Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب جابر الأحمد الدولي) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Ardhiyah area of Kuwait City, Kuwait. Completed in 2009, it is used mostly for football matches and athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 seated spectators, the building is constructed in 4 levels, with 54 corporate boxes and a parking lot with a 6,001-car capacity. It was expected to open in the second quarter of 2010, but the building failed structural-integrity testing and remained closed for nearly half a decade due to a miscalculation by structural engineers. It was finally opened on 18 December 2015. Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium is currently the new home of the Kuwait national football team.[1]
Shiekh Jaber Stadium
Kuwait International Stadium | |
Aerial view of the stadium in January 2019
| |
 | |
| Location | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°16′17.14″N 47°55′07″E / 29.2714278°N 47.91861°E / 29.2714278; 47.91861 |
| Owner | Kuwait national football team, Kuwait Football Association |
| Operator | Kuwait national football team |
| Capacity | 60,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2 June 2006 |
| Built | 2006–2010 (4 years) |
| Opened | 10 September 2010 |
| Renovated | 2015 |
| Reopened | 18 December 2015 |
| Construction cost | 120 million Kuwaiti dinar (US$394.6 million) |
| Tenants | |
| Kuwait national team (2010–2011; 2015–present) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.stadjaber.com/ | |
The stadium was named after late Amir of Kuwait Shaikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Kuwait celebrated their winning of the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup in that stadium.
Was an International Friendly between Kuwait National Team and Bahrain National Team ended 2-1 win to Bahrain.
| 8 October 2010 | Kuwait | 1 – 2[2] | Bahrain |  Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Ahmad Ajab  66' |
Ismaeel Latif 9' Fouzi Ayesh 47' Salma Isa 51' |
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
| 12 October 2010 | Kuwait | 1 – 0 | Vietnam | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Ahmad Ajab 66' |
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
The first ever official match held in the stadium was the 2010 AFC Cup Final between Qadsia SC and Al-Ittihad SC the match ended with a total of 59,783 total attendance and a scored of 1–1. The final score was 5–3 on penalties for the Syrian Team.
v
Al-Ittihad
| 6 November 2010 | Al-Qadsia | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (2 – 4 p) | Al-Ittihad | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Al Enezi 29' |
Report | Dyab 53' |
Attendance: 58,604 Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) |
| Penalties | ||||
| (penalty takers may not be in correct order) Al Ansari  Al Bloushi  Al Khatib Al Mejmed |
(penalty takers may not be in correct order) Hemidi Dyab Dakka Kalaji |
|||
In 2010 after the 2010 AFC Cup Final problems started to occur to the stadium which led to closing the stadium in 2011. Renovations started in 2014 and ended in 2015.
The re-opening was announced on 28 November 2015 for the 2015 Kuwait Champions Challenge, where late Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to the opening. The match was between Kuwait XI and World Stars XI. The Kuwait XI won with a 4–2 score. LET'S PLAY!, the multimedia opening show (which was performed right before the match), was produced by Laser System Europe and Groupe F. It was written and directed by Rodolph Nasillski[3]
The Kuwait FA at the time were banned by FIFA (starting in October 2015) due to the Kuwaiti Government's interference in sports. With that, FIFA prevented Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo (who both were playing at the MLS), and Xavi (who was playing for Al Sadd SC at the Qatar Stars League) from playing in the match.[4]
The Crown Prince Cup Final between Kuwait SC and Al-Salmiya SC was hosted there. The KFA was given 150,000 KD to host the final. The final show was right before the match, and it included prizes for the visitors, including phones, cars, computers. There was also a firework show before and after the match.[5]
The match was played on Tuesday 12 January 2016.[6] The referee was Ahmed Al-Ali.[7]
The match ended a 1–0 win for Al-Salmiya SC over Kuwait SC in the final of 2015–16 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup and gave Al-Salmiya their 9th official Championship and the first ever team to win a championship in this stadium.
