Central Asia's largest stadium officially opens: the 51,000-seat Bishkek Arena

The 51,000-seat Bishkek Arena was officially opened in Bishkek on 5 October, with a speech by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. More than 60,000 people turned out for the free opening concert show.

Built since spring 2024, the stadium is the largest sports arena in Central Asia and meets FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) standards. Its capacity was raised from 45,000 to 51,000 to meet the AFC's 50,000-seat requirement for major tournaments. The arena hosted the opening of the 6th World Nomad Games on 31 August, but the official opening came only now.

In his speech Japarov said 1,075 facilities, including 521 plants and factories, had been built in the country over the past six years, answering critics of the stadium. He said he hoped such stadiums would open across the country. Shakira is due to perform at the arena on 18 October.