National Stadium, Dhaka

History

Early history

National Stadium, Dhaka, originally known as Dhaka Stadium, was built for cricket in 1954 on a vast empty land located to the northwest of the current Bangabhaban (the Presidential Palace). The stadium is the only venue worldwide to have hosted the inaugural home fixtures for two Test nations: Pakistan and Bangladesh. India were the visitors on both occasions: in 1954–55, when Dacca was the capital of East Pakistan, and in 1976–77, when the first unofficial Test match was held between Bangladesh against the touring MCC from England. And the following year the Sri Lankan national team visited Bangladesh to play a few one-day, two-day and three-day unofficial matches against BCCB XI and Bangladesh national team. After that teams like Deccan Blues from India and MCC toured Bangladesh several times to play against BCCB XI and Bangladesh national team respectively.

Alongside cricket, the stadium was also known to host the historic Dhaka First Division League, which was the country's premier football league even before independence of Bangladesh. In the 80s when football's popularity was skyrocketing, the Dhaka Derby attracted thousands of fans into the stadium from all over the country. The stadium regularly hosted the now defunct Aga Khan Gold Cup, which by many is considered to be first organised international competition that involved club teams around Asia.

The 1978 AFC Youth Championship marked the first major international tournament hosted by both the stadium and the country. The stadium underwent renovations for the occasion, and all 40 matches took place there, with Korea Republic and Iraq being crowned joint champions.

The stadium has a history of hosting number of historic sports event starting from cricket, football, hockey to boxing. In February 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali fought an exhibition boxing match at the stadium, the then Dacca Stadium, with a 12-year-old Bengali boy.

Home of Bangladesh football

With a purpose-built cricket stadium being constructed on the outskirts of the city, the ground was taken out of commission at the end of the 2004–05 season, and handed over for the sole use of the Bangladesh national football team. Other than being used for the 2011 Cricket World Cup opening ceremony, the stadium has been mainly used for football purposes since the turn of the decade. In March 2005, the Bangladesh Football Federation organised the Independence Day Gold Cup to mark its permanent possession of the stadium.

The stadium has hosted the SAFF Championship three times to date. First during the 2003 edition when Bangladesh lifted the trophy for the first time in history, in front of 46,000 local supporters. Since then the 2009 and most recently the 2018 editions of the tournament have all taken place at the stadium. Ever since the inception of the Bangladesh Premier League, in 2007, the stadium has been used has been used to host majority of the league seasons.

On 6 September 2011, the stadium hosted an international friendly football match between the full-strength Argentina and Nigeria teams, featuring Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Javier Mascherano and Mikel John Obi among the other star players of both nations. Argentina won 3–1 with goals from then-Real Madrid teammates Gonzalo Higuaín and Ángel Di María, and an own goal from Nigeria's Elderson Echiéjilé with Chinedu Obasi scoring Nigeria's lone goal. Bangladeshi referee Tayeb Shamsuzzaman officiated the game, which drew 25,000 spectators despite ticket prices starting at US$100.

On 13 November 2020, the stadium hosted the first of two matches between Bangladesh and Nepal during the Mujib Borsho Fifa International Football Series, arranged by the Bangladesh Football Federation. Bangladesh won the first game of the series 2–0, while the second game which was held four days later, finished goalless which lead the hosts to clinch the series on aggregate. The friendlies helped football return to the stadium and the country after a long absence due to the rise of COVID-19 cases worldwide.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Bangabandhu National Stadium was renamed to National Stadium, Dhaka.

Refurbishment

The stadium underwent its initial renovation in preparation for the 1978 AFC Youth Championship, the country's first major international tournament hosting. With a budget of Tk 1.2cr, the East Gallery was constructed, and the country's first-ever women's gallery was added. Additionally, the VIP gallery received a redecoration. The newly renovated stadium hosted a total of forty games from played under floodlights.

The stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India on 17 February 2011. The stadium was exclusively modernised and renovated for the opening ceremony. The capacity of the stadium had been decreased to 36,000, a large LED screen had been installed, a modern roof had also been attached over the press box. The entrances and VIP box have also been upgraded to host the grand gala inaugural ceremony. The press box, along with a refreshment stand and the VIP box have been revamped. The stadium now has state of the art facilities suitable for international sporting events.

From September 2021, the stadium underwent a year-long renovation process scheduled to conclude in early 2023. The Bangladesh Football Federation has planned to host future football-related events at the venue, transforming it into a modernized football facility. The renovation includes field development, construction of sheds in galleries, installation of chairs in galleries, modernization of toilets for international and local players, installation of floodlights, CCTV cameras, generators, LED giant screens, new athletic tracks, digital advertising boards, media centers, ticket counters, Dope Test Room Building, Medical Room, VIP Box Construction, President's Box, Toilet development, medical equipment, sub-station equipment, AC, and solar panel supply.

International football

2018 SAFF Championship

The stadium was the venue for the 2018 SAFF Championship.

2009 SAFF Championship

The stadium was the venue for the 2009 SAFF Championship.

2003 SAFF Gold Cup

The stadium was the venue for the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup.

1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament

The stadium was the venue for the 1955 Asian Quadrangular Cup.

Bangladesh Premier League

References

References

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