El Menzah Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...
, located in
El Menzah,
Tunis
Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, Tunisia. The stadium was established in 1967 on the occasion of the
1967 Mediterranean Games on the ruins of Vélodrome Stadium. Its capacity is 39,858 spectators.
History
The Vélodrome Stadium is the historical stadium that preceded Stade El Menzah. It was built in 1927 in the same location and became the stadium of
US Tunis and
Italia de Tunis. It had a capacity of 5,000 spectators. The stadium was named after the president of US Tunis,
Henri Smadja. It was also named after Carmel Borg, a
Maltese businessman. So it became Stade Smadja Borg. It was the main stadium for the
Tunisian national team in the 1930s and 1940s In addition to the
Tunisian Cup final since the 1929 edition, before the construction of the
Stade Géo André in 1942.

After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the stadium was named again after
Victor Perez, a Tunisian boxer who was World Fly Champion in 1931 and was killed in the
Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
in
Gleiwitz
Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...
in 1945. After independence, the Stade Géo André was the stadium of the Tunisian national team, before the Vélodrome was demolished and completely rebuilt in 1967 after cooperation between Tunisian and
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n engineers.
In 2022, a complete restoration of the stadium will begin, for a budget of 100 million dinars. On 25 September 2023, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Kamel Deguiche, confirmed the progress made and anticipated the completion of the work in November 2024 under the joint supervision of the Ministries of Sports and Equipment.
Sporting events
It is built to host the
1967 Mediterranean Games at the same time as the Olympic swimming pool and gymnasium. Since then, it is an integral part of Tunisia's main sports complex. Tunisia's three major football teams,
ES Tunis,
Club Africain
Club Africain (), known as CA for short, is a Tunisian professional football club based in Tunis. The club was founded in 1920 and its colours are red and white. Their home stadium, Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, has a capacity of 60,000 spectators. ...
and
Stade Tunisien played their games there. The stadium was completely renovated for the
1994 African Cup of Nations
The 1994 African Cup of Nations, known as the Nescafé 1994 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship purposes, was the 19th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football championship of Africa organised by the Con ...
. It has a capacity of 45,000 seats. The VIP section consists of a grandstand and 2 salons that can accommodate 300 people in a "cocktail" configuration. The stadium hosted the matches of
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team, controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF), represents Tunisia in men's international association football competitions. On a continental level, the team competes under the Confederation of African ...
until the inauguration of the
Stade 7 November in
Radès in 2001.
It is expected that the rehabilitation works will start in late 2022 and will continue for two years, after a large part of the stadium was closed for years, in order to relieve the stadium of Radès, which now receives all the matches of the
Tunis
Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
teams.
Music events
Popstar
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
performed his first and only concert in
Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, at this stadium during his
HIStory World Tour
The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...
on 7 October 1996, in front of 60,000 fans.
Sting performed at the stadium during his
Brand New Day Tour on 28 April 2001.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
kicked off
The Adventures of Mimi Tour at the stadium on 22 and 24 July 2006.
Stands
* Grandstand: 400 seats
* Press gallery: 480 seats
* Lawn: 10,952 seats
* Bleachers: 9,664 seats
* Turns: 13,056 seats
* Enclosures: 5,786 seats
References
External links
Photos of Stadiums in Tunisiaa
cafe.daum.net/stadePhotos a
worldstadiums.coma
fussballtempel.netPhotos and Factsa
footballmatch.deStade El Menzah on the official "National Sports City" websiteStadiumDB page
{{Authority control
Sports venues completed in 1967
Tunis
Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
Sports venues in Tunisia
Sport in Tunis
Multi-purpose stadiums in Tunisia