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Address: Azadi Stadium Boulevard, Tehran, Iran
Capacity: 78,000
Opened: 18 October 1971
Primary Use: Football
Tenants: Esteghlal FC (football), Persepolis FC (football)
Azadi Stadium, originally known as Aryamehr Stadium, is one of the most iconic sports venues in Iran and the Middle East. Construction of the stadium began in 1970, and it officially opened on 18 October 1971. It was developed as part of a broader sports complex designed to position Tehran as a regional hub for international sporting events.
At the time of its opening, the stadium was among the largest football venues in Asia. Its design emphasized large-scale attendance, visibility, and adaptability for both domestic and international competitions. Over time, the venue was renamed Azadi Stadium, which translates to Freedom Stadium, and it has since become a symbol of Iranian football culture.
Azadi Stadium is widely known for its exceptional crowd atmospheres. The stadium’s record attendance of 128,000 spectators was set in 1998, during a FIFA World Cup qualification match between Iran and Australia. The match is remembered as one of the most significant moments in Iranian football history, securing Iran’s qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The stadium has served as the primary home venue for the national football team of Iran, known as Team Melli, for decades. Iran were crowned Asian football champions for the first time in 1968, beginning a dominant era in continental football. They went on to win the Asian Championship three consecutive times between 1968 and 1976.
Burma (now Myanmar) finished runners-up in 1968
Korea finished second in 1972
Kuwait finished second in 1976
On 3 June 1978, Iran played its first-ever FIFA World Cup match. The game took place in Mendoza, Argentina, where Iran faced the Netherlands in front of 33,000 spectators. The Dutch side won the match 3–0 and later reached the final of the tournament, where they were defeated by the Argentine Republic.
Iran’s second group-stage match ended in a 1–1 draw against Scotland, marking Iran’s first point at a FIFA World Cup. In their third match, Iran secured their first World Cup victory, defeating Peru, a milestone achievement for Iranian football on the global stage.
Azadi Stadium is shared by Esteghlal FC and Persepolis FC, two of the most successful and popular football clubs in Iran and Asia. Their rivalry is regarded as one of the most intense derbies in world football.
Esteghlal FC became the first Iranian club to win the Asian Club Championship, establishing Iran’s presence in continental club competitions.
Persepolis FC reached the final of the AFC Champions League for the first time in 2018, where they finished runners-up to Kashima Antlers of Japan.
During that season, Persepolis recorded an average home attendance of 39,000, underlining the stadium’s continued role as a high-demand venue.
Both Esteghlal and Persepolis became the first Iranian sports clubs to surpass 1 million followers on their primary social media platforms. They also became the first sports clubs from Tehran to reach a valuation of €10 million, reflecting their commercial and cultural importance.
Ali Daei, one of the most prominent figures in Iranian football history, played numerous matches at Azadi Stadium during his time with Persepolis FC. He became the first Iranian footballer to appear in the UEFA Champions League, representing FC Bayern München in Germany.
Ali Daei played professional football in Germany, Iran, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates before retiring in 2007. He also featured for Iran at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing his first World Cup match in Saint-Étienne, France.
Since its opening, Azadi Stadium has undergone multiple renovations and infrastructure upgrades to maintain international competition standards. These works focused on:
Seating safety and capacity regulation
Pitch quality and drainage systems
Player facilities, including locker rooms and medical areas
Media, broadcast, and security infrastructure
While its original architectural identity has been preserved, modernization efforts have allowed Azadi Stadium to remain suitable for top-level domestic leagues, international qualifiers, and continental tournaments.
Azadi Stadium is a 78,000-seat football stadium in Tehran, opened in 1971, and widely regarded as the most historic football venue in Iran. Known for record-breaking crowds, landmark national team achievements, and iconic club rivalries, it has hosted World Cup qualifiers, Asian Championships, and major club finals. As the shared home of Esteghlal and Persepolis, Azadi Stadium remains the symbolic heart of Iranian football and one of Asia’s most recognizable sporting landmarks.
