Longxing Football Stadium – stadium description

How did plans for a new football stadium in Chongqing come about?

The impetus for a new stadium in Chongqing came when China was awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 Asian Cup football tournament in June 2019. On December 28, 2019, the 10 host cities for the event were announced and Chongqing was included in the list. Chongqing hosted Asian Cup matches back in 2004, when China first hosted the event. At the time, the matches were held at the newly built Chongqing Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

For the next tournament, however, a completely new stadium was to be built, with a football-specific layout (no running track), the first of its kind in the region. Initially, the plan was to build it closer to the center of the conurbation, but the site chosen was the Longxing suburb more than 40 km to the north-east. The area had begun to develop rapidly in the last few years before the stadium was built, losing its former agricultural character.

The architectural concept of the Longxing Football Stadium can be seen on a separate subpage

How was the new stadium in Chongqing built?

Initial work on the stadium began on April 24, 2020. During construction, in May 2022, China canceled the 2023 Asian Cup due to the situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the cancellation of the event for which the new stadium was being prepared, the venue was built on schedule.

On December 28, 2022, the stadium passed inspection procedures and gained the status of completed, moving into trial operation mode. The project cost was 2.8 billion yuan and the main contractor was China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau.

When was the new stadium in Chongqing opened?

The first match in the new stadium was played on May 13, 2023, when the under-14 teams representing Chongqing and Sichuan faced each other (6:2). On May 23, 25 and 26, 2023, the stadium hosted football matches as part of the 9th Sino-Russian Youth Games. Subsequently, the venue hosted further events, which, however, were held with very limited public participation.

The first mass event that could be considered a proper inauguration of the new stadium was a music festival combined with a car show. Two stages were prepared in connection with the event, one inside the stadium and one in the car park next to it. The festival took place from 29 September to October 6, 2023 (concerts in the stadium only between September 29 and 30), taking advantage of the days off during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Golden Week.

Who will perform at the new stadium in Chongqing?

Chongqing Lifan, a club playing in the Chinese Super League, could have been a potential host for the stadium. However, in May 2022, the team was dissolved for financial reasons. Meanwhile, a new club was formed in 2021, Chongqing Tongliang Long FC, which was promoted to the Chinese second division in the 2023 season, and it is this team that has the chance to play host to the new stadium.

What does the Longxing Football Stadium look like?

The venue has a football-specific character and the auditorium has been divided into three tiers, with the exception of the stand behind the south goal, where the middle tier has been abandoned in favor of an enlarged lower tier. The enlarged lower tier thus accommodates 10,000 spectators and is intended for the club's most ardent supporters. It is the largest stand of its kind in China.

Behind the second goal, telescopic stands have been installed in place of the lower level of the auditorium, which, when folded down, reveal an additional space that serves as a stage in the event of a concert. The stadium's stands are equipped with folding seats in warm colors, arranged in waving patterns. The upper edge of the stands rises and falls to match the oval form of the venue.

The main stand with VIP boxes and facilities is located on the west side. Two video screens are suspended above the stands behind the goals. The stadium's capacity is 60,000 spectators, making it one of the largest football stadiums in the country.

The stands have been clad with a steel frame, which gives the stadium its final, external shape. The frame forms the basis for the façade and roof sheathing. The façade coating features delicate bends running upwards at an oblique angle.

The metallic façade is interspersed with four strips created from transparent material. This motif is continued in the canopy, giving the building a uniform yet original appearance. LED lights have been installed on the elevation panels, allowing the façade to be transformed into a giant multimedia screen at night.

A raised entrance platform surrounds the stadium. Numerous parking spaces and green areas have been provided around the facility. The stadium can be reached by line 4 of the city rail.

On the symbolic level, the building is intended to draw on the motifs of the fire phoenix, the flywheel and the windmill, referring to local culture and traditions and expressing the qualities of local people such as courage, hard work and passion. The stadium is intended to be a football palace with a local flair. The pattern laid out with seats on the stands refers to the landscape of mountains and rivers surrounding the city.