West Africa is the powerhouse of African football winning most of the African football titles ranging from underage, senior and women’s national teams.
The region is a host to more than 100 Sports stadiums of which many are in dilapidated conditions and banned by the African football governing body. Today we are looking at the top 10 most beautiful and rated sports stadiums in the region.
10. Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Nigeria
The Mobolaji Johnson Arena is located in Lagos Island and was the venue for the Aisha Buhari Cup won by South Africa.
The stadium has a capacity of 15,000 and is the oldest in Nigeria. Located on the southeastern corner of Lagos Island near Tafewa Balewa Square, the original stadium was built in 1930 and six years later named after King George V. Between 1963 and 1973, where it became known as the Lagos City Stadium.
The Stadium was remodelled and rebuilt by the Lagos state government in 2019 and was named after Lagos Political, Mobolaji Johnson.
9. Stephen Keshi Stadium, Nigeria
Stephen Keshi Stadium is located in Asaba, the Delta State capital. The Stadium was named after Former Super Eagles player and coach Stephen Keshi.
The Stadium was renovated and opened in 2018 where it hosted the 2018 Africa Athletics Championship.
The Stadium have a capacity of 2022 and is the home ground of the Nigeria Women League side, Delta Queens FC.
8. Lekan Salami Stadium, Nigeria
Lekan Salami Stadium is located in Ibadan and has a Capacity of 20,000.
The Newly reconstructed stadium is home to the Nigerian League team Shooting Stars Soccer Club (3SC).
The stadium was initially Built-in 1976 but was renovated in 2021 with a More improved stadium Facilities measuring up to a “World-class” Level.
7. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Nigeria
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is located in Benin city and has a capacity of 20,000 spectators and is the home ground of Nigeria NPFL side, Bendel Insurance.
The field is made up of natural turf and has a lot of amenities such as the scoreboard, the medical and security team and facilities, and the exits for the control of the crowd amongst others. The scoreboard is installed in the right place on the pitch, and had one functioning ambulance with a concentrated security guard always at their duty post to avoid unbearable news.
The Stadium had seven gigantic exits and a spacious car park area. It’s a media center that also possesses some good facilities and equipment too. The roof of the stadium is half covered.
6. Yamoussoukro Stadium, Ivory Coast
Located in the Political capital of Côte d’Ivoire, The Yamoussoukro stadium consists of a 20,000-seat stadium that has been completed and is in use.
The facility hosted the 2023 AFCON Qualifiers match between Ivory Coast and Zambia and also hosted the 2022 WAFU Zone A CAF Women Champions League qualifier won by Bayelsa Queens of Nigeria.
The stadium is one of the six venues of AFCON 2023 Scheduled to hold from June to July 2023.
5. Ebimpe Olympic Stadium, Ivory Coast
This Stadium is among the most beautiful stadiums in Africa due to its unique design which is different from every other stadium design.
Already at the level of early conceptual design the stadium received its nickname of “Arc de Triomphe” because the entirety is surrounded by 96 columns creating a dynamic arcade, adorned additionally with stained glass in national colours. It acts both as a facade and support for the roof. At peak the stadium reaches 51.4 meters in height, with app. 290 meters in length and 270 in width.
With a capacity of more than 60,000 seats, the stadium is considered one of the biggest and most modern stadiums in Africa. The stadium is expected to host the opening ceremony and final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
4. Bouaké Peace Stadium, Ivory Coast
The Bouaké Peace Stadium, located 350 km from the city of Abidjan, is a 40,000-capacity stadium with an imposing size and beautiful design.
The Stadium is one of the six venues for AFCON 2023.
3. Moshood Abiola Stadium, Nigeria
The Moshood Abiola Stadium is located at Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and recently hosted the crucial World Cup Qualifiers Match between Nigeria and Ghana.
The Abuja national stadium which is Nigeria’s national stadium with a capacity of 60,491 seats is the largest in Nigeria and West Africa.
This stadium is used for the world’s greatest sporting events and tournaments, of which in 2003, hosted the 8th All Africa games. It cost the government about $360 million in constructing the Abuja National stadium assessing it to be the most expensive stadium ever in the history of Nigeria.
2. Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Nigeria
The 30,000 Capacity Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria is among the most beautiful stadiums in Africa due to its best nest design.
The contract for the design of the stadium was awarded to Julius Berger a structural engineering firm based in Nigeria.They were responsible for the architectural design, execution planning, as well as constructional supervision of the stadium, as well as maintenance. The stadium which seats on 48 hectares of land has some unique features such as bullet proof VIP/VVIP sections, collapsible seats, two digital scoreboards, digital playback screens, digital flood lights, and 30 emergency exits.
The stadium structure was modelled after the Allianz Arena in Germany designed to meet International Safety Standards. There are 30 emergency exit points estimated to facilitate exit in 6 minutes at full capacity, closed-circuit security cameras, crowd control steel fencing, stand by firefighting equipment and metal detectors.
1. Abdoulaye Wade Stadium, Senegal
Abdoulaye Wade Stadium also known as Diamniado Stadium is one of the most beautiful stadiums in Africa. The stadium was designed by the Turkish architectural office Tabanlıoğlu Architects. It is modelled after Bayern Munich Stadium, Allianz Arena.
The stadium was built in 18 months by the Turkish construction company Summa. The construction covered an area of 88,000 square metres (22 acres). The contract type was a design-build turnkey project.