The Stade du 26-Mars is a multi-sports stadium located in Bamako, Mali. Inaugurated in December 2001, the stadium hosts the national soccer team and the Stade Malien soccer team.
Owner
- Malian government
History
Built by a Chinese company in partnership with Malian companies, the March 26 stadium required 10,000 tons of cement and as much iron. The stadium cost 25 million euros, two-thirds of which came from the state budget and a loan from the Chinese government. The stadium is located 10 kilometers from the city center on the right bank.
The stadium is located 10 kilometers from the city center on the right bank, and covers an area of 7 hectares with modern structures. It consists of a grassed and lighted main arena and a side field, an eight-lane tartan track and a table tennis hall. It is decorated with an eagle statue that symbolizes the emblem of Malian soccer.
The stadium hosts important matches of the national A team and hosted the opening match and the final of the 2002 CAN.
On September 19, 2013, it was used as the venue for the inauguration of the new Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, in the presence of French President François Hollande, who also delivered a speech to the Malian people.
Why 26 march?
Its name is a reference to the coup d’état that ended the dictatorship of Moussa Traore on March 26, 1991.
- With capacity of 90.000 seats makes, it's the largest stadium in Mali and one of the largest in West Africa.
