Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب جابر الأحمد الدولي) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Ardhiyah area of Kuwait City, Kuwait. Completed in 2009, it is used mostly for football matches and athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 seated spectators, the building is constructed in 4 levels, with 54 corporate boxes and a parking lot with a 6,001-car capacity. It was expected to open in the second quarter of 2010, but the building failed structural-integrity testing and remained closed for nearly half a decade due to a miscalculation by structural engineers. It was finally opened on 18 December 2015. Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium is currently the new home of the Kuwait national football team.[1]
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 10,000
AFC Cup 2010
The first ever official match held in the stadium was the 2010 AFC Cup Final between Qadsia SC and Al-Ittihad SC the match ended with a total of 59,783 total attendance and a scored of 1–1. The final score was 5–3 on penalties for the Syrian Team.
(penalty takers may not be in correct order) Hemidi Dyab Dakka Kalaji
Renovations
In 2010 after the 2010 AFC Cup Final problems started to occur to the stadium which led to closing the stadium in 2011. Renovations started in 2014 and ended in 2015.
Re-opening
The re-opening was announced on 28 November 2015 for the 2015 Kuwait Champions Challenge, where late Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to the opening.
The match was between Kuwait XI and World Stars XI. The Kuwait XI won with a 4–2 score.
LET'S PLAY!, the multimedia opening show (which was performed right before the match), was produced by Laser System Europe and Groupe F. It was written and directed by Rodolph Nasillski[3]
The Crown Prince Cup Final between Kuwait SC and Al-Salmiya SC was hosted there. The KFA was given 150,000 KD to host the final. The final show was right before the match, and it included prizes for the visitors, including phones, cars, computers. There was also a firework show before and after the match.[5]
The match was played on Tuesday 12 January 2016.[6] The referee was Ahmed Al-Ali.[7]
The match ended a 1–0 win for Al-Salmiya SC over Kuwait SC in the final of 2015–16 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup and gave Al-Salmiya their 9th official Championship and the first ever team to win a championship in this stadium.
KFA decided to just host the final of the Kuwait Emir Cup.[8] It will be Al-Arabi SC against Kuwait SC The match was played on 5 April 2016 6:30 GMT+3, and ended 3-1 win for Kuwait SC.[9] Kuwait SC won their 11th Emir Cup and the second team to win a domestic championship in the stadium.[10]
KFA decided that Jaber International Stadium will host the Super Cup on 23 September after being delayed twice, and the dates were 21 September and 9 September.[11] The Game will be the league champions Qadsia SC against the emir cup champions Kuwait SC.[12] Kuwait won 3-2 on penalties after drawing 2-2 at full time.
During the season a couple of match weeks were played on the stadium due to lack of stadiums available due to Burgan SC joining the league, while 2 other teams renovating their own respectful stadiums, one of these matches include the Kuwaiti Classico.
the Arabian Gulf Cup returns to Kuwait after 3 years and after the Ban by FIFA has been lifted the AGCFF all decided to switch the host country to Kuwait. Oman were crowned Champions for the 2nd time after beating UAE on penalties in the final.
With the start of Evolution and expansions in Kuwait organized by Kuwait Football Association this is the first time the football season starts this early in August.
