The stadium is used mostly for football matches and cultural programmes. The stadium has also been the only host of the inaugural 2021 Nepal Super League season.
History
The main stand of the stadium in 2011The earthquake-damaged stadium in 2018
The stadium was built in 1956, at a site which previously was a large lotus pond.
On 13 March 1988, the 1988 Kathmandu stadium disaster occurred. About 30,000 people were present in the stadium to watch a match between two clubs from Nepal and Bangladesh when a hailstorm broke out, causing a stampede as the spectators rushed to locked exits to escape the hailstorm. According to reports, at least 93 people died in the stampede, including two police officers and a 12-year-old child. More than 100 people were hospitalized with injuries. It was considered one of the most catastrophic events in the history of sports.
As Nepal's biggest stadium, it has hosted many important events. The 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship were held here, with the Halchowk Stadium hosting some of the matches as well. Numerous cultural festivals and musical events have also taken place here. The 2011 concert of Bryan Adams, the first held in Nepal by an international singer, was held in this stadium.
After the earthquake, the stadium was renovated for the third time and the opening was done again on 1 December 2019 for the 2019 South Asian Games. In March 2024, the Nepalese national team were forced to move their upcoming home games to the Middle East as the stadium had failed to meet FIFA standards.
In February 2024, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared that the stadium no longer met the standards required to host matches in AFC or FIFA competitions. As a result, Nepal's "home" fixtures against Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in the 2026 World Cup qualification second round were played in the opponents' countries in March and June 2024. The team's last international match at the stadium was against Yemen on 21 November 2023.
The AFC's concerns reportedly included the floodlights, pitch drainage, entrances and exits, and seat markings, as well as the stadium's safety report. The stadium had previously been ruled unfit to host an international match in 2019, when Nepal was unable to host Kuwait in a joint qualifier for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup. According to the Post, the AFC did not lift the suspension after a further inspection in August 2025, and the general secretary of the All Nepal Football Association, Kiran Rai, said a major renovation would be needed for the stadium to host AFC and FIFA tournaments again. The stadium continued to host other events, including the SAFF Women's Championship in October 2024.
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