ArmInfo. Modern stadiums meeting UEFA standards will be built in the communities of Vanadzor and Ijevan. At its October 1 meeting, the RA government recognized the urgent need for the construction of stadiums and the procurement of contract work through the "Urgent Single-Party Procurement" procedure.
According to the RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, the project also provides for amendments to the RA government's decision of March 19, 2015, to establish rules for the state comprehensive urban planning expertise of architectural and construction projects. The project is necessary because Armenia is scheduled to host the 2029 FIFA World Youth Championship. The minister noted that the document presented is the result of the joint work of several agencies. The project includes the renovation of UEFA Category IV stadiums in Vanadzor and the construction of new stadiums in Ijevan.
The minister recalled that Armenia is scheduled to host the 2029 FIFA Youth World Cup. To this end, the football federations of Armenia and Georgia submitted a joint bid, which was approved at the FIFA Executive Committee meeting on April 28, 2026. The main condition for hosting the championship in Armenia is the availability of a Category IV stadium according to the UEFA classification. According to the action plan approved by the government, three stadiums were to be built in the country, two of which would have a minimum capacity of 10,000 seats, and one a national stadium with a capacity of 35,000. The national stadium will be built as part of the Academic City program. Following extensive negotiations and research, the city of Vanadzor was selected for one of the 10,000-seat stadiums, and the village of Getahovit in the Ijevan community for the other.
The stadiums are currently in the design phase and will subsequently undergo both simple urban planning approval and a comprehensive state review. According to the company's proposal, construction will last 24 months. The stadiums must be built and reconstructed to achieve Category 4 certification according to UEFA. According to FIFA requirements, this certification must be completed no less than six months before the championship, i.e., in March 2029. The stadiums must also be tested, including by hosting matches. Therefore, only 30 months remain, during which time the design and estimate documentation must be completed and simple urban planning approval must be obtained. The design and estimate work for the construction and reconstruction of new UEFA Category IV football stadiums in Armenia has been entrusted to the international organization VenueERA Holding, which proposed the use of innovative technologies using SPS composites.
In this regard, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the document presented and called for flexibility in order to adequately host and host the upcoming World Cup. According to the Prime Minister, football is becoming one of the areas of economic development in Armenia. People are making specific investments in this area. He also called on the heads of relevant departments to be flexible regarding social guarantees for children who wish to use the new infrastructure.
It is worth noting that the international organization VenueERA Holding is engaged in the design and construction of renowned UEFA Category IV stadiums, including the Puskas Arena football stadium in Budapest, the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Saudi Arabia, and the Gazprom Arena stadium in in St. Petersburg.
