 2020?2023)
Al-Shabab
(1987?2023)
Al-Nassr
(1987?2020)
Saudi Arabia
(Selected matches)
|
King Fahd Sports City
(
Arabic
:
????? ????? ??? ????????
), also nicknamed "The Tent" (
???? ??????
Mala'ab al-Khaymah
) or "Pearl of Stadiums" (
??? ???????
Durrat al-Mala'eb
), is a multi-purpose stadium in
Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia
. The stadium, which seated 58,398 spectators,
[1]
is currently closed for reconstruction that will expand it to approximately 92,000 seats by 2026.
[2]
Overview
[
edit
]
The stadium was built in 1987, with
Majed Abdullah
scoring the first goal there.
[3]
It hosted matches of the
1989 FIFA World Youth Championship
, including the final.
In September 2017, as part of
Saudi Vision 2030
, there was a celebration of the 87th anniversary of the foundation of Saudi Arabia with concerts and performances. For the first time, women were allowed into the stadium.
[4]
The stadium has been included in the FIFA series of video games since the
2013 edition
, when the
Saudi Pro League
began featuring in the game, while a modified version with two tiers all around was featured in the
Pro Evolution Soccer
series during the
PlayStation 2
era under the name "Nakhon Ratchasima", due to its resemblance (or lack thereof) to the
80th Birthday Stadium
that hosted the
2007 SEA Games
in Thailand.
The cost of construction was about 1.912 billion
Saudi riyals
or $510 million.
[3]
The stadium's roof covers an area of 47,000
square feet
and held up by 24 columns arranged in a 247-metre diameter circle, creating an umbrella effect that shades spectators from the hot desert sun. A special pavilion for members of the royal family is also included.
Events
[
edit
]
The stadium's first major musical event was holding a concert by
BTS
, which was their first concert in the Middle East, as part of their
Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour
on 11 October 2019. This made the band the first international act to perform in the stadium. They played to an audience of 31,899 people.
The stadium hosted
WWE
's event
Crown Jewel
on 31 October 2019.
[5]
The stadium also hosted all the three matches of
2021?22 Supercopa de Espana
which was won by
Real Madrid
.
[6]
The semi-final between
Barcelona
and Real Madrid was the first official
Clasico
to be held in a stadium outside of Spain.
On 28 October 2022,
David Guetta
performed during the opening ceremony of Saudi Games 2022.
[7]
On 15 January 2023, the
2023 Supercopa de Espana final
was hosted in the stadium with Barcelona winning the cup.
[8]
Three days later, the stadium hosted the
2022 Supercoppa Italiana
between
AC Milan
and
Inter Milan
.
[9]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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History
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Landmarks
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Education
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Football clubs
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Transport
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24°47′18″N
46°50′21″E
/
24.78833°N 46.83917°E
/
24.78833; 46.83917