Tiexi Stadium – stadium description

What is Tiexi Stadium like in brief?

The new Tiexi Stadium was built ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games as a backup venue for the larger stadium in Shenyang, where part of the football tournament was scheduled to take place.

Initially, the stadium featured an athletics track and could accommodate just under 30,000 spectators. Its first tenant was Liaoning Hongyun, a team that was dissolved in 2020 due to financial problems.

In 2025, the stadium underwent its first major renovation: the athletics track was removed and replaced in part by additional stands, giving the venue a more football-oriented layout and increasing its capacity to nearly 40,000 seats.

The new tenant after the renovation became Liaoning Tieren FC, which in its first season at Tiexi Stadium achieved promotion to the Chinese Super League.

When was Tiexi Stadium built?

The decision to construct a new Tiexi Stadium was made in connection with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. While Shenyang was scheduled to host some football matches during the Olympics, these games were planned for the larger Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, and Tiexi Stadium was intended to serve as a backup venue.

Construction began on June 30, 2006. Once work started, the old Tiexi Stadium, located at a different site within the Tiexi district, was demolished, and residential buildings were later built on its site.

The project cost more than 200 million yuan, and the stadium was completed and ready for use in early June 2008. Since the Olympic matches in Shenyang proceeded smoothly at the larger stadium, Tiexi Stadium remained unused during the Games.

The first official match at the new Tiexi Stadium took place shortly after the Olympics, on August 29, 2008, when the stadium’s new tenant, Liaoning Hongyun, defeated Changsha Ginde 1–0 in a Chinese Super League fixture.

How did the first tenant of the new Tiexi Stadium perform?

Liaoning Hongyun played their home matches at the new Tiexi Stadium from 2008 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2019. During this period, the team’s greatest achievement was finishing 3rd in the Chinese Super League in the 2011 season.

After the 2019 season, Liaoning Hongyun was denied a license to continue competing due to severe financial problems. The club was subsequently dissolved in 2020.

When was the athletics track at Tiexi Stadium removed?

Between March and May 2025, Tiexi Stadium underwent its first major renovation. During this period, the athletics track was removed, and additional rows of lower-tier stands were built, bringing the spectators closer to the pitch.

This gave the stadium a more football-oriented layout, although the distance between the stands and the playing field remained significant. The expansion of the stands increased the stadium’s capacity from 28,815 to nearly 40,000 seats. At the same time, the seats were replaced with red ones, and a second video screen was installed.

Although carried out on a smaller scale, this renovation was similar in nature to the modernization Shanghai Stadium underwent between 2020 and 2022.

Who became the new tenant of Tiexi Stadium?

Following the renovation, the stadium became home to Liaoning Tieren FC, who played their first match at the renovated venue immediately after the completion of the works, on May 31, 2025, against Shijiazhuang Gongfu (1–0) in China League One.

In their first season at Tiexi Stadium (2025), Liaoning Tieren FC secured promotion to the Chinese Super League.

What does Tiexi Stadium look like?

The stadium features oval stands, a remnant of its former athletics-track layout. Although the seating has been brought closer to the pitch, the distance from the field remains significant. The stadium’s capacity is just under 40,000 spectators.

The largest stand, the main stand, is located on the west side. Both stands running along the sides of the pitch are covered by crescent-shaped roofs, and two large video screens are installed on the curved sections.

Directly adjacent to the stadium is a sports hall built together with the stadium, with a capacity of 4,000 spectators. Nearby, there is also a training pitch and parking facilities.

The stadium is situated in the Tiexi district, which gives it its name, in the western part of Shenyang. The Zhonggongjie metro station on Line 1 is located within a short walking distance from the venue.