Xi’an International Football Centre building project by ZHA, Zaha Hadid Chinese architecture design images

Xi’an International Football Centre

Updated 8 October 2025 + 20 August 2020

Location: Fengdong New District, Xi’an, China

Design: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)

Photos by Hufton+Crow

Xi’an International Football Centre Building

The new Xi’an International Football Centre has hosted its inaugural international matches with China’s National U-23 team facing teams from Australia, Timor-Leste and Northern Mariana Islands in the Group D qualifying matches of the 2026 Asian Cup finals that will be held in Saudi Arabia.

Xi’an International Football Centre’s 60,000-seat stadium and training grounds are integral to the ongoing development of football in China. Initiated by the Chinese Football Association and China’s national sports development organisations, the new football centre provides facilities of the highest standards to nurture the sport across all levels—from international competition to grassroots community leagues and youth training academies; enabling all generations to gather, play and celebrate football’s unifying spirit.

Situated within the orthogonal urban grid of the city’s Fengdong district and its stations on Line 16 of Xi’an’s growing Metro network, the stadium’s open façades invite the city into the heart of the building to enjoy its public spaces, recreation and dining facilities throughout every day of the year.

Positioned within a series of shaded south-facing terraces with views over the city, these amenities also serve spectators during football matches, cultural events and performances.

The stadium’s sweeping geometries are defined to minimize the impacts of prevailing winds from the north that chill the city each winter. The fluid forms of the roof shelter the saddle-shaped structure designed to maximize availability of spectator seating at midfield.

An ultra-lightweight long span cable-net roof structure generates minimal loads to significantly reduce embodied carbon within the stadium by minimizing the materials required for its primary structure. Wide perimeter roof overhangs shelter facilities within the building’s envelope while the large, shaded, open-air terraces and public concourses provide comfortable conditions in the hot summers of Xi’an’s continental climate.

Supported by the tensioned cable-net structure, a translucent membrane over the seating bowl protects spectators from inclement weather and direct sunlight while also allowing maximum levels of natural light to reach the playing surface, promoting the growth of grass on the pitch to provide playing conditions of the highest standard.

Digital modelling has defined the geometry of the spectators’ seating bowl to optimize proximity and views to the field of play from all 60,000 seats, generating the most exciting atmosphere for football and ensuring an outstanding match experience for all players and spectators.

China’s ancient capital and historic eastern terminus of the Silk Road, Xi’an’s has a long history of welcoming visitors from around the world. In the global arena of football, Xi’an International Football Centre continues this tradition and builds a legacy of new civic spaces, sports, and recreational facilities for the city’s nine million residents and its many youth, league, and professional football clubs.

Photography by Hufton+Crow

20 Aug 2020

Xi’an International Football Centre Building Design by ZHA

The new Xi’an International Football Centre will be 60,000-seat stadium for national and international matches as well as domestic league games, youth training academies, entertainment performances and cultural events. The centre will be located in Xi’an’s Fengdong New District with its stations on the city’s expanding metro network.

With a population of nine million people and two professional football clubs, Xi’an will be a host city of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in China. Taking its legacy mode of operations as the starting point of the design, the stadium has been designed to provide optimum conditions for football and maximize its use by generations after the 2023 tournament.

render by Atchain

Integrated within the orthogonal urban grid of Fengdong’s business district, the stadium’s open façades invite the city into the heart of the building to enjoy its public spaces, recreation and dining facilities throughout the day. Located in a series of shaded south-facing garden terraces with views over the city to Qing Mountain, these amenities will also serve spectators visiting the stadium during football matches, cultural events and performances.

render by Atchain

The sweeping lines of the façade protect the stadium from northerly winds and convey the fluid forms of the roof that shelters the saddle-shaped seating bowl which maximizes the spectator seating provided at midfield.

render by Atchain

The design employs an ultra-lightweight long span cable-net roof structure, resulting in a minimum load and material footprint that in turn reduces the stadium’s primary structure. Wide perimeter roof overhangs shelter facilities within the building’s envelope while the large, shaded, open-air terraces and public concourses incorporates extensive planting on all levels, providing comfortable conditions in Xi’an’s hot continental summer climate.

render by Atchain

Supported by the tensioned cable-net structure, a translucent membrane over the seating protects spectators from inclement weather and direct sunlight while also allowing the most amount of natural light to reach the playing surface, promoting the growth of grass on the pitch to provide playing conditions of the highest standard.

render by Atchain

render by Negativ

China’s ancient capital and core of the Silk Road, Xi’an has a long history of welcoming visitors from around the world. In the global arena of football, the Xi’an International Football Centre continues this tradition and builds a lasting legacy of new civic spaces, sports and recreational facilities for the city.

Film on YouTube

Xi’an International Football Centre – Building Information

Project Team

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
Design: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Directors: Charles Walker, Nils Fischer
ZHA Project Associate: Jakub Klaska, Lei Zheng
ZHA Project Team: Shajay Bhooshan, Vishu Bhooshan, Jianfei Chu, Chun-Yen Chen, Hung-Da Chien, Marina Dimopoulou, Cesar Fragachan, Michael Forward, Matthew Gabe, Stratis Georgiou, Charles Harris, Yen-fen Huang, Han Hsun Hsieh, Yihoon Kim, Henry Louth, Martha Masli, Mauro Sabiu, Xin Swift, Adeliia Papulzan, Pablo Agustin Vivas

Partner Architect: Intelligent Design for Emerging Architecture (iDEA)
iDEA Project Director: Yan Gao
iDEA Project Team: Jianyou Yang, Bin Wu, Fiona Huang, Jingshan Zhong, Shishang Deng, Qiongli Lu, Ting Liu, Xinyu Kou, Daria Morkovkina, Haixia Zhang
Structural Engineering: Qiang Chang

render by Negativ

Consultants:

Local Design Institute: Arcplus Institute of Shanghai Architectural Design & Research
Sports Consultant: Clive John Lewis
Lighting: Lichtvision Design

Xi’an International Football Centre images / information received 200820

Zaha Hadid, UK

Location: Fengdong New District, Xi’an, China