Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium set to reopen after renovation

Media got a first glimpse of the new renovations at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday.

The tour for members of the press and TV included the mixed zone, press conference room, the players changing rooms, media centers, as well as the VIP room, which features an exhibition of rare photos reflecting the history of the stadium since its establishment.

Bandar Asiri, director of Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, told media that the stadium is fully prepared to host matches, noting that they are in the final procedures of completing the stadium, which is likely to be opened in October.

It was originally opened in 1976, then called the Youth Welfare Stadium, before it had a name change in 2001 in honor of Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal, the Kingdom’s first Minister of Sports.

The stadium accommodates 27,000 spectators, up from its previous capacity of 18,000, in addition to 2,400 car-parking spaces, 81 ticket offices, 60 electronic gates, two media centers, 15 VIP rooms and four analytical studios.

The stadium will open next month with a derby match that brings together Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli in the seventh round of the Mohammed bin Salman Professional Cup, according to a source.