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 Stade Abdelkrim Kerroum located in Sig, Algeria. Take a look at this candidacy and decide whether you want to vote for it in the contest for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Stade Abdelkrim Kerroum nominated for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Football fans in Algeria last year were able to celebrate inauguration of a new state-of-the-art venue. The ultra-modern Stade Abdelkrim Kerroum made it to the list of 36 football arenas nominated for the prestigious Stadium of the Year 2022 award. The competition is the largest public vote of its kind in the world. Since the first edition began, a total of more than 400,000 valid votes have been counted.

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 Stade Abdelkrim Kerroum

In the 1990s, the construction of a new sports complex began in Sig, located about 50 km south-east of Oran. Among others a new football stadium were to be built on a plot of land situated in an agricultural area. However, construction was halted, leaving the remains of the stands of the would-be stadium unfinished. In 2013, a new project was started. The new stadium was to stand partly on the site of the old, unfinished facility, occupying its northern section. Unlike its predecessor, the pitch of the new arena was to be located on an east-west axis. Construction began with the demolition of the unfinished stands. The design was prepared by local architects Mezoughi & Etosa.

The facility reached a stage of near-completion at the end of 2018, but was not immediately operational. Initially, the stands behind the gates were left mostly uncovered. In 2020, the missing sections of the roof were added, making the stadium auditorium fully roofed. In May and June 2022, floodlights were installed in the canopy and the facility was ready for the opening. The official inauguration of the new stadium took place on June 19, 2022. On the occasion of the opening, the facility was named after Abdelkrim Kerroum, an Algerian footballer who died in January 2022, one of the members of the National Liberation Front team that played matches until Algeria's independence in 1962. Here are some interesting facts about the arena:

• The stadium cost 1.7 billion Algerian dinars ($ 11.6 million) to build, a remarkably low amount for a facility of this type.
• The stadium's single-tier auditorium is fully covered and can accommodate 20,000 spectators.
• The stadium was one of the arenas of the 2022 football tournament being part of the 19th Mediterranean Games held in Oran.
• The stadium is part of an 11-hectare sports complex, which also includes a training pitch, a small arena with an athletics track, a sports hall and an indoor swimming pool.

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: