Emam Reza Stadium of Mashhad, the capital city of northeastern province Khorasan Razavi, was opened with a football match between Mashhad XI and Karbala XI, from the Iraqi city of Karbala.
The all-seated football stadium is believed to be the most modern stadium of Iran so far. It has a seating capacity of 23,000 and is the sixth biggest stadium in Iran.
The stadium is in an area of Mashhad that belongs to the Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), a charitable foundation which manages the Imam Reza shrine.
The stadium, whose construction began on 5 March 2011, was designed by Iranian architect Masoud Ziaei.
The stadium’s roof is being built by a French company that has worked in London Olympic Stadium and some of 2014 FIFA World Cup venues. The stadium seats were supplied by Daplast, a Spanish company. The company is being contract with Real Madrid. The natural grass and tartan track along the side is in the hands of a German company. The company also has contracts with several large stadiums in Germany.
The stadium has a Grade A in Asia by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Previously, only the Azadi Stadium in Tehran has been grade A among stadiums in Iran.
