TIRANA, Jan. 7 – Work has started on the construction of what is slated to be the largest and most expensive sports stadium in Albania, as geologists conducting initial site surveys to determine physical characteristics of the terrain.
The cost of the 22,000-seat Arena Kombetare, which roughly translates as National Arena in English, will be somewhere in the region of Euro 60 million, and as the name suggests will be the new home of the national football team. The construction is expected to last three years, according to the project.
The complex will also consist of 14,000 square meters for business purposes, while another 4,000 square meters of space is designed for offices at the disposition of Albania’s Football Federation.
The new stadium will be built on the site of Qemal Stafa stadium in Tirana, which ceased being used for international matches in 2013 after failing to meet international standards. Prior to that, Qemal Stafa stadium had served as national stadium for over 70 years since 1946, when it was inaugurated for the Balkan Cup.
Meanwhile, businesses around the site have received orders to evacuate as the stadium will be demolished once preliminary works are complete.
The Qemal Stafa stadium was designed in the 1930s by Gerardo Bozio an architect from Florence, Italy, while the new stadium Arena Kombetare is also designed by an Italian architecture studio.
Lacking a permanent home, the Albanian national football team has since played their domestic matches at the newly reconstructed Elbasan Arena, making their debut there on October 8, 2014 in a match against Denmark valid for the qualifiers of UEFA Euro 2016.
The building of a permanent shelter for the Red and Blacks, as the Albanian football team are also known, took a whole new meaning after the latter made worldwide headlines after managing to qualify against odds for the first time in history in a major football competition such as Euro 2016.
