Football in the United Arab Emirates became hugely popular in the past several years. More money is invested in the sport, and the investors are usually interested in bringing the greatest stars from Europe to join the clubs in the region. As a result, fans from all over the country visit stadiums on a regular basis promoting the support for their teams and great passion as well. Therefore, many clubs and their presidents are willing to move a step forward and create even better conditions for both players and fans.
National Stadium
The biggest stadium in the United Arab Emirates is the national stadium called Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This stadium has the capacity for 49,500 people. Zayed Sports City as it is also called stages cup finals, big international games and many international events. However, other clubs from the Etisalat National League are not playing in this stadium.
Pro League Stadiums
Al Jazira from Abu Dhabi has the second largest stadium in the UAE. It is called Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, and it can accept 42,056 spectators. Al Jazira usually has the most visits and leads in the average attendance in the Pro League. Furthermore, the club holds a league-record attendance of 28,164 in the match against Al Wasl. Besides, Al Jazira fans also appreciate the possibility to be close to the field at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. Furthermore, Abu Dhabi has another two stadiums which are relatively smaller. The first one is by the club Al Wahda, and it is called Al Nahyan Stadium. The capacity of this sports center is 12,000. The second one is Banivas Stadium of the club Banivas SC with 10,000 seats.
The biggest stadium in Dubai is Al Rashid Stadium which is currently used by two clubs – Dubai and Al Ahli. The capacity of this stadium is 18,000 seats. Apart from Al Rashid Stadium, there are other three stadiums by the clubs which are part of Etisalat National League, and also one stadium which is used for other smaller matches. The first one of the remaining four is Al-Shabab Stadium which is the home to the club with the same name. Just like Al Rashid Stadium, this one also has the capacity of 18.000 seats. Zabeel Stadium also accepts 18,000 people, and it is the home of Al Wasl. This place is not posh in any way, but the place became extremely popular once legendary Diego Armando Maradona joined Al Wasl as the coach in the season 2011- 2012. Fans were excited to have the possibility to watch Maradona lead the team. Despite not being the largest stadium in the region, the atmosphere that fans can create is beyond amazing.
The next football center in Dubai is Al Maktoum Stadium. It can accept 14,000 fans of the club Al Nasr. The last stadium in Dubai is Police Officers’ Club Stadium with 7,500 seats.
Al Ain and the club of the same name has the third biggest stadium in the country simply called HBZ Stadium. HBZ is able to accept 25,000 football fans. Al Ain also has another stadium with the capacity of 16.000 seats. It is called Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium. Al Ain is the club which has the best support without a doubt in their Pro League, and it is the club which comes close to filling the stadium on every match. The fans are determined to create a thrilling atmosphere with their choreographed chants. There is also a stadium with 10,000 seats called Tahnoun Bin Mohamed Stadium which is not used as a part of Etisalat National League.
Sharjah and Al-Shabab also use one stadium in the Sharjah city with 12,000 seats. This stadium is called Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium. Finally, the smallest one is in Ras Al Khaimah. It is the stadium of the Emirates Club, and it is called by the name of the club.
Very soon, Dubai will get a new artistic football stadium as part of The 2019 Asian Cup football championships that will be held in the UAE. The stadium should be named Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium and have 60,000 seats for football fans of the region.