Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine

Nestled in the heart of Constantine, Algeria, the Chahid-Hamlaoui Stadium carries the spirit of Chahid Slimane Daoudi, a nationalist militant who died during the Algerian War. The stadium serves as the home ground of CS Constantine and MO Constantine. It opened on 5 July 1973, following two years of construction. Since then, it has hosted significant events, including the first friendly match of the Algerian national team in November 1978 and the 1982 World Cup qualifiers, where the team saw its first qualification in history.

In 2007, the stadium benefited from renovations that included the installation of a natural lawn and the rehabilitation of its changing rooms to improve conditions for the stadium's residents and the Algerian national team. In 2020, it underwent a major rehabilitation project for the 2022 African Nations Championship. These works included the construction of a natural grass lawn, a giant high-quality screen, the restoration of the stands, and the reinforcement of the roof.

The stadium hosted several matches during the 2022 African Nations Championship. While it was initially planned to host five games at the group stage, Morocco withdrew from the tournament on 12 January 2023. This resulted in the cancellation of the three group games for Morocco at the Chahid-Hamlaoui. The stadium also hosted six Algerian national team matches between 1980 and 1990 against various opponents including China PR, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Egypt, and Senegal.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons