Hussein Bin Ali Stadium

The Hussein Bin Ali Stadium sits in Hebron, a city where football is played against a backdrop of stone and sky. The ground opened in 1940, a long time ago. It is the only large stadium in the West Bank, and because of that, it hosts the Palestine national team, drawing crowds that fill the stands when international matches arrive.

The most visible change to the place came in 2009. A major renovation brought in a new artificial pitch and floodlights, finishing just in time for Hebron to serve as the Arab Capital of Culture. The renovation also brought the stadium up to a capacity that sources dispute, with figures ranging from five thousand five hundred to eleven thousand, though eight thousand is the number most often cited for official matches. A record attendance of 11,000 was seen for a cup final between Ahli Al-Khalil and Ittihad Shujaiyah in 2015, a game that required special permission for the Gaza team to travel.

It has not been renamed since it was built, and it remains known simply as the Hussein Bin Ali Stadium, a place where the local clubs, Ahli Al-Khalil and Shabab Al-Khalil, play their home games.