Thousands of Senegals gathered on Tuesday for the opening of the 50,000-seat stadium, which aims to make the country Africa’s venue for international events.
The stadium is in Diamniadio, a city being built about 30 kilometers (20 mi) from the capital Dakar, to which an express train link was opened in December.
For now the venue, called the Stade de Senegal, will be the only venue in Senegal to be certified for international football.
The country’s last major stadium, Lat Dior, in the region of Thij, 70 kilometers from Dakar, lost its certification from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in May last year.
Jubilant crowds arrived by bus and train for the inauguration, which followed Senegal’s dramatic win at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on 6 February.
The new stadium was built in just 18 months by Turkey’s Summa Construction Company at a cost of 156 billion CFA francs ($270 million / 238 million euros).
Senegalese President Mackie Saal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino were among the VIPs attending Tuesday’s inauguration.
An exhibition match will be part of the show, in which Senegalese legends such as Aliu Sisse – the national side’s current coach – will oppose a team of African all-stars including Cameroon’s Samuel Ato’o and Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba.
“It is a matter of pride to have such a stadium in Senegal. The country needed this to restore its footballing image,” said one fan, Bamba Dieng, 24.
“I have never seen such a big stadium. I hope it is maintained properly so that it lasts for a very long time,” said 29-year-old Ibou Ngome.
Mbaye Jacques Diop, a communications consultant at the Ministry of Sports, said the project was part of a program to make Dakar a “sports hub” for Africa.
This would mean the end of matches being shifted to Asia as the continent lacks infrastructure, he said.
The first major competitive match will take place on March 29.
Senegal, who won the African title by defeating Egypt, meets the Pharaohs again in a World Cup qualifier.
Senegal has embarked on a program to refurbish its stadiums before Dakar hosts the Summer Youth Olympics in 2026.
The country’s largest sports venue is the 60,000-capacity Leopold Cedar Senghor Stadium, built in Dakar in 1985.
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