View source for National Stadium, Lagos

{{short description|Multi-purpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria}}
{{Coord|6|29|49|N|3|21|53|E|region:NG-LA_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = National Stadium, Lagos
| image = National Stadium Surulere.jpg
| fullname = National Stadium
| former_names = Surulere Stadium
| location = [[Surulere]], [[Lagos]]
| built = 1961
| opened = 1961
| renovated = 1972, 2024
| expanded = 1972
| closed = 
| architect = [[Isaac Fola-Alade]]
| project manager = Albino Luigino Davanzo
| owner = [[Federal government of Nigeria|Nigerian government]]
| surface = Grass
| capacity = 55,000 (1972)<br>45,000 (1999)
| record_attendance = 85,000
| tenants = [[Cowrie Rugby Football Club]] (rugby union)
}}
[[File:A side view of the National Stadium.jpg|thumb|200px|Side view of the Indoor Sports Complex]]

The '''Lagos National Stadium''' is a [[multi-purpose stadium]] in [[Surulere, Lagos State]], [[Nigeria]]. It comprises an Olympic-size [[swimming (sport)|swimming]] arena and a multipurpose arena used for [[sport of athletics|athletics]], [[rugby union]], [[basketball]], [[volleyball]], [[table tennis]], [[wrestling]] and [[boxing]] matches.  It was used mostly for [[association football|football]] matches until 2004. It has hosted several international competitions, including the [[1980 African Cup of Nations]] final, the [[2000 African Cup of Nations]] final, and [[FIFA World Cup]] qualifying matches. It also served as the main stadium for the [[1973 All-Africa Games]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lashem |first=Favour |date=2023-04-28 |title=National Stadium Lagos prone to danger due to neglect – Expert Newsdiaryonline |url=https://newsdiaryonline.com/national-stadium-lagos-prone-to-danger-due-to-neglect-expert/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Newsdiaryonline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ayeyemi |first=Dayo |date=2023-04-25 |title=Worry over derelict National Stadium, other abandoned buildings |url=https://tribuneonlineng.com/?p=669430 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Tribune Online |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==History==
When the stadium was built in 1972, it had a capacity of 55,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aiyejina |first=Tana |date=2023-04-24 |title=Lagos stadium: From West Africa's best to national shame |url=https://punchng.com/lagos-stadium-from-west-africas-best-to-national-shame/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref> The capacity was later reduced to 45,000 in 1999. The highest attendance, 85,000, was recorded in the final match of the [[Africa Cup of Nations|African Cup of Nations]] in 1980 between [[Nigeria]] and [[Algeria]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-09-04 |title=FG considers rebuilding National Stadium Lagos |url=https://guardian.ng/sport/fg-considers-rebuilding-national-stadium-lagos/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Its 50-meter pool was closed in 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://guardian.ng/sport/how-poor-lagos-facility-hampers-nigerias-quest-for-swimming-medals/ |title=How poor Lagos facility hampers Nigeria's quest for swimming medals |author=Olanike Igandan-Dada |date=October 26, 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

For unknown reasons, the National Stadium had been left in dilapidated state since the early 2000s until 2022 when the FG began renovation work at the stadium.<ref>{{cite news | title= The abandoned National Stadium in Lagos (Editorial) |url= http://odili.net/news/source/2006/nov/9/24.html|work=The Guardian (Lagos) |publisher= Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com |date=2006-11-09 |access-date=2008-02-13 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> It last hosted a national team game in 2004, with football matches moved to the nearby [[Teslim Balogun Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news| title=2004 LG Cup results (rsssf.com) |url= https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/lgcup1-04.html|access-date=2008-11-02 }}</ref> It is now occasionally used for religious gatherings<ref>{{cite news | first= Kazeem |last= Ugbodaga | title= Lagos Agog For Bonnke |url= http://www.thenewsng.com/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=11536 |work=PM News (Lagos) |publisher= Independent Communications Network Limited |date=2006-11-06 |access-date=2008-02-13 }}</ref> and has been taken over by [[area boys]]<ref>{{cite news |first= Charles |last= Adingupu | title= Hoodlums on Lagos highway |url= http://odili.net/news/source/2007/mar/4/26.html|work=The Guardian (Lagos) |publisher= Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com |date=2007-03-04 |access-date=2008-02-13 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> and [[squatting|squatters]].<ref>{{cite news |first= Adekunle |last= Salami |title= Squatters take over National Stadium |url= http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2008010256845 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110916163240/http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2008010256845 |url-status=usurped |archive-date= 2011-09-16 |work= The Punch (Lagos) |publisher= Punch Nigeria Limited |date= 2008-01-02 |access-date= 2008-02-13 }}</ref> In 2009, the [[National Sports Commission]] begun a concerted effort to bring the facility back to [[world class]] status.<ref>{{cite news | title=NSC promises to refurbish Lagos National Stadium | url=http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/sports/article22//indexn3_html?pdate=231209&ptitle=NSC%20promises%20to%20refurbish%20Lagos%20National%20Stadium&cpdate=231209 | publisher=Guardian Newspapers Limited (12-23-2009) }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Notable football events==
===[[1980 African Cup of Nations]]===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" 
|-
! Date !! Team 1 !! Result !! Team 2 !! Round
|-
|rowspan="2"|8 March 1980||{{fb|NGA}}||3–1||{{fb|TAN}}||rowspan="6"|[[1980 African Cup of Nations#Group A|Group A]]
|-
|{{fb|EGY|1972}}||2–1||{{fb|CIV}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|12 March 1980||{{fb|EGY|1972}}||2–1||{{fb|TAN}}
|-
|{{fb|NGA}}||0–0||{{fb|CIV}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|15 March 1980||{{fb|CIV}}||1–1||{{fb|TAN}}
|-
|{{fb|NGA}}||1–0||{{fb|EGY|1972}}
|-
|19 March 1980||{{fb|NGA}}||1–0||{{fb|MAR}}||[[1980 African Cup of Nations#Semi-finals|Semifinal]]
|-
|21 March 1980||{{fb|MAR}}||2–0||{{fb|EGY|1972}}||[[1980 African Cup of Nations#Third place match|Third place match]]
|-
|22 March 1980||{{fb|NGA}}||3–0||{{fb|ALG}}||[[1980 African Cup of Nations#Final|Final]]
|}

