Agia Sofia project nearing its grand completion

With the Agia Sofia Stadium in Nea Filadelfeia set to be opened during the first half of 2021, AGONAsport looks back at the key moments of the construction process so far.

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The dream is almost a reality. Since planning permission was granted in the summer of 2017, AEK supporters have been counting down the days to the grand return to Nea Filadelfeia, with the Agia Sofia Stadium being constructed on the same spot where the historic Nikos Goumas Stadium once stood. The state-of-the-art stadium, boasting a capacity of over 30,000, is on track to open its doors next year in either April or May. AEK have been playing their football at the Olympic Stadium for the last 16 years.

Let’s take a look at the key moments of the construction process of the Agia Sofia Stadium so far:

On June 25, 2017, AEK finally received planning permission to build the Agia Sofia Stadium in Nea Filadelfeia, the exact same day on which the Kitrinomavri hosted CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, AEK did lose to CSKA having produced a tepid performance, but two days later the supporters celebrated the development with the club’s management staging a special ceremony:

Excavation work subsequently began and continued until December 2017, when AEK players, coaches and staff all paid a visit to the building site:

In March 2018, work concerning the foundations was just about completed. AEK would famously become Greek champions for the first time in 24 years in May:

As 2018 moved towards its summer, the spectator stands began to appear, much to the excitement of the Kitrinomavri’s fan base:

By the end of 2018, nine months after the first pieces of concrete had been joined together, two imposing pillars were erected to the side facing the park of Nea Filadelfeia. The layout of the two tiers of the arena also became clearer:

Let’s fast forward to May 2019. With impressive progress having been witnessed during the first quarter of the year, only one part of the stadium was yet to be closed off:

A month later, the installation of the roof began:

The Agia Sofia Stadium was fully rounded off in autumn 2019, with the roof also starting to stretch around the perimeter of the arena. In December, the green light was issued for required underground works too, another positive step in the right direction:

The roof of the stadium, which now truly resembles a football venue, has been completed with work continuing on the exterior:

AEK released this following video looking back at the chronology of the construction:

Nova also produced a short documentary film about the arena: 

Image Source: to10.gr

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