Full name Lagos National Stadium Location Surulere, Lagos Record attendance 85,000 Opened 1972 | Former names Surulere Stadium Owner Nigerian government Address Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria Renovated 1999 | |
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Capacity 55,000 (1972)
45,000 (1999) Similar Teslim Balogun Stadium, Abuja National Stadium, Nigerian National Museum, Lagos Island, Victoria Island - Lagos | ||
The Lagos National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria, which comprises an Olympic-size swimming arena and a multipurpose arena used for basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling and boxing matches. It was used mostly for football matches until 2001. It hosted several international competitions including the 1980 African Cup of Nations final, the 2000 African Cup of Nations final, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. It also served as the main stadium for the 1973 All-Africa Games. It was closed and abandoned in the year 2004.
History
When the stadium was built in 1972, it had a capacity of 55,000. The capacity was then reduced to 45,000 in 1999. The record attendance is 85,000 and was taken in the final match of the African Cup of Nations in 1980 between Nigeria and Algeria.
For unknown reasons, the National Stadium has been left to dilapidate since 2002. It last hosted a national team game in 2004. It is now occasionally used for religious gatherings and has been taken over by area boys and squatters. In 2009, the National Sports Commission begun a concerted effort to bring the facility back to world class status