JD17 million refurbishments under way for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

AMMAN – Work is under way at the King Abdullah II International Stadium as Jordan prepares to host the biggest sporting event in its history, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said on Saturday. 

The stadium will host 8 of 32 matches in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which opens in September, said Nemah Qatnani, the GAM’s executive director for engineering. 

“The maintenance work has been done in six stages, including renovating the changing rooms, adding a new 900-metre building to accommodate the needs of FIFA, and renovating the pitch at the cost of JD700,000,” Qatnani told The Jordan Times. 

Other upgrades include a large screen to broadcast the matches live, which cost JD333,000, seating for fans costing JD13,000 and a JD250,000 audio system, she said.  

“GAM also constructed eight training pitches in accordance with FIFA standards,” Qatnani said, adding that preparation for the tournament would cost JD17 million in total. 

The final stage of refurbishments entails rehabilitating the areas around the stadium, constructing a parking lot for 950 vehicles and doing landscaping work, the official explained. 

In April, the GAM started revamping streets around the stadium in east Amman, Qatnani said. 

The tournament will be held at four stadiums across the country, including two in Amman. 

GAM is responsible for the King Abdullah II International Stadium, Qatnani said, adding that the municipality will also support the Ministry of Youth, which is responsible for the Amman International Stadium.

Over the course of 22 days, 16 teams will play 32 matches in Jordan. The opening match will be played on September 30.