Laurent Pokou Stadium
Laurent Pokou Stadium is a football stadium in San Pédro, Ivory Coast. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 seats.[1] The construction of the stadium began in early September 2018 and finished five years later, in early September 2023.[2] The stadium hosted matches for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, an international men's football competition between African countries.
| Location | San Pédro, Ivory Coast |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°49′1″N 6°37′46″W |
| Owner | Government of Ivory Coast |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Field size | 105m x 68m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 2018 |
| Opened | 9 September 2023 |
| General contractor | China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Ivory Coast national football team (selected matches) | |
History
On 9 September 2023, the Stadium witnessed its inaugural official match as the Ivory Coast secured a 1–0 victory over Lesotho in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. This stadium, which pays homage to the legendary Ivorian striker, Laurent Pokou (1947–2016), boasts a seating capacity of 20,000. It was Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré who had the honor of scoring the first-ever goal at this state-of-the-art facility on that memorable Saturday. Idriss Yacine Diallo, the COCAN Vice-President and FIF President, expressed his thoughts, saying, "The Ivorian authorities have devoted significant efforts to guarantee optimal conditions for the teams participating in the final phase of the competition in Ivory Coast. We've made multiple visits to San Pedro with CAF delegations to oversee the progress of the construction. It brings us immense pride to return to this splendid stadium, which hosted Lesotho so successfully last Saturday."[3]
2023 Africa Cup of Nations
The stadium was one of the venues for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[4]
The following matches were played at the stadium:
| Date | Time (GMT) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January 2024 | 17:00 | Morocco | 3–0 | Tanzania | 15,478 | |
| 17 January 2024 | 20:00 | DR Congo | 1–1 | Zambia | 15,478 | |
| 21 January 2024 | 14:00 | Morocco | 1–1 | DR Congo | 13,342 | |
| 21 January 2024 | 17:00 | Zambia | 1–1 | Tanzania | 13,342 | |
| 24 January 2024 | 17:00 | Namibia | 0–0 | Mali | 15,231 | |
| 24 January 2024 | 20:00 | Zambia | 0–1 | Morocco | 15,231 | |
| 28 January 2024 | 20:00 | Egypt | DR Congo | 12,342 | ||
| 30 January 2024 | 20:00 | Morocco | 0–2 | South Africa | 19,078 |
See also
References
- "CAN 2021 : la Côte d'Ivoire lance un appel d'offres pour la construction d'infrastructures sportives et d'hébergements" (in French). Abidjan.net. 20 September 2017.
- "CAN 2021: Les travaux du stade de Korhogo et de San Pedro démarrent en septembre" (in French). Abidjan.net. 30 July 2018.
- "Inauguration of the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro a major milestone in TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 preparations". cafonline.com. 12 September 2023.
- "Here are the 6 stadiums that will host AFCON 2023". AfrikPage. 13 April 2023.