Visiting the 5 July 1962 Stadium
Algerian president Houari Boumediène officially opened the 5 July 1962 Stadium in 1972. For the occasion, the brand-new sports complex hosted an international tournament featuring the Algerian national team, AC Milan, and Brazilian club Palmeiras, which featured a young Zico on its roster at the time. A few years later, the Mediterranean Games took place here in 1975. During this era, the 5 July 1962 Stadium featured a capacity of 85,000 seats, which regularly filled to the brim.
That already impressive figure was soundly surpassed in 1990 during an Africa Cup of Nations match between Algeria and Nigeria, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the home side. That night, an estimated 110,000 spectators packed the stands. Naturally, given such massive crowds, the arena underwent a comprehensive safety compliance update in 1999.
A Multisport Complex
After initially being scaled back to 80,000 seats, the capacity of the 5 July 1962 Stadium dropped further to 76,000 people in 2003 following an earthquake earlier that year. Since then, local fans have once again blown past the 100,000 spectator mark by turning out in massive numbers for an international friendly between Algeria and Serbia held on March 3, 2010. On that night, a total of 110,000 people filled the tiers.
Frequently at the center of controversies regarding the quality of its pitch and structural safety, including a tribune collapse in 2013, the 5 July 1962 Stadium still hosts major sporting fixtures. Its bowl-shaped architecture, open to the elements, bears a striking resemblance to Munich's Olympic Stadium alongside various South American arenas. On match nights, experiencing the 5 July 1962 Stadium firsthand remains a high-energy highlight for sports fans visiting Algiers.
