National Heroes Stadium

Former names	Gabon Disaster Heroes National Stadium
Location	Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia
Coordinates	15°22′10″S 28°16′22″E / 15.369507°S 28.272641°E / -15.369507; 28.272641
Type	Multi-purpose stadium
Capacity	60,000[2]
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	10 January 2011
Built	2011–2014
Opened	2014
Construction cost	US$94 million[1]
Main contractors	Shanghai Construction Company
Tenants
Zambia national football team

Heroes National Stadium^[2] is a multi-purpose stadium in Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of the Zambia national football team. The stadium holds 60,000 spectators.^[3] It opened in 2014. The name of the stadium refers to the 1993 Zambia national football team air disaster which took the lives of most of its national football team.

History

Upon completion of construction in 2013, it was originally named the Gabon Disaster Heroes National Stadium because of this, but the ruling Patriotic Front government was pressured to change the name by the populace.

On 7 July 2021, a state funeral of former President Kenneth Kaunda was held at the National Heroes Stadium.

Geography

The stadium's location is in the northern suburbs of Lusaka (Zambia's Capital City) on the Great North Road (T2 Road).^[4][5]

The Heroes National Stadium is located right next to where the refurbished Independence Stadium and the Heroes Acres Memorial where the players who died in the Gabon air disaster in 1993 are buried.^[4]