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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; 2023–2025
Expanded	2002
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
	Esteghlal (1973–present); Persepolis (1973–present); Iran national football team (1975–present);
Website
	www.azadisportcomplex.com

The Azadi Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادی Varzešgâh-è Âzâdi), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آریامهر Varzešgâh-è 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 last 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,^[2] as the result of conversion to all-seater stadium. The stadium is part of the larger Azadi Sport Complex.^{[citation needed]}

Aryamehr (meaning "Light of the Aryans") was the title of the said 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.^{[citation needed]}

Because of the loud sound of vuvuzelas, similar to the sound of bees, the stadium is sometimes referred to as a "Bee swarm".^[4]

Location

The stadium is located in the West of Tehran, near Ekbatan district.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Azadi Stadium was constructed by Arme Construction Company and designed by Aziz Farman-Farmaian's architecture firm, AFFA, for the 1974 Asian Games with international criteria. It replaced the Amjadieh 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 the Summer Olympics. In August 1975, the Iranian Shah, Tehran's Mayor and the Iranian Olympic Committee submitted a formal letter to the International Olympic Committee, notifying it of Iran's interest in hosting the 1984 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 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 the Iran-Japan FIFA 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 two West Asian Football Federation Championship in 2004 and 2008. In 2008, AFC forced Sepahan to play the home matches in AFC Champions League in this stadium after their home stadium Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium was closed for renovation. The stadium also is the regular host for Iran U-23 for the Olympics football qualifying.^{[citation needed]}

In recent years the Iranian Football Federation has repeatedly submitted bids to host the AFC Asian Cup, which Iran last hosted in 1976. 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]

Events

1974 Asian Games ( Tehran 1974) and Opening and closing ceremony of tournament
1976 AFC Asian Cup and Opening and closing ceremony of tournament
1978 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Final-1Leg
1991 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Final-1Leg
1993 Afro-Asian Club Championship Final-1Leg
1998–99 Asian Club Championship Semifinals, Third place match and Final
2001–02 Asian Club Championship Semifinals, Third place match and Final
2000–01 Asian Club Championship all Quarter-finals of West of Asia
2010 Solidarity Games in Tehran
1990–91 Asian Cup Winners' Cup Final-2st Leg
2018 AFC Champions League Final-2nd Leg
2003 AFC–OFC Challenge Cup
1992–93 Asian Cup Winners' Cup Final-2nd Leg
2004 WAFF Championship
2008 WAFF Championship
1998 LG Cup
2001 LG Cup
2002 LG Cup
2003 LG Cup
1993 ECO Cup
In November 1975, Frank Sinatra held a concert at Aryamehr Stadium.
The 2006 film, "Offside" (the winner of the Silver bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006) directed by Jafar Panahi and starring Sima Mobarak Shahi and Ida Sadeghi, about girls trying to get into the stadium to watch a football match, was filmed there.
Azadi Stadium also hosted Ferdousi festival in May 2013.
2015 Women's Islamic Games were held at the stadium.
1997 West Asian Games were held at the stadium.

Nominated for

1984 Summer Olympics and Opening and closing ceremony of tournament^[8]^[9]^[10]
1990 FIFA World Cup^[10]^[11]
2011 AFC Asian Cup, 2019 AFC Asian Cup, 2027 AFC Asian Cup

Building and facilities

The architect of the stadium was Abdolaziz Farmanfarmaian, with some parts of the complex done in partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. At the beginning, the stadium had a maximum capacity of 120,000 visitors but was decreased 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 from England.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation

There is enough parking for 400 cars inside the stadium, and an additional 10,000 parking spots are available outside.^{[citation needed]}

Record attendance

The record attendance at Azadi Stadium is over 128,000 during a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Australia.^[12]

References

^ "Azadi Stadium Guide". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^ ^a ^b "22 هزار نفر از ظرفیت آزادی کم شد :: ورزش سه". www.varzesh3.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
^ "Azadi Stadium | TeamMelli". teammelli.com. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
^ bugaga.ru — 25 самых пугающих стадионов в мире (25 Most intimidating stadiums in the world) In Russian
^ http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1975/ore95/ore95zb.pdf
^ "Blatter: Iran must end stadium ban on women". espn.com. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
^ Payne, Marissa (11 July 2017). "Iranian soccer stars call on government to repeal ban on women in stadiums". washingtonpost. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
^ "مروری بر گذشته؛ ایران و میزبانی هایی که از دست رفت ؛ رویای تلخ المپیک 1984 و جام جهانی 1990". طرفداری (in Persian). 13 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^ "40 سال پس از المپیک 1984؛ جشنواره‌ای که از تهران به لس‌انجلس رفت!". فوتبال 360. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b "روزی که تهران میزبان المپیک شد(عکس)". ورزش سه (in Persian). Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^ "مروری بر گذشته؛ ایران و میزبانی هایی که از دست رفت ؛ رویای تلخ المپیک 1984 و جام جهانی 1990". طرفداری (in Persian). 13 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
^ "Classic Football Matches Qualifiers". FIFA. fifa.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2015.

External links

Official website of the Azadi Sports Complex

35°43′28″N 51°16′32″E / 35.72444°N 51.27556°E / 35.72444; 51.27556

Events and tenants
Preceded by National Stadium Bangkok	Asian Games Opening and closing ceremonies 1974	Succeeded by National Stadium Bangkok
Preceded by National Stadium Bangkok	AFC Asian Cup Final venue 1976	Succeeded by Sabah Al-Salem Stadium Kuwait City
Preceded by Hong Kong Stadium Hong Kong	Asian Club Championship Final venue 1999	Succeeded by King Fahd Stadium Riyadh
Preceded by Suwon Sports Complex Suwon	Asian Club Championship Final venue 2002	Succeeded by Rajamangala Stadium Bangkok
Preceded by Abbasiyyin Stadium Damascus	West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2004	Succeeded by Amman International Stadium Amman
Preceded by Amman International Stadium Amman	West Asian Football Federation Championship Final venue 2008	Succeeded by King Abdullah Stadium Amman