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Al-Madina Stadium

Coordinates: 33°21′15.8″N 44°27′20.1″E / 33.354389°N 44.455583°E / 33.354389; 44.455583 (Al-Madina Stadium)
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Al-Madina International Stadium
ملعب المدينة الدولي
Map
Full nameAl-Madina International Stadium
LocationPort Said Street, Baghdad 10059, Iraq Iraq
Coordinates33°21′15.8″N 44°27′20.1″E / 33.354389°N 44.455583°E / 33.354389; 44.455583 (Al-Madina Stadium)
OwnerGovernment of Iraq
Capacity32,000
Field size105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd)
SurfaceMixto Hybrid Grass Technology[1]
ScoreboardYes
Construction
Built2012–2014, 2018–2019
Opened1 December 2021
Construction cost$100 Million
Services engineerNurol İnşaat & Global Sport IQ
Main contractorsGlobal Sport IQ
Tenants
Iraq national football team (selected matches)

Al-Madina International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب المدينة الدولي, lit. 'City Stadium') is a football stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. It is Iraq's first-ever stadium solar power plant, and the second in the Middle East of its kind.[2][3]

Construction work for the stadium was completed on 18 December 2019; it can accommodate over 32,000 spectators.

History

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Construction

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Al-Madina International Stadium's construction started in 2 July 2012 and the construction was at an overall cost of $100 million funded by the government of Iraq. It is a grass surfaced football arena with a total area of 30,000 m2. It can accommodate up to 32,000 spectators, and has other sports-related facilities. It was designed and built by Nurol Construction.[4] It is owned by the Federal government of Iraq.

Name

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The stadium has changed its name four times. It was called "Al-Sadr City Stadium", before the Ministry of Youth and Sports decided in 2017 to name it "Al-Habibiya Stadium" in reference to the stadium's location. In early December 2019, the name "Al-Shohada Stadium" was chosen as a tribute to the martyrs of the Tishreen Revolution.[5][6][7] The final name change came in August 2020, when the stadium took the name of "Al-Madina Stadium", meaning "City Stadium", in reference to the Sadr City district in which the stadium is located.[8]

Inauguration

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It was scheduled to be inaugurated in early 2020, but the unprecedented situation linked to the global health crisis forced the Iraqi authorities to postpone the opening to 2021 despite the fact that works have been completed since 2019.[9][10] The stadium finally hosted its first match on 1 December 2021, the final of the 2021 WAFF U-18 Championship between Iraq and Lebanon.[11] Iraq won on penalties after the game had tied 0–0 after regulation time.[12]

The first-ever international goal at this stadium belongs to Iraqi striker Alaa Abbas, who scored with a bicycle kick in the 17th minute against Uganda in a friendly on 21 January 2022.[13][14]

Facilities

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Hybrid grass

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The stadium's field meets the FIFA regulation size of 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft), and consists of a hybrid grass surface. The pitch is made of Mixto hybrid grass imported from Italy.[1] It is the same technology used for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium's turf in Madrid.[15] Mixto Hybrid Grass Technology consists of a completely natural grass, rooted in a patented synthetic substrate composed of cork granules, synthetic microfibers and fine sand. The synthetic microfibers reinforce the rooting of the grass and allow it to be more resistant. The cork granules absorb shocks and reduce the risk of injury to players.[16]

Anecdotally, Al-Madina Stadium broke the record for the fastest turf laying of a football pitch by completing it in 2 hours 24 minutes.[17][18] The previous record was 9 hours 15 minutes and held by Al Janoub Stadium.[19]

Solar power

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The facility is one of the first of its kind in the Middle East. The roof of the stadium is equipped with large areas of solar panels on the north and south sides, forming a 7,000 square meter power plant with a voltage of 1,200 kV. This makes the stadium self-sufficient in terms of energy supply for its various compartments and the lighting of the field.[20] When photovoltaic production is higher than the loads consumption, the excess power is distributed to residents in the nearby area of the stadium.[21]

Video Assistant Referee Technology

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Al-Madina International Stadium is the first ever stadium in Iraq to incorporate Video assistant referee (VAR) technology. It was installed in the venue on 15 March 2022.[22]

Events

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Iraq Mixto Technology in Al Kud e Bagdad". Limonta Sport. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Baghdad: First solar stadium of Iraq almost ready". stadiumdb.com. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  3. ^ "ملعب الشهداء في العراق ..أول مشروع رياضي صديق للبيئة يعتمد الطاقة الشمسية" (in Arabic). alkass.net. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  4. ^ Baghdad Stadyumu Projesi, antrenman sahası ve otel kompleksi. "NC | Nurol Construction". www.nurolinsaat.com.tr. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  5. ^ "وزارة الشباب والرياضة تقرر اطلاق تسمية ملعب الشهداء على ملعب الحبيبية" (in Arabic). Ministry of Youth and Sports. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ^ "رسمياً.. اطلاق تسمية الشهداء على ملعب الحبيبية في بغداد" (in Arabic). almasalah.com. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. ^ "رسميا.. تغير اسم ملعب الحبيبية إلى الشهداء" (in Arabic). mawazin.net. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  8. ^ "وزير الشباب: ملعب المدينة جاهز للافتتاح" (in Arabic). ina.iq. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  9. ^ "وزارة الشباب والرياضة تؤكد افتتاح ملعب مدينة الصدر مطلع العام المقبل" (in Arabic). Ministry of Youth and Sports. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  10. ^ "افتتاح ملعب مدينة الصدر( الحبيبية) مطلع العام المقبل" (in Arabic). alsabaah.iq. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. ^ "الجماهير العراقية تعزز مطالب رفع الحظر وتملأ ملعب المدينة في نهائي بطولة غرب آسيا". aljazeera.net. 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Iraq wins in WAFF over Lebanon". Iraqi News Agency. 1 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Uganda Cranes fall to Iraq in Baghdad". kawowo.com. 22 January 2022.
  14. ^ Exposito, Alexis (24 January 2022). "Le match que vous n'avez pas regardé : Irak-Ouganda" (in French). sofoot.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Real Madrid FC and MIXTO Hybrid-system together for the 5th year". Limonta Sport. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Un sol antiblessures rempli de liège" (in French). Le Parisien. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  17. ^ "العراق تحقق رقم قياسي عالمي متفوقة على قطر". alkawthartv.ir. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  18. ^ "وزير الشباب والرياضة: شعور الفرح غمرنا لما شاهدناه اليوم ونسعى لشمول ملعب الحبيبية الدولي بملف رفع الحظر عن ملاعب العاصمة بغداد". moys.gov.iq. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Turf laid at Al Wakrah Stadium in record time of 9 hours 15 minutes". qatar2022.qa. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  20. ^ "العراق يترقب افتتاح أول ملعب في الشرق الأوسط يعتمد على الطاقة الشمسية". alaraby.co.uk. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  21. ^ "مدير شركة ملعب الحبيبية: لدينا فائض من الطاقة الكهربائية الشمسية وسنستثمره للاهالي" (in Arabic). baghdadtoday.news. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  22. ^ "تقنية "فار" تصل العراق لاستخدامها في مباراة الإمارات" (in Arabic). hathalyoum.net. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
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