Azadi Stadium
Azadi Stadium during the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-finals | |
| Full name | Azadi Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Aryamehr Stadium (1971–1979) |
| Location | Tehran, Iran |
| Owner | Ministry of Sport and Youth of Iran |
| Operator | Azadi Sport Complex Tehran Municipality |
| Capacity | 78,116 (2016–present) 84,412 (2012–2016) 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 |
| Renovated | 2002–2003 2023–ongoing |
| Construction cost | 2,578,183,966 tomans (€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 | |
The Azadi Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادی, romanized: Varzeshgâh-e Âzâdi, pronounced [væɹzeʃˈɡɒːhe ɒːzɒːˈdiː]), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آریامهر, romanized: Varzeshgâh-e Âryâmehr), is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium was designed by Abdol Aziz Mirza Farman-Farmaian Architects and Associates (AFFA) with other parts of the sports complex based on plans by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, an American architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was inaugurated on 17 October 1971 by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran; it is currently self-owned by Esteghlal and Persepolis. It is also the home stadium of the Iran national football team. It has a capacity of 78,116 spectators, as the result of conversion to all-seater stadium. The stadium is part of the larger Azadi Sport Complex.
Aryamehr (meaning "Light of the Aryans") was the title of the Shah; it was renamed after the Iranian Revolution to Azadi (meaning "freedom" in Persian). It is the largest association football stadium in Western Asia. It was built to host the 1974 Asian Games and has hosted the 1976 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium also hosted five finals of Asian Club Competitions: three finals of AFC Champions League in 1999, 2002 and 2018 and two finals of Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 1991 and 1993. Azadi Stadium also hosted WAFF Championship Tournament in 2004 and 2008.
Because of the loud sound of vuvuzelas, similar to the sound of bees, the stadium is sometimes referred to as a "Bee swarm".