Stadion Sudiang Makassar – design description

How does the Sudiang Makassar Stadium project look in a nutshell?

The stadium situation in Makassar is… let’s say, complicated. For decades, the city’s main venue was the Andi Mattalatta Stadium, built back in the 1950s.

Since one of the country’s top football teams played there, a new, larger stadium was eventually planned in the southern part of the city. Construction proceeded slowly, but by the end of 2018 the stands and roof were completed (the seats were still missing).

For reasons that remain unclear, the finishing works were abandoned, and in 2020 the old Andi Mattalatta Stadium was demolished. A new stadium was supposed to rise in its place, but when the provincial governor – the main promoter of the plan – was arrested, the project was put on hold.

The city was left without a stadium, and the club had to play its matches hundreds of kilometers from home – even on Borneo. Despite these challenges, the team managed to win the national championship in 2023.

The stadium issue returned like a boomerang: both the central government and the city administration now want to build a venue. This has led to a rather curious situation, with plans for two entirely new arenas (!) in the city.

The city’s plans still require private partners, while the Ministry of Public Works has already announced a tender for its own project. If everything goes according to plan, construction will begin by the end of 2025 and last 18 months.

The new stadium will be located in the northeastern Sudiang district (hence the name), close to the international airport. It will be a football-specific stadium, with a capacity of 27,000 spectators, meeting high international standards. Its design incorporates maritime motifs, referencing Makassar’s historical seafaring power.

How was the Sudiang Makassar Stadium project developed?

Plans for the Sudiang Makassar Stadium were drawn up in 2024, after the central government became involved in building a new stadium in the city. The venue’s design was commissioned to Penta Architecture.

The site chosen for the stadium is in Sudiang, in the northeastern suburbs of Makassar, near the international airport. The stadium will be built on land once intended for a larger sports complex, which was never fully realized, although in 2004 a 5,000‑seat sports hall was opened there.

What is the context for building a new stadium in Makassar?

Makassar is a city in central Indonesia, located in the southern part of the island of Sulawesi (Celebes). The metropolitan area has around 2.8 million inhabitants, making it the fifth-largest in the country by population.

For many years, the main stadium in Makassar was the Andi Mattalatta Stadium, formerly known as Mattoanging Stadium. The venue opened in 1957 for the fourth edition of the Pekan Olahraga Nasional (National Sports Week).

The stadium had a capacity of 15,000 spectators and was home to PSM Makassar – the oldest football club in Indonesia and one of the strongest in the country.

The unfinished Barombong Stadium

In 2011, construction began on a new, large stadium in the southern part of the city – the Barombong Stadium – which was intended to hold 30,000–40,000 spectators. Progress was slow, with frequent pauses, but by late 2018 the main structure of the stands and the roof had been completed.

However, there were no funds to finish the stadium, and concerns arose regarding the stability and safety of its structure, as well as land ownership issues. Political will was also lacking, and although the stadium appears nearly finished, it remains unused.

Demolition of Andi Mattalatta Stadium

In October 2020, the old Andi Mattalatta Stadium was closed and subsequently demolished. The governor of South Sulawesi Province, Nurdin Abdullah, had promised that the stadium would be rebuilt in a new form, with a capacity of 40,000 spectators. A budget of 1.3 trillion rupiah was allocated for the new stadium.

Shortly afterward, the governor was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for corruption. Subsequent authorities abandoned the plan to rebuild the demolished stadium.

The absence of a stadium in Makassar

With the Andi Mattalatta Stadium demolished and the Barombong Stadium left unfinished, PSM Makassar was forced to play its home games outside the city – in Parepare, about 150 km to the north, and even in Balikpapan on the island of Borneo. Despite these challenges, the club remarkably won the national championship in the 2022/23 season.

New plans

The city authorities have expressed the will to build a new stadium, but they do not intend to invest in any of the previous projects. Instead, they have identified a site in the Untia area, in the northern part of Makassar, where an entirely new venue is planned.

When the country’s president, Joko Widodo, visited the city in February 2024 (on the occasion of the opening of the new port), hopes arose that the state would finally address the stadium issue. Indeed, the national government became involved, leading to the creation of the Sudiang Makassar Stadium project.

What does the Sudiang Makassar Stadium project include?

The Sudiang Makassar Stadium is designed as a football-specific venue with a capacity of 27,000 spectators. The stands will be divided into two tiers, fully covered by a roof, and will include VIP boxes. The facility is planned to meet high standards, enabling it to host international events.

The stadium’s facade will be made of vertically arranged wooden panels, which – like other maritime motifs – refer to the traditional sailing ships of southern Sulawesi, a symbol of Makassar’s former maritime power and its role as a center of navigation and trade.

When will the Sudiang Makassar Stadium be completed?

The Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (Kementerian PUPR) is responsible for the construction of the stadium. The project is funded by the government, with a budget of just under 675 billion rupiah.

According to the plan, construction is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with completion expected in April 2027, after 18 months of work.

Will there be two new stadiums in Makassar?

Despite the government’s plans to build the Sudiang stadium, the Makassar city authorities still intend to carry out their own project in the Untia district, where a smaller venue with a capacity of 15,000–20,000 spectators is planned, dedicated to PSM Makassar. The project is expected to be realized in cooperation with private partners.

In this arrangement, the Sudiang stadium would serve as the city’s and region’s representative venue, hosting PSM Makassar’s most important matches, occasional national team games, and other sports and cultural events. On a daily basis, however, PSM Makassar would play its matches at the smaller stadium in Untia.