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With the growing popularity of nighttime sports events, professional competitions demand higher lighting quality. The glare from traditional fixtures can no longer meet athletes’ expectations for sensory experience. Leveraging breakthroughs in MECREE’s sports lighting technology, our precise light control and anti-glare designs enable athletes to perform at their peak and enjoy an exceptional sports experience.
Issues caused by unnecessary nighttime lighting, such as light pollution and light trespass, are increasingly concerning and have led to rising public complaints. Amid growing environmental awareness, lighting designers must prioritize controlling “Light Pollution” and “Light Trespass.” We are committed to addressing this challenge through innovative optical technologies.
Currently common traditional stadium lights model for some international stadiums as below:
MVF406/1800W, HNF003, MVF401, MVF403, MVF024, EF-2000, YOA56305, YOAX56400, 2kW: HQI-TS 2000WDS, 2kW: HQI-TS 1000WDS, MHN-SA 2KW 400V/956, MHN-SB/HO 2KW 400V/956, LPW2000M/D, LPW1000MB/L, LPP2000MHN-SA, LPP2000MHN-SB.
There is big problem that traditional lamps can not cannot meet the needs of 4K and 8K high-definition broadcast and huge energy consumption.
With the strengthening of environmental lighting awareness and the pursuit of high-quality lighting, there is a trend to replace traditional lamps by high quality of LED Stadium Lights.
MECREE has launched the following series of LED Sport Stadium Lighting:
MECREE’s specially engineered precision lighting control is designed to meet the needs of such users. The polarized light range of 65-73° is defined as the P73-L and A65 series products, which deliver an unparalleled visual experience while offering access to thousands of IES profiles.
Our precisely engineered optics of polarized light aim light directly onto the field of play, to shine uniformly and to minimize glare. Outdoor venues benefit from spill light control, no more skyglow and no more complaints from the neighbors.
1. Such light shield is useless,just misleading customers.
2. As tested it will cause 30% reduction of light output
3. While 70% still have high overflow
4. Unbearable strong glare
5. Waste energy,outdated reflective technology
The power supply and lamp body can be mounted separately, reducing the withstand weight of the lamp pole and facilitating maintenance.
Customized crossarms are available to meet all your existing old poles without replacing the main rod, crossarms bolt directly to light pole, easy and accurate installation saves time, ensures performance, safety and reliability,also lower the budget.
In current sports lighting projects, high-altitude light calibration is recognized as a major efficiency bottleneck. The process carries high safety risks, is prone to aiming deviations, and involves cumbersome installation and removal procedures, making it difficult to achieve the required uniformity.
MECREE’s innovative laser aiming mount was designed precisely to address these issues. It revolutionizes the workflow through three key advantages:
Easy Installation: With a simple design, it allows rapid mounting and dismounting, significantly lowering the operational threshold.
Precise Aiming: Ensures accurate laser alignment, fundamentally guaranteeing uniform illumination and compliance with lighting standards.
Efficient Operation: Reduces labor and time costs by up to 80%. Calibrating 200 fixtures at height previously took 20 days; now the same workload can be completed in just 4 days.
Choosing MECREE means choosing a safer, more precise, and highly efficient sports lighting solution.
We are not only a manufacturer of high-power LEDs, More professional services are also included:
Through lighting simulation calculations and programming of light show designs, solutions oriented towards either visual effects or cost-effectiveness are provided. Design of Lighthouse, parameters required for building foundation, (axial force, shear force, bending force). High power generator set supporting,circuit design service,cable supply. We are your best supply chain manager! We are committed to providing you with a one-stop solution. We focus on the research, design, and manufacturing of our products, delivering customized and energy-efficient lighting system solutions for all types of sports venues and multifunctional facilities.The details are as follows:high-power sports lighting、arena night lighting retrofit、smart stadium lighting control、energy-efficient LED stadium lights、stadium lighting power supply optimization、broadcast-quality sports lighting、large venue lighting retrofit、adjustable brightness and color temperature lighting、LED floodlight installation and upgrade、stadium lighting maintenance and management、energy-saving lighting solutions for stadiums、multi-purpose venue lighting design、night game lighting optimization.
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