- Address: Kolkata
- Country: India
- Capacity: 85,000
- Opened: January 1984
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: East Bengal (football), Mohun Bagan (football)
Extra stadium info – Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
The venue is also known as the Salt Lake Stadium. It is used for several events, like athletics, concerts and football. The stadium’s record attendance of 131,000 was set in a football match in 1997. Football club East Bengal won the game. The stadium hosted the farewell match of the German goalkeeper Olivier Kahn, who played numerous games for the national football team of Germany. The German side FC Bayern München, one of the first sports clubs with 10 million followers on its main social media page, won the game.
Lionel Messi
The stadium hosted a match between the national football teams of the Argentine Republic, also known as Argentina, and Venezuela in 2011. The match featured the Argentine football star Lionel Messi. He is generally regarded as one of the best football players ever. Messi scored hundreds of goals for the world famous Spanish side FC Barcelona before he signed with the French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
The Blue Tigers and the FIFA World Cup
The national football team of India played numerous matches at the stadium named Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which is also known as the Salt Lake Stadium. They are also known as The Blue Tigers. In 1950, the national football team of India qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history. However, India withdrew. 13 teams participated in the world championship, which was won by the national football team of Uruguay.
East Bengal and Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal use the venue which is known as the Salt Lake Stadium for home games. Both football clubs are among the first sports clubs from India with 1 million followers on their main social media page. The derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan is known as the Kolkata Derby. It is among the most famous derbies in Asia.
The Indian Super League
In 2021, Mohun Bagan finished second place in their inaugural Indian Super League season. They gathered 40 points in 20 regular season matches. Mumbai City Football Club finished first place with 40 points as well. East Bengal finished ninth place in their inaugural ISL season in 2021. They gathered 17 points in 20 regular season matches during that domestic football league season. Mohun Bagan won 12 regular season games and East Bengal won three regular season games. Mumbai City FC from Maharashtra won the final of the Indian Super League in 2021. They won the final after defeating Mohun Bagan 2-1 in Goa. Mohun Bagan reached the final after beating NorthEast United and Mumbai City reached the final after defeating FC Goa.
