Capacity 12,000 Surface artificial turf | Field size 110x70 meters Opened 1956 | |
 | ||
Former names Joseph Stalin Stadium
Stepan Shahumyan Central Stadium Location Stepanakert
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (de facto)
Azerbaijan (de jure) Operator Artsakh Football Federation Owner Politics of Nagorno-Karabakh | ||
Stepanakert Republican Stadium (Armenian: Ստեփանակերտի Հանրապետական մարզադաշտ), is an all-seater multi-use stadium in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is mostly used for football matches and is the home stadium of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh national football team and Lernayin Artsakh FC of Stepanakert. The stadium was built between 1955 and 1956. It was officially opened in 1956 as Joseph Stalin Stadium. Later, the name was changed to Stepan Shahumyan Central Stadium.
The stadium was entirely renovated in 2004-05 and renamed Stepanakert Republican Stadium. During the renovation, the venue was turned into an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 12,000 spectators.
With the most recent renovation in 2015, the natural grass was replaced with an artificial turf.
Home stadium
Since the mid-1990s, football teams from Karabakh started taking part in some domestic competitions in the Republic of Armenia. Lernayin Artsakh is the football club that represents the city of Stepanakert. The Artsakh football league was launched in 2009.
The Artsakh national football team was formed in 2012 and played their first competitive match against the Abkhazia national football team in Sokhumi, a match that ended with a result of 1-1 draw. The return match between the unrecognized teams took place at the Stepan Shahumyan Republican Stadium, on 21 October 2012, when the team of Nagorno-Karabakh defeated the Abkhazian team with a result of 3-0.