Bukit Jalil National Stadium

The Bukit Jalil National Stadium (Malay: Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil, Jawi: ستاديوم ناسيونل بوکيت جليل‎), also known as TM National Stadium (Malay: TM Stadium Nasional) for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With a capacity of 87,500, it is the largest stadium in Southeast Asia, the fourth largest in Asia, and the twenty-third largest in the world. It was officially inaugurated by fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad on 11 July 1998, ahead of the 1998 Commonwealth Games and staged its opening ceremony. Since then, it has become the main venue for other international events, such as the 2001 Southeast Asian Games and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Nowadays it hosts most of the Malaysian international football matches, national level competition finals such as the Malaysia FA Cup, Malaysia Cup, athletic events and concerts. It was built alongside other sport venues in the National Sports Complex by the United Engineers Malaysia, and designed by Arkitek FAA, Weidleplan Consulting GMBH and Schlaich Bergermann Partner. A membrane structure is used for the roof, and most of the materials were reinforced concrete. Prior to this stadium, Stadium Merdeka served as the national stadium of Malaysia. History The stadium was built on 1 January 1995 to host the 1998 Commonwealth Games. It finished exactly on 1 January 1998. After the 1998 Commonwealth Games in September, the stadium became the home stadium for the Malaysia national football team, replacing the Shah Alam Stadium and the Merdeka Stadium. It also served as the main stadium of the 2001 Southeast Asian Games, 2006 FESPIC Games, 2008 ASEAN University Games and 2017 Southeast Asian Games. National Stadium's capacity makes it the 21st largest stadium in the world and the 9th largest football stadium in the world. It was built by United Engineers Malaysia, Bhd and designed by Arkitek FAA. It was completed three months ahead of schedule. Designed to host a multitude of events, the National Stadium is the central and most prominent sports venue at the 1.2 km2 National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil. Malaysia's previous national stadium was the Merdeka Stadium before the National Sports Complex was constructed. Malaysia also uses other stadiums for their football matches such as KLFA Stadium, MBPJ Stadium and the Shah Alam Stadium. The stadium, along with the National Sports Complex, is currently undergoing a major renovation at a combined cost of RM1.34 billion as a part of KL Sports City project in 2 phases. Project 1 (Phase 1) has been completed ahead and for the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, with a new Populous-designed facade that covers the exterior of the stadium with twisted vertical louvres which are also LED-lighted, as well as recolouring the seats to a yellow-black design and upgraded facilities. After the 2017 ASEAN Para Games, Project 2 (Phase 2) will commence, and will add a retractable roof, retractable seats, comfort ventilation and new sports and lifestyle facilities. Pitch issues On 18 February 2020 to prevent another issue regarding the football pitch again in the future, the Malaysian Stadium Corporation (PSM) and Malaysia Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) plan to upgrade the pitch from cow grass to zeon zoysia grass with an estimated cost of RM10 Million. The cost included the use of specialise machine and equipment for the grass. The plan upgrade will start later this year and is expected to be completed within the next three months. Stadium facilities The stadium is equipped with the following facilities: 105 m x 68 m Zeon Zoysia pitch 9 laned 400m synthetic track 6m x 60m warming up track 1,500 flux floodlights Broadcast Studios Coloured Video Matrix Scoreboards High-tech Cathode Ray Tube Video Screen Board Individual "paddles" containing LED pixels at the seats Entertainment uses National Stadium has been host to other important events besides football matches. Notable music artists who have performed in the stadium include: Sporting events Athletics – 1998 Commonwealth Games, 2001 Southeast Asian Games, 2001 ASEAN Para Games, 2008 ASEAN University Games, 2009 ASEAN Para Games, 2015 ASEAN Civil Service Games, 2017 Southeast Asian Games, and 2017 ASEAN Para Games. Football at the 2001 SEA Games (Malaysia vs Vietnam only) Malaysia Cup finals Malaysian FA Cup finals 2003 FA Premier League Asia Cup 2007 AFC Asian Cup 2007 Champions Youth Cup Manchester United 2001, 2009 Asia Tour 2010 AFF Championship, first leg Semifinals and Finals Liverpool F.C. Asia Tour 2011 Chelsea F.C. 2011 summer tour of Asia Arsenal F.C. 2011, 2012 Pre-Season Asia Tour Franciscan Super Cup Final 2013 2014 AFF Championship second leg finals Liverpool F.C. Second Asia Tour 2015 2018 AFF Championship, first leg semifinals and finals 2019 Malaysia FA Cup Final 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 2022 AFC Cup Final 2022 AFF Championship, first leg semifinals 2023 Merdeka Tournament 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2025 Manchester United Asian Tour (Manchester United vs ASEAN All Stars) Tournament results 2001 SEA Games AFF/ASEAN Championship 2007 AFC Asian Cup 2018 AFC U-16 Championship 2019 Airmarine Cup Man Utd Tour 2025 Gallery See also List of stadiums List of stadiums in Malaysia List of Asian stadiums by capacity List of stadiums by capacity List of Southeast Asia stadiums by capacity Football Association of Malaysia List of association football stadiums by capacity Notes References