Air Albania Stadium

About

Arena Kombëtare (pronounced [aˈɾena ˌkɔmbəˈtaɾɛ]; known as the Air Albania Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is an all-seater, multi-purpose football stadium located in the Albanian capital city of Tirana which was built on the ground of the former Qemal Stafa Stadium. The stadium has a seating capacity of 22,500 constituting the largest stadium in Albania.

The stadium is owned by the governing body of Albanian football, the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) and the Albanian State through Shoqëria Sportive Kuq e Zi Sh.A, a subsidiary established for the purpose of building, managing and maintaining the structure.

Designed by Marco Casamonti of Archea Associati, the structure of the stadium is a peculiar multi-faceted form (an 8-faceted rectangle) so that each side allows access to distinct functions. At one corner of the stadium structure is an 112-metre tall tower (24 floors). Each facet accommodates different streams, thus identifying users of private areas, such as the hotel tower, shopping areas and stadium spectators.

In May 2022, the stadium hosted the first ever Europa Conference League final between AS Roma and Feyenoord Rotterdam.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.