Japoma Sports Complex, football stadium in Douala, Cameroon
Japoma Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex in the Japoma district of Douala, Cameroon, built around an all-seater stadium of 50,000 places with a natural-grass pitch and an athletics track. The site also holds an indoor arena for basketball, handball, futsal and volleyball, tennis courts, an 8-lane Olympic-size swimming pool with 1,000 seats, two covered training pitches seating 2,000, conference and commercial centres, a hotel and parking. It lies north of National Route 3, about 20 km from the Deido roundabout and 15 km east of Douala International Airport.
Construction began in early 2017 and took approximately three years, managed by Leonardo Cameroun, an Italian company, with architectural design by a British firm. The stadium opened in 2020 and has since hosted international competitions including matches from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the upcoming 2024 African Championships in Athletics.
The complex was built for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, and the stadium hosted matches of that tournament as well as the 2024 African Championships in Athletics. On 16 November 2021, Cameroon qualified for the 2022 World Cup play-offs there after eliminating Ivory Coast.
The complex lies north of National Route 3, the Douala-Edéa road, in the Japoma district, about 20 km from Deido roundabout and 15 km east of Douala International Airport. It has parking lots and two covered training pitches with 2,000 seats each. The main stadium is all-seater, with an athletics track separating spectators from the field.
Construction employed locally sourced materials, with precast concrete pieces made on-site using local stones and aggregates. The design allows rainwater to naturally seep into the ground, addressing Cameroon's frequent rains while connecting modern building practices with traditional local materials and forms.
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