King Fahd Sports City
King Fahd Sports City (Arabic: مدينة الملك فهد الرياضية), also nicknamed The Tent (ملعب الخيمة Mala'ab al-Khaymah) or Pearl of Stadiums (درة الملاعب Durrat al-Mala'eb), is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The stadium, which seated 58,398 spectators, is currently closed for reconstruction that will expand it to approximately 92,000 seats by 2026.
A-Khaymah Stadium | |
 Render image for King Fahd Sports City Stadium in 2026 | |
| Location | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ministry of Sport |
| Capacity | 58,398 (to be expanded to 92,000) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2 December 1982 |
| Opened | 1987 |
| Renovated | To be renovated from 2 December 2023 to 2026, 2026 to 2034 with renovation atletics mode |
| Closed | 2 December 2023 |
| Architect | Ian Fraser, John Roberts, Michael K.C. Cheah and Partners |
| Tenants | |
| Al Hilal (1987–2018, 2020–2023) Al-Shabab (1987–2023) Al-Nassr (1987–2020) Saudi Arabia (most matches) | |
Overview
The stadium was built in 1987, with Majed Abdullah scoring the first goal there. 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.
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. 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
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.
The stadium also hosted all the three matches of 2021–22 Supercopa de España which was won by Real Madrid. The semi-final between Barcelona and Real Madrid was the first official Clásico to be held in a stadium outside of Spain.
On 28 October 2022, David Guetta performed during the opening ceremony of Saudi Games 2022.
On 15 January 2023, the 2023 Supercopa de España Final was hosted in the stadium with Barcelona winning the cup. Three days later, the stadium hosted the 2022 Supercoppa Italiana between A.C. Milan and Inter Milan.
See also
References
External links
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