Kuwait SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 12-1-2016 | Kuwait SC | 0 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| 17:30 (KSA) | Faisal Al Enezi |
KFA decided to just host the final of the Kuwait Emir Cup.[8] It will be Al-Arabi SC against Kuwait SC The match was played on 5 April 2016 6:30 GMT+3, and ended 3-1 win for Kuwait SC.[9] Kuwait SC won their 11th Emir Cup and the second team to win a domestic championship in the stadium.[10]
Al-Arabi SCv Kuwait SC
| 5-4-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 1 – 3 | Kuwait SC | Jaber International Stadium, Kuwait City |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Hussain Al-Musawi 60' |
Report | Yassine Salhi 3' Talal Al-Enizi 9' Yassine Salhi 19' |
Attendance: 42,604 |
KFA decided that Jaber International Stadium will host the Super Cup on 23 September after being delayed twice, and the dates were 21 September and 9 September.[11] The Game will be the league champions Qadsia SC against the emir cup champions Kuwait SC.[12] Kuwait won 3-2onpenalties after drawing 2-2 at full time.
Kuwait SCvQadsia SC
| 23-9-2016 | Kuwait SC | 2 – 2 (3 – 2 p) | Qadsia SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| Final |
During the season a couple of match weeks were played on the stadium due to lack of stadiums available due to Burgan SC joining the league, while 2 other teams renovating their own respectful stadiums, one of these matches include the Kuwaiti Classico.
Sahel SCvQadsia SC
| 28-9-2016 | Sahel SC | 0 – 1 | Qadsia SC | Week 1 |
| Bader Al-Mutawa 12' |
Al-Sulaibikhat SCvKuwait SC
| 28-9-2016 | Al-Sulaibikhat SC | 1 – 2 | Kuwait SC | Week 1 |
| Mishaal Deyab 61' | Khalid Ajab 28' Adel Arhily 93' |
Al-Arabi SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 14-10-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 0 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 2 |
Al-Fahaheel FCvAl-Jahra SC
| 21-10-2016 | Al-Fahaheel FC | 2 – 0 | Al-Jahra SC | Week 4 |
Al Tadhamon SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 21-10-2016 | Al Tadhamon SC | 0 – 2 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 4 |
Al-Jahra SCvQadsia SC
| 28-10-2016 | Al-Jahra SC | 0 – 2 | Qadsia SC | Week 5 |
Al-Fahaheel FCvKazma SC
| 28-10-2016 | Al-Fahaheel FC | 0 – 4 | Kazma SC | Week 5 |
Al-Tadhamon SCvKhaitan SC
| 24-12-2016 | Al-Tadhamon SC | 3 – 0 | Khaitan SC | Week 8 |
Al-Nasr SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 25-12-2016 | Al-Nasr SC | 1 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 8 |
Al-Tadhamon SCvAl-Sahel SC
| 29-12-2016 | Al-Tadhamon SC | 1 – 1 | Al-Sahel SC | Week 9 |
Al-Shabab SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 30-12-2016 | Al-Shabab SC | 0 – 1 | Al-Salmiya SC | Week 9 |
Al-Shabab SCvAl-Sulaibikhat SC
| 4-1-2017 | Al-Shabab SC | 0 – 0 | Al-Sulaibikhat SC | Week 10 |
Same as the league that season due to lack of available stadiums some matches will be played on this stadium.
Al-Shabab SCvKazma SC
| 8-12-2016 | Al-Shabab SC | 2 – 7 | Kazma SC | Group B Week 5 |
Al-Arabi SCvKuwait SC
| 16-12-2016 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 0 | Kuwait SC | Group B Week 7 |
Qadsia SCvAl-Salmiya SC
| 21-12-2016 | Qadsia SC | 4 – 0 | Al-Salmiya SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
Kuwait SCvAl-Jahra SC
| 21-12-2016 | Kuwait SC | 5 – 0 | Al-Jahra SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
Qadsia SCvKuwait SC
| 17-1-2017 | Qadsia SC | 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) (3 – 5 p) | Kuwait SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| Final |
Kuwait SCvQadsia SC
| 7-9-2017 | Kuwait SC | 0 – 0 (5 – 4 p) | Qadsia SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| Final |
Al-Salmiya SCvQadsia SC
| 16-11-2017 | Al-Salmiya SC | 1 – 1 | Qadsia SC | Group B Week 1 |
Kazma SCvAl-Jahra SC
| 28-11-2017 | Kazma SC | 3 – 1 | Al-Jahra SC | Group B week 3 |
Kuwait SCvAl-Arabi SC
| 9-12-2017 | Kuwait SC | 2 – 1 | Al-Arabi SC | Group A Week 4 |
the Arabian Gulf Cup returns to Kuwait after 3 years and after the Ban by FIFA has been lifted the AGCFF all decided to switch the host country to Kuwait. Oman were crowned Champions for the 2nd time after beating UAE on penalties in the final.
