Azadi Stadium (Tehran)

Iran's largest football stadium at 78,000 seats — home of the Tehran derby between Esteghlal and Persepolis.

Azadi Stadium is Iran's largest football stadium and one of the biggest in the world, with a capacity of around 78,000 seats. It opened in 1971 for the 2,500th anniversary of the Iranian monarchy — originally named the Aryamehr Stadium. The design is attributed to SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). In 1974 it served as the main venue for the Asian Games. Today it is home to fierce Tehran rivals Esteghlal and Persepolis as well as the Iranian national team. The atmosphere during derby matches is widely regarded as among the loudest in Asian football.