===[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship]]===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" 
|-
! Date !! Team 1 !! Result !! Team 2 !! Attendance !! Round
|-
|2 April 1999||{{fbu|20|NGA}}||1–1||{{fbu|20|CRC}}||37,500||rowspan=6|[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Group A|Group A]]
|-
|4 April 1999||{{fbu|20|GER}}||4–0||{{fbu|20|PAR|1990}}||2,500
|-
|rowspan=2|7 April 1999||{{fbu|20|NGA}}||2–0||{{fbu|20|GER}}||20,000
|-
|{{fbu|20|CRC}}||1–3||{{fbu|20|PAR|1990}}||18,000
|-
|rowspan=2|10 April 1999||{{fbu|20|NGA}}||1–2||{{fbu|20|PAR|1990}}||25,000
|-
|{{fbu|20|CRC}}||2–1||{{fbu|20|GER}}||22,000
|-
|14 April 1999||{{fbu|20|PAR|1990}}||2–2 {{aet}} {{pso|9–10}}||{{fbu|20|URU}}||1,500||[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Round of 16|Round of 16]]
|-
|18 April 1999||{{fbu|20|URU}}||2–1||{{fbu|20|BRA}}||10,000||[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Quarter-finals|Quarter-final]]
|-
|21 April 1999||{{fbu|20|URU}}||1–2||{{fbu|20|JPN}}||8,000||[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Semi-finals|Semi-final]]
|-
|rowspan=2|24 April 1999||{{fbu|20|MLI}}||1–0||{{fbu|20|URU}}||35,000||[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Third place play-off|Third place play-off]]
|-
|{{fbu|20|ESP}}||4–0||{{fbu|20|JPN}}||38,000||[[1999 FIFA World Youth Championship#Final|Final]]
|}

===[[2000 African Cup of Nations]]===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" 
|-
! Date !! Team 1 !! Result !! Team 2 !! Attendance !! Round
|-
|23 January 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||4–2||{{fb|TUN}}||80,000||rowspan=4|[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Group D|Group D]]
|-
|25 January 2000||{{fb|MAR}}||1–0||{{fb|CGO}}||8,000
|-
|28 January 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||0–0||{{fb|CGO}}||60,000
|-
|29 January 2000||{{fb|TUN}}||0–0||{{fb|MAR}}||5,000
|-
|1 February 2000||{{fb|ZAM}}||2–2||{{fb|SEN}}||2,000||[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Group C|Group C]]
|-
|3 February 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||2–0||{{fb|MAR}}||rowspan=4|60,000||[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Group D|Group D]]
|-
|7 February 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||2–1 {{aet}}||{{fb|SEN}}||[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Quarterfinals|Quarterfinal]]
|-
|10 February 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||2–0||{{fb|RSA}}||[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Semifinals|Semifinal]]
|-
|13 February 2000||{{fb|NGA}}||2–2 {{aet}} {{pso|3–4}} ||{{fb|CMR}}||[[2000 African Cup of Nations#Final|Final]]
|}

==See also==
*[[List of stadiums in Nigeria]]

==Architecture==

The National Stadium was designed by Fola Alade Associates in the year 1970. Construction and supervision took place between 1971 and 1973 by Fola Alade the architect who designed the stadium, before the All African games that happened in 1973 [https://architect-folaalade.com/projects.php you can find more details here]. The stadium was used as the major sporting facility for the games.<ref name=":0" />

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:ASC Leiden - Rietveld Collection - Nigeria 1970 - 1973 - 01 - 090 Pan African Games Lagos January 7-18, 1973. Runners in the starting position on courts in the stadium - Lagos.jpg|Pan African Games Lagos January 7–18, 1973. Runners in the starting position on courts
File:Swimming Pool In National Stadium Lagos.jpg|Swimming Pool In National Stadium Lagos
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://cafe.daum.net/stade/5BHw/24 Photos of Stadiums in Nigeria] at [https://cafe.daum.net/stade/ cafe.daum.net/stade]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120930211911/http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/NGR/Surelere.html Photos] at [http://www.fussballtempel.net/ fussballtempel.net]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box |
 | title = [[African Cup of Nations]]<br>Final Venue|
 | years = [[1980 African Cup of Nations|1980]] <br> [[2000 African Cup of Nations|2000]]
 | before = [[Accra Sports Stadium]]<br> [[Stade du 4-Août]]
 | after = [[11 June Stadium]] <br> [[Stade 26 mars]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Lagos|state=collapsed}}
{{Football in Nigeria}}
{{Nigeria national football team}}

[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1972]]
[[Category:Football venues in Nigeria]]
[[Category:National stadiums|Nigeria]]
[[Category:Venues of the African Games]]
[[Category:Sport in Lagos]]
[[Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Lagos]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Surulere]]