Jakarta International Stadium – construction description

When did the plans to build a new stadium for Persija Jakarta come about?

The plan of building a new international-standard stadium in Jakarta dates back to the early 21st century. In the extremely dense urban fabric of the Indonesian capital there was only one venue meeting both domestic and international needs: Gelora Bung Karno (GBK). Because it became the default home of football side Persija (after the old Lebak Bulus got demolished), GBK often saw event dates clash with football games. And with Persija being able to draw immense crowds, the need for a new stadium was clear for years.

How did the concept for a new stadium for Persija Jakarta take shape?

Read more about the design on our Jakarta International Stadium design page

In 2012 the location was selected and a concept created for what was supposed to be named Stadion BMW (where BMW stands for abbreviation of a park name rather than the car manufacturer). A multi-use 50,000-seater was envisaged beside the lake Sunter in North Jakarta, just beside the ring-road. The project got stuck in limbo, however, which proved... very good in the end.

How did the construction of Jakarta International Stadium proceed?

The delay in the start of construction was mainly related to land buyout problems. The site chosen for the project was largely undeveloped, but for several years squatters had been illegally building their houses there, which led to conflict. Once the issue of the land on which the stadium was to be built was resolved, the illegally erected houses were demolished and the site cleaned up. The official groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, was held on March 14, 2019.

No major development work was carried out in the first months after the announcement of the start of construction, and the construction tender, which was won by a consortium of PT Wijaya Karya Gedung, PT Jaya Konstruksi and PT Pembangunan Perumahan, was not awarded until August 2019. The actual construction started in September of the same year.

The construction faced many challenges. The facility was being built on a muddy waterlogged area, making the construction of underground floors impossible. The operation to lift the trussed roof structure, which weighs 3,900 tonnes and spans 267 meters, was one of the largest of its kind in the world. Due in part to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stadium's scheduled completion date of the end of 2021 was missed by several months. The construction cost was approximately 4.5 trillion Indonesian rupiah and was covered by municipal funds.

When was Jakarta International Stadium opened?

From April 13-19, 2022, a youth football tournament involving four teams was played at the nearly completed stadium: FC Barcelona U-18, Atletico Madrid U-18, Bali United U-18 and Indonesia All-Star U-20. The competition, played in front of a small crowd, was described as a 'soft opening' of the facility. Since then, the facility could be considered as commissioned, although the 'grand opening' of the new Jakarta International Stadium, which included a concert and a friendly match between Persija and Chonburi FC of Thailand (3:3), took place on July 24, 2022.