Baniyas Stadium

Al Shamkha sits at the edge of Abu Dhabi's spread, and the ground the district gave Baniyas SC was drawn by a Frenchman better known for work far grander than a 9,570-seat club stadium. Roger Taillibert put his name to the design; Square General Contracting Company built it, breaking ground on 4 August 2009 and handing it over in February 2010.

The name has not moved since. Locally it is called Al Shamkha Stadium as often as Baniyas Stadium, after the district rather than the club.

Its fullest night came on 23 May 2013, the second leg of the GCC Champions League final against Al-Khor of Qatar. Baniyas won 2-0 on the night and 3-1 across the tie, and the ground took in more than 10,000 — past what it is meant to hold.

What it has not hosted matters as much. Abu Dhabi's continental showpieces — Asian Cup finals, the Club World Cup — have gone to Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Baniyas Stadium was never in that conversation.