KuwaitvSaudi Arabia
| 22-12-2017 | Kuwait | 1 – 2 | Saudi Arabia | Group A |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
52' |
Attendance: 59,762 Referee: Ali Abdulnabi (Bahrain) |
OmanvUnited Arab Emirates
| 22-12-2017 | Oman | 0 – 1 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 21:00 | Report | Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq) |
Saudi ArabiavUnited Arab Emirates
| 25-12-2017 | Saudi Arabia | 0 – 0 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 17:30 | Report | Attendance: 47,556 Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan) |
Kuwaitv Oman
| 25-12-2017 | Kuwait | 0 – 1 | Oman | Group A |
| 20:00 | Report | Al-Mahaijri 58' (pen.) |
Attendance: 58,583 Referee: Saoud Al-Athbah (Qatar) |
KuwaitvUnited Arab Emirates
| 28-12-2017 | Kuwait | 0 – 0 | United Arab Emirates | Group A |
| 18:30 | Report | Attendance: 24,563 Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq) |
QatarvBahrain
| 29-12-2017 | Qatar | 1 – 1 | Bahrain | Group B |
| 18:30 | Al-Haydos 45+5' (pen.) |
Report | Ali Madan 57' |
Attendance: 23,412 Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan) |
OmanvBahrain
| 2-1-2018 | Oman | 1 – 0 | Bahrain | |
| 17:15 | M. Al Jabar 29' (o.g.) |
Report | Attendance: 19,534 Referee: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka) |
IraqvUnited Arab Emirates
| 2-1-2018 | Iraq | 3 – 0 (a.e.t.) | United Arab Emirates | |
| 20:30 | Report | Attendance: 27,142 Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan) |
OmanvUnited Arab Emirates
| 5-1-2018 | Oman | 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) (5 – 4 p) | United Arab Emirates | |
| 17:30 | Report | Attendance: 56,344 Referee: Ali Shaban (Kuwait) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
|
|
Barman Ismail Barqesh O. Abdulrahman |
|||
KuwaitvCameroon
| 25-3-2018 | Kuwait | 1 – 3 | Cameroon | |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
52' |
Attendance: 4,762 Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
KuwaitvEgypt
| 25-5-2018 | Kuwait | 1 – 1 | Egypt | |
| 18:30 |
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 24,322 Referee: ) |
Qadsia SC vAl-Arabi SC
| 25-4-2018 | Qadsia SC | 0 – 3 | Al-Arabi SC | Round of 16 |
Al-Arabi SC vKuwait SC
| 8-5-2018 | Al-Arabi SC | 0 – 3 | Kuwait SC | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium |
| Attendance: 23,465 |
With the start of Evolution and expansions in Kuwait organized by Kuwait Football Association this is the first time the football season starts this early in August.
| Club | appearances | wins | draws | loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait SC |
13
|
10 | 1 | 2 |
| Kazma SC |
6
|
4 | 0 | 2 |
| Al-Salmiya SC |
7
|
3 | 3 | 1 |
| Qadsia SC |
10
|
4 | 1 | 5 |
| Al-Ittihad SC |
1
|
1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Tadhamon SC |
2
|
1 | 1 | 0 |
| Al-Fahaheel FC |
2
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Al-Nasr SC |
1
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
| Al-Arabi SC |
6
|
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Khaitan SC |
1
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
| Al-Shabab SC |
3
|
0 | 1 | 2 |
| Burgan SC |
1
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sahel SC |
2
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Al-Sulaibikhat SC |
2
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Al-Jahra SC |
3
|
0 | 0 | 3 |
| Club | appearances | wins | draws | loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oman |
4
|
3 | 0 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates |
5
|
2 | 2 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia |
2
|
1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameroon |
1
|
1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bahrain |
3
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kuwait |
7
|
1 | 2 | 4 |
| Qatar |
1
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
| Egypt |
1
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
 Indonesia |
3
|
2 | 0 | 1 |
| Iraq |
1
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
 Vietnam |
1
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
Most team played in the stadium: Kuwait SC 10 times
Highest scoring Match: 9 Goals Kazma SC 7-2 Al-Shabab SC
Most team winning in the stadium: Kuwait SC 7 times
Most team losing: Qadsia SC 3 times
First goal in the stadium: Ismail Abdul-Latif
First red card: Hussain Ali Baba