RCAF Old Stadium

The two tall, slender towers are the first thing the eye catches. They do not look like floodlight masts; they look like something older, or perhaps ceremonial. The white building behind the supporters’ enclosure is long and low, its windows repetitive and uniform. Yellow and blue seats fill the covered portion, while the open concrete steps to the side stand empty and grey.

The ground itself is natural grass, and it looks well-maintained, though the shadows suggest the sun is low. Advertising boards line the perimeter, a mix of local brands and sponsors, but the green of the pitch dominates the foreground. The pitch is rectangular, standard, but the view from the edge of the field gives a sense of how close the crowd is to the action.

The stadium has seen better years. The architecture is undeniably colonial, a mix of British and French influences that sits uneasily with the modern LED floodlights installed during the 2024 renovations. Those lights are bright, sharp, and out of keeping with the weathered concrete, but they are there now. The capacity is listed as 8,000, which feels generous given how much of the structure is open-air and exposed to the elements. It is not a fortress; it is a relic that has been forced to adapt.

It is the home of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, a team that plays in the shadow of the much larger Olympic Stadium nearby. But this place has its own gravity. It hosted the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, when the stands were full and the air was thick with expectation. It also hosted the women’s matches during the 32nd SEA Games, a reminder that the pitch is used for more than just men’s football. The history here is layered, from the Khmer Rouge era when it fell silent, to the present day when it is no longer just a military base. It is a place where the past and the present collide, not in a grand way, but in small details: the peeling paint, the new lights, the old towers.