Our Stadium of the Year competition has officially begun and will run until March 15. As many as 36 venues are on the list of nominees this year. One of them is Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium located in Basrah, Iraq. Take a look at this candidacy and decide whether you want to vote for it in the contest for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium nominated for Stadium of the Year 2022!

This year’s contest is highly varied, with stadiums from as many as six different continents taking part: 18 venues are from Asia, 8 from Europe, 4 from Africa, 3 from North America, 2 from South America and 1 from Australia and Oceania. The competition is fierce, so don't hesitate to cast a vote for the stadium you appreciate the most! If you’re still unsure, you can watch a video covering all 36 nominated stadiums:

Get to know Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium

Construction of Al-Minaa SC's new football stadium began in the spring of 2011. Work began with the demolition of the old facility, which was built in the 1930s and last underwent modernisation in 1995. The new arena was to be built with more than just this team in mind. Iraq was designated to host the Gulf Cup in 2013, with matches of the tournament planned to be played in Basrah. The design of the new arena was prepared by the American studio 360 Architecture.

The unstable situation in the country, followed the economic crisis, meant that the construction of the stadium, which was scheduled to be completed in 2013, slowed down until it was finally halted altogether. The organisation of the Gulf Cup, which was to be Iraq's first major sporting event after the long string of armed conflicts the country has been involved in, was postponed several times. Construction work only resumed after several years and was completed at the end of 2022. The grand opening of the new arena took place on December 26, 2022. Here are some interesting facts about the arena: 

• The venue costed $ 86 million
• The commissioning of the stadium was timed just in time for the Gulf Cup scheduled for January 2023. 
• As part of the tournament, six group stage matches were played at Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium. 
• The capacity of the stadium is 30,000.
• The most distinctive feature of the facility is its roof. This structure is based on 48 steel masts, supporting repetitive segments of an original curved shape reminiscent of moving sea waves.

How to vote for the Stadium of the Year 2022?

In order to take part, everyone has to select five stadiums by giving 5 stars to the best one, 4 stars to the second best, 3 stars to the third, 2 stars for the fourth and finally 1 star for the fifth most interesting. It means that you cannot cast your vote for only one stadium - all 5 venues must be included in your form. To vote visit Stadium of the Year 2022, the voting platform which will be open until March 15. To learn more about the nominated stadiums and the voting rules themselves, it is recommended to watch the video: