Stadiumi Selman Stërmasi – stadium description

Lying beside the river Lana, this stadium built in 1956 is set next to the upmarket district of Blloku, historically dedicated to party officials. It has been hosting games of key clubs from Tirana over decades, including Partizani, Dinamo and KF Tirana, its current owner.

Throughout the 20th century the venue was heavily underinvested and only saw noticable upgrades in 1995. It had to wait until 2014 to see a complete, thorough renovation. Spread over the period of two years, works saw the concrete terracing replaced or improved and seats installed throughout the two grandstands. The main administrative building was upgraded, field of play replaced and its western facade redone to boost the marketing potential.

As a result of these works it's now one of Albania's prime stadia, even if it's still not football-specific. Distinctive for the white and blue checkered seat pattern, it offers only seated capacity these days, even if limited to less than half of its historic size.

It used to bear the name Stadiumi Dinamo up until 1991, when the Albanian FA decided to rename it. Since then it's been honouring the late player and manager of KF Tirana, Selman Stërmasi, who passed away in 1976.

Owned by KF Tirana, it's been used by other teams frequently, dating back to its first year in operation. Despite disagreements between the owner and co-tenants, the Partizani and Dinamo returned to play their games here following the demolition of Albania's national stadium in 2016.