Guangzhou Football Park – construction description

How did plans to build a new, representative stadium in Guangzhou come about?

In the second decade of the 21st century, Guangzhou Evergrande FC, a football club from Guangzhou, a huge city (and even bigger agglomeration) in southern China, backed by real estate giant Evergrande Group, was enjoying a series of extraordinary sporting successes and was popular with fans.

Thanks to the opportunities Evergrande Group had, there were plans to build a new stadium for the team. It would be no ordinary stadium, as with a capacity of 100,000 spectators it would become the largest (football-specific) stadium in the world, at least until the expansion of Camp Nou. The facility was to be built about 20 kilometers south of downtown Guangzhou, near the Guangzhou South railroad station.

What were the initial concepts according to which the new stadium in Guangzhou would be built?

Details of the project to build the Evergrande stadium with a capacity of 100,000 spectators can be seen on a separate subpage

In the original design, the stadium was to look like a blooming lotus flower. Although it was a very impressive vision, it also stirred up a lot of controversy, so a few months after the presentation, a modified, toned-down variant was adopted, according to which the stadium was to resemble both a flower and a diamond.

How is the construction of the new stadium in Guangzhou progressing?

Construction began in April 2020 and initially went very smoothly. After the foundations were completed in 2020, the lower ring of stands was built in the first half of 2021.

During construction, however, Evergrande Group ran into huge financial difficulties and was unable to continue to maintain the club or pay for the construction of the stadium. As of mid-2021, work was already proceeding at a much slower pace. In mid-2022, construction was halted completely, and a company controlled by the city took over the project.

It was decided to finish the construction, but now according to a completely different design. Capacity was reduced to 73,000 spectators, which is still expected to make the stadium the largest – at least in China alone. Work resumed in March 2024, with completion scheduled for the end of 2025.

The work, both before construction was halted and after it resumed, is being carried out by the China Construction Fourth Engineering Bureau. The original value of the contract was 4.3 billion yuan. When work resumed in 2024, a contract was signed to complete the stadium for 2.356 billion yuan.

What is the design concept of Guangzhou Football Park?

The architectural concept of Guangzhou Football Park can be seen on a separate subpage

The concept is inspired by the design of an ancient dragon and phoenix artifact found in the Nanyue King Mausoleum, as well as the local art of ivory carving. Inside, the stands with a capacity of 73,000 spectators will be divided into three levels (including a fairly narrow middle tier) and will be covered by a lightweight membrane roof.