Stade de Tizi Ouzou – construction description

How did plans to build a new stadium in Tizi Ouzou come about?

The construction of a new stadium for JS Kabylie, Algeria's most successful club, was promised as early as 2000, after the team's triumph in the CAF Cup, by the country's president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. However, the realisation had to wait a little longer. The site for the facility was selected in Boukhalfa, in the north-western suburb of Tizi Ouzou. The design of the stadium was entrusted to Dune Architecture of Algiers.

What will the new stadium in Tizi Ouzou be like?

The architectural concept can be seen on our design page of the new stadium in Tizi Ouzou

The stadium was initially planned for 40,000 spectators, but it was eventually decided to increase the size of the facility to over 50,000 seats. The arena is to have a football-specific, rectangular layout, with covered, two-storey stands (and a narrow central tier) around the pitch. There will also be a stadium with an athletics track and a stand for 6,000 spectators, as well as numerous car parks.

How is the construction of the new stadium for JS Kabylie progressing?

In 2007, the first work began on preparing the very hilly site for the future project. The construction tender, in which renowned companies from all over the world participated, was awarded in the summer of 2009 and the task was awarded to the consortium of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) from Spain and ETRHB Haddad from Algeria. The contract was worth 34 billion dinars (approximately €340 million) and construction was expected to take 30 months from its start, which took place in May 2010.

By the end of 2010, only the excavation work was being carried out and the actual construction started at the beginning of 2011. The first problems arose right from the start: doubts about the design's compliance with anti-seismic standards, as well as the issue of transferring money to the Spanish contractor. The following months were hampered by administrative issues, which delayed the start of the foundation pour until the second half of 2011.

Work then progressed, but the pace was not satisfactory. Difficulties with access to materials and skilled workers, as well as the cold winter, were cited as reasons for the delays. The Spanish FCC, responsible for the construction of the main element of the project, the stadium, was also partly to blame for the failure to allocate an adequate amount of equipment and manpower to the construction site. There were also allegedly conflicts between the co-contractors.

In September 2012, the new Minister for Sport, Mohamed Tahmi, visited the construction site to admonish the contractors, on the other hand, he provided additional funds and extended the completion date by 17 months. More politicians visited the construction site and the Spanish company replaced the management staff. At the beginning of 2014, however, progress was estimated at only 32%. In the summer of that year, the delivery date was pushed back to the end of 2015.

At the end of 2014, the Spanish FCC withdrew from the project and was replaced by the Turkish Mapa İnşaat. In 2016, concrete steps were laid on the finished grandstand framework. In 2017, the metal framework forming the canopy structure began to be built. In 2018, the cost of the project had already increased to 50 billion dinars (the construction is financed by government funds). In the second half of 2018, the roof sheathing was being installed, which was fully ready in 2019.

In March 2019, the first seats in the stands were installed on a trial basis. In May 2019, however, the contractors walked off the site because the contract deadline had expired and cash flow was not guaranteed. Since then, the construction site remained abandoned and the area of the future pitch inside the stands became overgrown with weeds. Construction to this point had consumed 54 billion dinars and the state of progress was estimated at 80-85%.

In July 2020, the cancellation of the construction contract was officially approved. The running of the investment from the Ministry of Sports and Youth was then taken over by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. A further 12 billion dinars was allocated to complete the construction and the work was entrusted to the company Atlas Génie SPA. Work officially resumed on April 14, 2022.

What name will the new stadium in Tizi Ouzou be called?

It is not yet known what the name of the new stadium will be. It will most likely be named after someone. Lounès Matoub (musician and activist for the Berber community), Abdelkader Khalef, Mohand Cherif Hannachi (former presidents of the JS Kabylie club) and Hocine Aït-Ahmed (one of the leaders of the war of independence and a symbol of the democratic opposition in Algeria) have been mentioned as candidates for the facility's patron. According to the latest reports, Hocine Aït-Ahmed is to become the stadium's patron.

When will the new Tizi Ouzou stadium open?

At the end of 2022, seats were already installed in the stands and the facility looked close to completion. It was expected to take a maximum of one year to complete all the work on the new stadium in Tizi Ouzou, but this deadline is unlikely to be met. The stadium is currently forecast to open in June 2023.