Samia Suluhu Hassan is a sports stadium under construction, in the city of Arusha, Tanzania. It is intended to be used during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament. The stadium is one of the stadia that Tanzania plans to use during the tournament, that will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.[1]
 | |
  Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium Location within Tanzania | |
| Location | Arusha, Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 03°22′00″S 34°41′00″E / 3.36667°S 34.68333°E |
| Capacity | 30,000 (expected) |
| Field size | 105m × 68m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 8 April 2024 |
| Built | 2024–2026 (expected) |
| Opened | April 2026 (expected) |
| Construction cost | US$112 million (estimate) |
| General contractor | China Railway Construction Engineering Group |
| Tenants | |
| 2027 Africa Cup of Nations | |
The stadium is named after Samia Suluhu Hassan, the incumbent president of Tanzania.[2]
Location
editThe stadium is located in the neighborhood known as "Olomoti area".
Overview
editSamia Suluhu Hassan Stadium, with planned capacity of 30,000 is intended for soccer matches and rugby matches and events such as athletics. The primary purpose of this stadium is to be part of the host stadia that Tanzania will use to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in a tri-state-host tournament to be held in the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The other Tanzanian stadia are the 60,000 seater Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam and the 10,000 seater Chamazi Stadium, also in Dar es Salaam.[3]
In September 2023, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), announced the East Africa Pamoja bid by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as the winning bid to host the 2027 AFCON tournament. The bid beat out other bids by other countries including Egypt, Senegal, Botswana and Algeria.[4] At the bidding stage the Tanzania Football Federation nominated the three Nairobi national stadiums and the 10,000 seater Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.[5]
Construction
editThe construction contract was awarded to China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG), a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited (CREC), a Chinese, majority state-owned, publicly traded, multinational engineering and construction conglomerate.[6]
References
edit- ^ Majuto Omary (6 April 2024). "Tanzania heightens preparations for Afcon as construction of Sh286 billion stadium starts". The Citizen.
- ^ Majuto Omary (12 March 2024). "Arusha's Stadium proposed to be named after Samia Suluhu Hassan". The Citizen.
- ^ "Proposed new stadium to cost over USD 112 million". The Tanzania Times. Arusha, Tanzania. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Mohamed Issa (9 November 2023). "Write up for Afcon 2027 joint preparedness resolved". The EastAfrican. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Miriam Nkirote (16 March 2024). "China's CRBC Begins Work on Talanta Stadium". Construction Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Chinese company starts construction of modern soccer stadium in northern Tanzania for 2027 AFCON finals". Xinhua. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.