Egypt built the pyramids; in 2024 it opened a stadium crowned like a queen. Misr Stadium — Arabic for “Egypt Stadium,” and also known as the New Capital Stadium or New Administrative Capital Stadium — is the biggest stadium in Egypt, and it’s not close.
At 93,940 seats, it sits roughly 8,000 seats above Egypt’s next-largest venue and anchors the Egypt International Olympic City in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo. Here’s how it earned the title, how it stacks up against every other major stadium in the country, and what it means for Egyptian sport.
Quick Answer
The biggest stadium in Egypt is Misr Stadium, with a capacity of 93,940. It opened on March 22, 2024, at the Egypt International Olympic City in the New Administrative Capital, and it’s also the second-largest stadium in Africa, behind only FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Egypt’s Largest Stadiums, Ranked
Misr Stadium didn’t just edge out the competition — it reset the scale of Egyptian stadiums entirely. Here’s how the country’s biggest venues compare by capacity:
1. Misr Stadium (New Administrative Capital) — 93,940, opened 2024. 2. Borg El Arab Stadium (near Alexandria) — 86,000, opened 2007. 3. Cairo International Stadium (Cairo) — 75,000, opened 1960. 4. Egyptian Army Stadium (Suez) — 45,000, opened 2009. 5. Arab Contractors Stadium (Cairo) — 35,000, opened 1979. 6. 30 June Stadium (Cairo) — 30,000, opened 2009. 7. Al Salam Stadium (Cairo) — 30,000, opened 2009. 8. Beni Ebeid Stadium (Beni Ebeid) — 30,000, opened 1990. 9. Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium (El Mahalla) — 29,000, opened 1947. 10. Cairo Military Academy Stadium (Cairo) — 28,500, opened 1989.
For decades, Borg El Arab and Cairo International were Egypt’s two flagship venues, trading off as hosts for the national team’s biggest fixtures. Misr Stadium leapfrogs both by a wide margin and, for the first time, gives Egypt a stadium built from scratch to modern international standards rather than one expanded or renovated over multiple decades.
A Stadium Fit for an Olympic Bid
Construction began in 2019 as part of the Egypt International Olympic City, a vast sports complex under development since 2015 in the New Administrative Capital. The project was designed by Italian firms SHESA Architects and MJW Structures in partnership with Cosmos-E — a team whose engineers had previously worked on Juventus Stadium in Turin — with Orascom Construction as main contractor.
The complex around the stadium includes training grounds, two indoor halls (one a 15,000-seat arena), and an Olympic-size swimming pool, all built with an eye toward future Egyptian bids for the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup. The design is unmistakably Egyptian: the stadium sits on an elliptical plan, and its crown-like roof is stylistically based on the headdress and royal necklace of Queen Nefertiti. A running track rings the pitch, keeping the venue ready for major athletics events as well as football.
Opening Night and Early History
The stadium was structurally complete by late 2023 and hosted the Egypt national team’s training camp ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Its formal inauguration came on March 22, 2024, when Egypt beat New Zealand 1–0 in the opening match of the 2024 ACUD Cup, a friendly tournament staged as part of the first FIFA Series.
Egypt went on to lose the ACUD Cup final 4–2 to Croatia on March 26, 2024 — a match that drew a reported 85,350 fans, an early sign the stadium could reliably fill the vast majority of its bowl for marquee fixtures.
How It Compares in Africa and Worldwide
Misr Stadium’s 93,940 capacity makes it the second-largest stadium in Africa, trailing only FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (94,736 seats), and it’s the largest stadium anywhere in the Middle East and North Africa region. The moment it opened, it also joined the list of the largest stadiums on Earth — a tier otherwise dominated by venues in East Asia and North Korea.
That scale puts Egypt’s national team in rare company: few countries outside Africa’s very largest markets can call on a stadium approaching six figures in capacity for home fixtures.
What Misr Stadium Means for Egyptian Sport
For decades, Egypt’s biggest matches split time between Cairo International Stadium and Borg El Arab Stadium outside Alexandria. Misr Stadium changes that calculus. Purpose-built to international specifications inside a full Olympic complex, it gives the most decorated national team in Africa — a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles — a modern flagship, and gives the New Administrative Capital a landmark to anchor its skyline of superlatives.
If Egypt’s Olympic or World Cup ambitions materialize, this bowl will be their stage.
Photos
Bleachers for three hours, but with back support. Folds flat and clips to the bench.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
Biggest Stadium in Egypt FAQs
What is the biggest stadium in Egypt?
Misr Stadium, located in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo, is the biggest stadium in Egypt with a capacity of 93,940. It opened in March 2024.
What is the second-biggest stadium in Egypt?
Borg El Arab Stadium, near Alexandria, is Egypt’s second-biggest stadium with a capacity of 86,000, followed by Cairo International Stadium at 75,000.
Is Misr Stadium bigger than Cairo International Stadium?
Yes. Misr Stadium holds 93,940 fans, nearly 19,000 more than Cairo International Stadium’s 75,000-seat capacity.
Is Misr Stadium the biggest stadium in Africa?
No — it’s the second-biggest. FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, holds slightly more at 94,736 seats.
When did Misr Stadium open?
It was inaugurated on March 22, 2024, with a friendly in which Egypt defeated New Zealand 1–0 — the opening fixture of the 2024 ACUD Cup, part of the first FIFA Series.
Why is the roof shaped like a crown?
The roof design is modeled on the headdress and royal necklace of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti — a deliberate nod to the country’s heritage at the heart of its brand-new capital.
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