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Aryamehr Stadium | |
 Stadium during the2018 AFC Champions League semi-finals | |
 Interactive map of Azadi Stadium | |
| Full name | Azadi Stadium[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Tehran,Iran |
| Owner | Ministry of Sport and Youth of Iran |
| Operator | Azadi Sport Complex Tehran Municipality |
| Capacity | 78,116 (2016–present)[2] 84,412 (2012–2016)[3] 95,225 (2003–2012) 100,000 (1971–2003) |
| Record attendance | 128,000 Iran vs. Australia |
| Field size | 110 m × 75 m (361 ft × 246 ft) |
| Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
| Scoreboard | 104 m2 jumbotron |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1 October 1970 |
| Built | 1970–1971 (1 year) |
| Opened | 17 October 1971 (1971-10-17) |
| Renovated | 2002–2003 2023–ongoing |
| Construction cost | 2,578,183,966tomans (€400,163,944) |
| Architect | Abdol-Aziz Mirza Farmanfarmaian |
| Project manager | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
| Structural engineer | James Raymond Whittle |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
TheAzadi Stadium (Persian:ورزشگاه آزادی,romanized: Varzeshgâh-e Âzâdi,pronounced[væɹzeʃˈɡɒːheɒːzɒːˈdiː]), opened and also well known as theAryamehr Stadium (Persian:ورزشگاه آریامهر,romanized: Varzeshgâh-e Âryâmehr), is anall-seaterfootball stadium inTehran,Iran. The stadium was designed byAbdol Aziz Mirza Farman-Farmaian Architects and Associates (AFFA) with other parts of the sports complex based on plans bySkidmore, Owings & Merrill, an American architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was inaugurated on 17 of October 1971 byMohammad Reza Pahlavi, the lateShah of Iran; it is currently self-owned byEsteghlal andPersepolis. It is also the home stadium of theIran national football team. It has a capacity of 78,116 spectators,[2] as a result of conversion toall-seater stadium. The stadium is part of the largerAzadi Sport Complex.[citation needed]
Aryamehr (meaning "Light of the Aryans") was the title of the Shah; it was renamed after theIranian Revolution toAzadi meaning "freedom" inPersian). It is thelargest association football stadium in Western Asia. It was built to host the1974 Asian Games and has hosted the1976 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium also hosted five finals of Asian Club Competitions: three finals ofAFC Champions League in1999,2002 and2018 and two finals ofAsian Cup Winners' Cup in1991 and1993. Azadi Stadium also hostedWAFF Championship Tournament in2004 and2008.[citation needed]
Because of the loud sound ofvuvuzelas, similar to the sound ofbees, the stadium is sometimes referred to as a "Bee swarm".[4]
The stadium is located in the West ofTehran, nearEkbatan district.[citation needed]
The Azadi Stadium was constructed byArme Construction Company and designed by Aziz Farman-Farmaian's architecture firm, AFFA, for the1974 Asian Games with international criteria. It replaced theAmjadieh Stadium as the new home of Iran's national football team.[citation needed]
The stadium was built as part of a much larger complex which included numerous Olympic-sized venues for various sports, laying the groundwork for ambitious plans for Tehran to make a bid to host theSummer Olympics. In August 1975, theIranian Shah, Tehran's Mayor and theIranian Olympic Committee submitted a formal letter to theInternational Olympic Committee, notifying it of Iran's interest in hosting the1984 Summer Games.[5] The stadium was the focal point for the bid. But political unrest in the late 1970s saw Tehran drop its bid for the Games, leaving the eventual host,Los Angeles, the only city left bidding.[citation needed]
Renovations first began on the stadium in 2002. Stadium management also planned to later install seats in the upper level of the stadium. Those renovations were completed in 2003 and brought down the capacity of the stadium to well under 100,000. Later upgrades to the stadium brought it down to its current capacity of 78,116. Despite its reduced capacity, Azadi Stadium has been filled over capacity at times such as theIran-JapanFIFA World Cup 2006 qualification match in March 2005 which resulted in the deaths of seven people.[citation needed]
In 2004, a large Jumbotron television was added, replacing the original scoreboard. The stadium hosted twoWest Asian Football Federation Championship in 2004 and 2008. In 2008,AFC forcedSepahan to play the home matches inAFC Champions League in this stadium after their home stadiumNaghsh-e-Jahan Stadium was closed for renovation. The stadium is also the regular host forIran U-23 for the Olympic football qualifying.[citation needed]
In recent years, the Iranian Football Federation has repeatedly submitted bids to host theAFC Asian Cup, which Iran last hosted in1976. But some officials have hinted that rules in Iran banning women from stadiums like Azadi have kept international sports organizations from staging events there.[6] Iranian women have been banned from watching matches at Azadi Stadium since 1982.[7]
Nominated for
The architect of the stadium wasAbdolaziz Farmanfarmaian, with some parts of the complex done in partnership withSkidmore, Owings & Merrill. At the beginning, the stadium had a maximum capacity of 120,000 visitors, but was reduced to 84,000 after renovations in 2003. On the big occasions, the crowd swells well beyond that. The structural engineer and project manager for the building of the stadium was James Raymond Whittle fromEngland.[citation needed]
There is enough parking for 400 cars inside the stadium, and an additional 10,000 parking spots are available outside.[citation needed]
The record attendance at Azadi Stadium is over 128,000 during a1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier againstAustralia.[12]
35°43′28″N51°16′32″E / 35.72444°N 51.27556°E /35.72444; 51.27556
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Asian Games Opening and closing ceremonies 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | AFC Asian Cup Final venue 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Asian Club Championship Final venue 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Asian Club Championship Final venue 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2008 | Succeeded by |
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