Top five football centric stadiums in India

Some of these names have been associated with the history of the game in the country.

Over the years, India has been coming up through the ranks as an emerging footballing nation. The love for the game has spread far and wide across the country, creating a new generation of fans. New and improved football stadiums are being built so the fans get to enjoy football in the best possible way.

However, with the fact that most of the top stadiums in the country are multi-purpose or athletic stadiums, the lack of football-only stadia has always been an Achilles heel for the domestic game.

Several football stadiums are currently being built and we take a look at the five best operational football centric stadiums:

5. Dr. Ambedkar Stadium (New Delhi)

The stadium named in honour of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is a football stadium in New Delhi, India. Opened in 2007 it has a listed capacity of 35,000.

The stadium has played host to many matches, including in tournaments like the Nehru Cup.

In 2007, it hosted the tournament’s final between India and Syria, followed by the 2009 edition’s showpiece again between the same two sides, both of which India won. It also hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against UAE in 2011.

4. Paljor Stadium (Gangtok)

Also known as Palzor Stadium, it is a stadium located in Gangtok, Sikkim. It is the home of United Sikkim FC. The stadium can hold 30,000 people.

The work to upgrade Paljor Stadium was started in April 2001, and after completion, it was handed over to the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs.

3. Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai

The Cooperage Stadium, once the home of now-defunct I-League side Mumbai FC, is another stadium which has been one of the top football grounds in India.

The stadium falls under the jurisdiction of the Western India Football Association (WIFA), which has a capacity of around 7000.

One of the most iconic stadiums in India, the ground has hosted the I-League as well as Rovers Cup (since pre-independence of India) and many other top-level tournaments in the past.

The legendary Rovers Cup used to take place at this very venue and teams from Europe as well as across India would actively participate in the tournament.

In fact, it was a huge honour to participate in the tournament and people from all walks of life would flood in to catch a glimpse of the stars.

A three-member FIFA team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 shortlisted and visited this stadium. However, it could not make the cut to become one of final venues for the tournament.

2. Mumbai Football Arena (Mumbai)

Located at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai, it is primarily used for football matches and tournaments.

With a capacity of 8,000 spectators, it is first expected to be one of the venues for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

It also hosted an international friendly on 3 September 2016 between India and Puerto Rico, with the former winning 4-1 in front of a packed stadium. It was the first international friendly hosted by Mumbai in 61 years.

The year 2018 saw the stadium hosting seven matches of the Intercontinental Cup, including games against Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in the four-way tournament.

1. The EKA Arena by TransStadia (Gujarat)

The EKA Arena by TransStadia or simply The Arena, is a multi-purpose stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, located in Kankaria Lake. It officially opened on 7 October 2016.

The arena has a capacity of over 20,000 people in the outdoor stadium and over 4,000 in the indoor arena and a FIFA standard football pitch.

It was constructed under a public-private-partnership (PPP) with the Government of Gujarat and SE TransStadia for developing a sports culture in India.

The stadium boasts of a state of the art FIFA standard pitch at an elevation of 4.8 meters, especially made of Bermuda Grass and It is one of Asia’s biggest and India’s first convertible stadium.

It has hosted four preliminarily round Group A matches of the I-League 2nd Division and the AFC Cup games of Chennaiyin FC. The EKA Arena also hosted the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019, where India, Tajikistan, DPR Korea and Syria played.

Honorary mentions: Duler Stadium (Goa), Tilak Maidan (Goa), Bangalore Football Stadium (Bengaluru)

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