King Fahd International Stadium

The King Fahd Stadium (Arabic: استاد الملك فهد الدولي‎), also nicknamed "Pearl of Stadiums" (درة الملاعب Durrat al-Mala'eb) or simply "the Pearl" (الدرة Addurra), is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it also has athletics facilities.

King Fahd Stadium

درة الملاعب
Location	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Capacity	68,752
Construction
Broke ground	2 December 1982
Opened	1987 (1987)
Architect	Ian Fraser, John Roberts & Partners
Tenants
Al-Shabab (1987–present) Al-Nassr (1987–present) Al-Hilal SFC (1987-2018 ,2020-present)

Overview

King Fahd Stadium in 2014

The stadium was built in 1987 with capacity over 67,000 seats.[1] It measures 116 yards by 74 yards. It also has one of the largest stadium roofs in the world. It was a venue for matches of the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1989, including the final match.

As part of Saudi Vision 2030, there was a celebration of the 87th anniversary of the Saudi founding with concerts and performances, with women for the first time being allowed into the stadium.[2]

The stadium is included in the FIFA football games since FIFA 13, when the Saudi Professional League started being featured in the game.

The cost of construction was about 1.912 billion Saudi riyals or $510 million.[1] The stadium's roof shades over 67,000 seats and covers an area of 47,000 square feet. The 24 columns are arranged in a circle with a 247-metre diameter. The huge umbrella keeps the sun off the seats and concourse slabs, providing shade and comfort in the hot desert climate. The first goal in an official game was scored by Majed Abdullah.

As a personal touch to the stadium, a royal balcony was constructed.

The architect was Michael KC Cheah.

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 also hosted WWE's event Crown Jewel on 31 October 2019.[3]

See also

• List of things named after Saudi Kings

References

1. "King Fahd International Stadium". StadiumDB. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
2. "Women allowed into stadium as Saudi Arabia promotes national pride, part of reform push". 23 September 2017.
3. "THE NEXT WWE EVENT IN SAUDI ARABIA WILL TAKE PLACE.... | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

External links

• World Stadium Article
• World Football Profile
• Soccerway Profile

Preceded by None	King Fahd Cup Final Venue 1992, 1995	Succeeded by Itself (as FIFA Confederations Cup Final Venue)
Preceded by Suphachalasai Stadium Bangkok	Asian Club Championship Final Venue 1996	Succeeded by Stadium Merdeka Kuala Lumpur
Preceded by Itself (as King Fahd Cup Final Venue)	FIFA Confederations Cup Final Venue 1997	Succeeded by Estadio Azteca Mexico City
Preceded by Azadi Stadium Tehran	Asian Club Championship Final Venue 2000	Succeeded by Suwon Sports Complex Suwon