Egnatia Arena (Albanian: Arena Egnatia) is a multi-purpose stadium in Rrogozhinë, Albania. It was previously known as the Hasan Zyla Stadium.[1] It is used for football matches and is the home ground of Egnatia. Its capacity is 4,000 spectators, 1,200 of which are seated.[2]
History
The stadium has been used to host international matches for the Albania national under-19 football team and the Albania women's national under-19 football team.[3][4]
Egnatia Arena underwent renovations in 2021 to rebuild it with a capacity of 2,400 seats in order to meet FIFA standards.[5][6] The renovation was estimated to cost $2 million.[7] During the start of the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore, the pitch of the Egnatia Arena was resown and relaid. During this time KF Egnatia played their home games in Tirana but returned to the stadium in October 2023 after requesting permission from the Albanian Football Federation (AFF) to return ahead of schedule, which was approved.[8] It subsequently hosted a 2024-25 UEFA Conference League qualifying between Egnatia and Vikingur Reykjavik from Iceland.[9]
In 2023, Egnatia Arena was selected by the AFF as one of the host venues for the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[5] This selection was made, despite the stadium not meeting UEFA criteria at the time.[5] As a result, the AFF invested in renovating the stadium. This included complete reconstruction of the stands as well as improvement in the stadium lighting.[10] The newly-renovated stadium was subsequently inspected and approved by UEFA delegates in January 2025.[11] Egnatia Arena was constructed to meet UEFA stadium category three.[12] One of the new stands was named the "Rafael Duamena stand" after Raphael Dwamena, whom had died the previous year whilst playing for Egnatia.[13]
References
- ^ "Black Stars forward Raphael Dwamena dies of heart attack". Ghana Business News. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "FSHF profile". Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Kosova U-19 pësoi humbje miqësoren e parë ndaj Shqipërisë U-19" (in Kosovan). FFK. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
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: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "WU19s earn promotion with five-star performance". IFA. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Finalet e një Evropiani në Shqipëri, ja stadiumet e fushat stërvitore që mund të mirëpresin turneun" (in Albanian). ABC News. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "FOTO/ Stadiumi i ri, nisin punimet për "Arena Egnatia"" (in Albanian). ABC News. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Merr jetë investimi 2 milionë dollarësh/ Rrogozhina në festë, nisin zyrtarisht punimet në "Arena Egnatia"". www.panorama.com.al (in Albanian). 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Ndryshohet stadiumi, Egnatia-Kukësi do të zhvillohet në Rrogozhinë" (in Albanian). ABC News. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "KF Egnatia Rrogozhine vs. Vikingur Reykjavik - Final Score - August 01, 2024". FOX Sports. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ ""Egnatia Arena" towards complete reconstruction for the European U-17 2025 in Albania". CNA. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Halilaj, Lenida (29 January 2025). "UEFA U-17 European Championship "Albania 2025" / The UEFA delegation inspects stadiums and training grounds, gaining closer insight into the transformation of "Egnatia Arena"". FSHF. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Shqipëri 2025/ Investohet në 'Arena Egnatia', shtohen tribunat dhe sistemi i ndriçimit! Dervishaj: Vjen UEFA për inspektim - Report-tv.al". Report TV (in Albanian). Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ ""Arena Egnatia", nis puna për ndërtimin e tribunës "Rafael Duamena"". www.panorama.com.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 1 April 2025.
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