Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva inspected construction progress at Ganja city stadium

On August 20, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the Ganja city stadium to review the progress of ongoing construction work.

Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov briefed the head of state and the First Lady on the project.

The Ganja city stadium, originally built between 1959 and 1963 and commissioned in 1964, had seen its spectator stands deteriorate in recent years, rendering them partially unusable and limiting the facility’s operations.

Based on a decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev in 2023, an initial allocation of one million manat was provided from the President’s Reserve Fund for the design and implementation of the stadium’s reconstruction. On April 9 of the previous year, the head of state laid the foundation for the project.

Azerbaijan will host the 3rd Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games from September 28 to October 8 this year. While several cities and districts have been selected for the event, the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the main competitions, will take place in Ganja. With this in mind, construction work at the city stadium has been accelerated. The stadium’s territory now includes auxiliary training fields and a Football Academy building. The stadium’s area has been expanded to 10.4 hectares, with the total area of the sports complex, including safe vehicle access, parking, and infrastructure, exceeding 12 hectares.

Constructed in accordance with UEFA’s Category 4 standards, the stadium will have a seating capacity of 15,343. It will feature designated seating for spectators with disabilities, as well as media and VIP zones. The facility will also include modern dressing rooms for players, conference rooms, medical facilities, referee rooms, technical staff areas, and other necessary spaces. Additional amenities such as ticket offices, various catering outlets, parking areas, and security checkpoints will be established. The stadium will be equipped with UEFA-compliant lighting, sound, broadcasting, internet, ventilation, security, and other essential systems. Extensive landscaping and greening works are also progressing on the stadium grounds.