Zayed Sports City Stadium

Zayed Sports City Stadium

Zayed Sports City Stadium
Full name	Zayed Sports City Stadium
Location	Al-Khaleej al-Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Coordinates	24°24′57.92″N 54°27′12.93″E / 24.4160889°N 54.4535917°E / 24.4160889; 54.4535917Coordinates: 24°24′57.92″N 54°27′12.93″E / 24.4160889°N 54.4535917°E / 24.4160889; 54.4535917
Owner	Mubadala Development Company
Operator	Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company
Executive suites	6
Capacity	43,000
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Daktronics (3)
Construction
Broke ground	1974
Opened	January 1980
Renovated	2009
Construction cost	AED 550 Million
Architect	Henri Colboc, Pierre Dalidet, George Philippe
General contractor	Consolidated Contractors Company
Tenants
UAE national football team (1980–present) 1996 AFC Asian Cup 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations 2009 FIFA Club World Cup 2010 FIFA Club World Cup 2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE President's Cup Finals
Website
www.zsc.ae

Zayed Sports City Stadium (Arabic: ستاد مدينة زايد الرياضية‎‎), is an iconic multi-purpose stadium located in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

It is the largest stadium in the UAE with more than 43,000 seats. It has developed a great history and heritage and has cemented its place in the country's history by being featured on the AED 200 banknote.

The stadium was opened in 1979 and has recently been renovated, 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 including the final, where the United Arab Emirates lost against Saudi Arabia in penalty shoot-outs. The stadium also hosted the 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations final between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The semi finals and finals of 2009 and 2010 FIFA Club World Cup were also held at the stadium. The stadium will also be the hosting some the 2017 and 2018 FIFA Club World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup matches along five other stadiums.

Guided by the belief of the President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the role of sports toward youth and preparing them to perform their future role in building their country, 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.