FC Pakhtakor have planned to build a new 30,000 capacity stadium

Uzbekistan Oliy Liga club FC Pakhtakor have taken a significant step towards the creation of a new stadium instead of the current Pakhtakor Stadium.

After the first phase of the 2017 Uzbekistan Oliy Liga season, Tashkent-based club rented JAR Stadium until the end of 2018, according to the club’s media department.

Work on the new stadium will take place for two years. Once the old stadium and stands are destroyed the second half of the new stadium can be built which the capacity at the stadium will be 30,000 and covered with a roof.

Pakhtakor Stadium is located in the heart of Tashkent on the edge of a picturesque park, with its distinctive blue and yellow seats – the colours of home side Pakhtakor. Renovations in 2008 upgraded all the seats from wood to plastic, while new changing rooms and a VIP area were added along with a new giant screen.

While the venue is also used by the Uzbekistan national team as well as other Uzbek League sides, the ground notably rose to continental club tournament prominence on April 9, 2013. After just seven seconds following the kick-off of the group stage tie between Pakhtakor and Lekhwiya, the visitors’ striker Sebastian Soria ensured the stadium’s place in the record books as he scored the fastest goal in AFC Champions League history.

Pakhtakor Stadium was built in 1956 coinciding with the establishment of Uzbekistan club side Pakhtakor. After the residents of Tashkent helped build the stadium, Pakhtakor played their first match at their 56,000-capacity new home on August 20.

The club continued to use the venue throughout their 22 seasons in the Soviet League and into the current Uzbek League. Pakhtakor Stadium, which now has a capacity of 34,000, hosted the finals of the AFC U-16 Championship in 2008 and 2010 as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup play-off between Uzbekistan and Jordan.