Stadion FK Partizan in Belgrade will undergo a major overhaul costing around 7 million euros, funded by the Serbian state and UEFA. The works will prepare the venue for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, co-hosted by Serbia and Albania.​

Technical issues requiring immediate intervention

The facility has long suffered from serious defects, such as leaks in the dressing rooms caused by tribune dilatations and deteriorated infrastructure. Press boxes and lighting no longer met UEFA standards, while the floodlights posed a safety hazard due to corrosion. Partizan president Rasim Ljajić highlighted the extent of the neglect in an interview with Superliga.

There are a few things; we have a problem with the stands due to dilatations that needs fixing because everything we do well in the dressing rooms gets flooded at the bottom with the first rain, so we would have to fix that. Then, according to regulations, the press boxes need repairing, other areas necessary for the stadium to host European matches must be fixed. And of course, the grass pitch would also have to be replaced, the lighting would naturally have to be part of this overall project and replaced.

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Scope of the UEFA-approved project

The modernization will include pitch replacement, stand repairs, press box upgrades, and lighting improvements to meet required standards. An additional feature is the construction of a natural grass training pitch at the Teleoptik center in Zemun, complementing the existing artificial turf field with stands. Ljajić confirmed the project awaits final federation approval.

Stadion FK Partizan has been designated as one of the venues for the matches, and we submitted the stadium and pitch renovation project along with everything needed for matches of this caliber. The value of this project is around 7 million €. It also includes building one more pitch, plus another at Teleoptik, which would be a huge achievement if it happens, as it would bring the stadium to a fully decent state.

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Abandoning dreams of a new stadium

Plans for a completely new venue, a concept from over 20 years ago under presidents Žarko Zečevic and Nenad Bjekovic, have been shelved in favor of practical solutions. Club management prioritizes renovating existing infrastructure to provide training conditions for seniors and youth teams. Ljajić warned against unrealistic promises.

You know, there's an opinion that a vision or idea without concrete realization is just a hallucination. I don't want to promise anything now; we have nothing concrete to say beyond what we expect from the European Championship here and in Albania.

UEFA has set this; the state has firmly committed to meeting the conditions requested by UEFA. We submitted the project to the Federation and now expect the Federation to finally resolve it – Ljajić concluded.