- Address: 1 National Stadium South Road, Beijing
- Country: China
- Capacity: 80,000
- Opened: 28 June 2008
- Main use: Football
- Tenants:
Extra stadium info – National Stadium
The construction of the National Stadium, nicknamed Bird’s Nest, started in 2003. It opened as the largest stadium by capacity in China. The National Stadium became the most expensive Chinese stadium and one of the most expensive Asian stadiums. It became a venue for several events, like athletics, concerts, esports, football and the Race of Champions.
The Games of the Olympiad and the Winter Olympic Games
The National Stadium was the main venue for the prestigious Games of the Olympiad in 2008. The Argentine Republic won football tournament at the Games of the Olympiad after beating Nigeria at the National Stadium. 89,000 people attended the game. In 2022, the National Stadium was the main venue for the Winter Olympic Games.
The Race of Champions and Michael Schumacher
In 2009, the National Stadium hosted its first Race of Champions, a motorsport event. Mattias Ekström from Sweden won the event after defeating Michael Schumacher. In December 2013, the German Formula One legend Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a coma until June 2014. Schumacher left the hospital in the French city of Grenoble for further rehabilitation in Lausanne. Later, he relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately.
Usain Bolt
The former Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the first sprinter with 10 million followers on his main social media page, ran at the National Stadium. He broke world records in athletics. Bolt won his first Olympic gold medal in athletics in 2008. In 2018, he scored twice for a professional football club from Australia. Usain Bolt became a supporter of the English football club Manchester United.
Famous football clubs
Several world famous football clubs played at the stadium. On 8 August 2009, the National Stadium hosted its first-ever Supercoppa Italiana. It was the first edition of the tournament in Asia. The Italian super cup match was won by SS Lazio from Rome after defeating FC Internazionale Milano in front of 68,000 spectators. Matuzalém Francelino da Silva and Tommaso Rocchi scored for Lazio. The Cameroonian football star Samuel Eto’o Fils scored the only goal for Internazionale. In 1964, Inter won their first world championship title. On 22 July 2017, the world famous English football clubs Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC played against each other in a friendly at the National Stadium. It was stadium’s first match between two football clubs from London.
Football club Beijing Guoan
Beijing Guoan was scheduled to play at the National Stadium. Later, the football club backed out of the agreement. Beijing Guoan Football Club became the first sports club from Beijing with 1 million followers on its main social media page. In 2009, they were crowned Chinese football champions for the first time in their history. Beijing Guoan drew an average attendance of 36,000 in 15 home games during that top-flight football league season. They gathered 51 points in 30 games during that Chinese Super League season. They won 13 of the 30 domestic league games. 12 matches ended in a draw and five matches ended in a loss.
