The new Xi’an International Football Centre has hosted its inaugural international matches with China’s National U-23 team facing teams from Australia, Timor-Leste and Northern Mariana Islands.
Xi’an International Football Centre’s 60,000-seat stadium and training grounds are integral to the ongoing development of football in China. Initiated by the Chinese Football Association and China’s national sports development organisations, the new football centre provides facilities of the highest standards to nurture the sport across all levels – from international competition to grassroots community leagues and youth training academies; enabling all generations to gather, play and celebrate football’s unifying spirit.
Situated within the orthogonal urban grid of the city’s Fengdong district and its stations on Line 16 of Xi’an’s growing Metro network, the stadium’s open façades invite the city into the heart of the building to enjoy its public spaces, recreation and dining facilities throughout every day of the year. Positioned within a series of shaded south-facing terraces with views over the city, these amenities also serve spectators during football matches, cultural events and performances.
The stadium’s sweeping geometries are defined to minimise the impacts of prevailing winds from the north that chill the city each winter. The fluid forms of the roof shelter the saddle-shaped structure designed to maximize availability of spectator seating at midfield.
An ultra-lightweight long span cable-net roof structure generates minimal loads to significantly reduce embodied carbon within the stadium by minimising the materials required for its primary structure. Wide perimeter roof overhangs shelter facilities within the building’s envelope while the large, shaded, open-air terraces and public concourses provide comfortable conditions in the hot summers of Xi’an’s continental climate.
