Dr Ambedkar Stadium is the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s football stadium on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, near Delhi Gate in central Delhi. It is the home of the Delhi Soccer Association and has staged the Durand Cup, the DCM Trophy, the Subroto Cup, Delhi’s league football and two Nehru Cup finals.
Facility profile
- Official name: Dr Ambedkar Stadium, named after BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution of India. It was earlier known as Corporation Stadium, and is also recorded as Delhi Gate Stadium
- Address: Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, near Delhi Gate and Feroz Shah Kotla, Central Delhi
- Owner and operator: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
- Contact: no telephone number or email for the stadium is published. The Delhi Soccer Association has its registered office inside the stadium
- Opened: the year of construction is not published
- Renovations: 2007, when floodlights were installed; work ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games; and a revamp that began in 2024
- Land area: not published
- Getting there: Delhi Gate metro station is the nearest
Infrastructure and facilities
The stadium has a grass pitch of 101m by 67.5m, floodlights and spectator stands. Published capacity figures differ: most give 35,000, while a 2024 report on the revamp gives 25,000. The MCD has not published an official figure.
Reports differ on when the ground was last properly renovated. One account puts the last major work in 2007, when the floodlights went in; an MCD official said it was last renovated before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A spot check reported in February 2024 found plaster peeling from the facade and stands with iron bars exposed, several blocked entrances, broken windows and stair railings, cracked tiles, an overflowing toilet block and missing sections of the pitch railing.
The 2024 revamp
The MCD called for bids on 19 February 2024 for a Rs 5 crore project, with the first phase estimated at about Rs 4.8 crore and expected to take six months from the award of the contract. A small ceremony was held in March 2024, work paused while the model code of conduct was in force for the Lok Sabha elections, and the first phase was then expected to be finished by December 2024. The planned work covers:
- a new exterior facade and redesigned Gates 4 and 5;
- revamped stands, including the west stand and its tiled roofs;
- new dressing rooms, a cafeteria and a media centre;
- modernised toilets;
- a new drainage network, so that the pitch can be used during the monsoon.
No completion date for the revamp has been published, so check the ground’s condition before planning an event.
Events hosted
- the 2007 Nehru Cup in August 2007, the stadium’s first tournament under floodlights, and the 2009 Nehru Cup, with the final of each played here;
- the Durand Cup, the DCM Trophy and the Subroto Cup;
- the Delhi Football League, the Football Delhi Women’s League and other Football Delhi competitions;
- home matches for Delhi clubs including Sudeva Delhi, Delhi FC and Hops FC;
- Rajasthan United FC, which announced in October 2022 that it would use the stadium as its home ground because no suitable stadium was available in Rajasthan.
At the start of the 2010-11 I-League season, Indian Arrows were expected to play here but moved to Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon because the MCD was holding non-sporting events on the pitch. National-level matches had not been held at the stadium for about three years before the 2024 revamp began.
Timings and operational hours
The MCD does not publish opening hours for the stadium. It is a match and event venue rather than a membership complex, so access depends on the fixtures and events booked. Contact the MCD or the Delhi Soccer Association before visiting.
Charges, membership and booking
There is no public membership or pay-and-play scheme at Dr Ambedkar Stadium, and the MCD has not published hire rates for the ground. Enquire with the MCD about availability and charges.
Urban and ecosystem context
Dr Ambedkar Stadium is one of Delhi’s longest-used football venues. The Delhi Soccer Association runs its affairs from offices inside the ground, and the city’s league, school and women’s competitions are played here alongside long-running tournaments such as the Durand Cup and the Subroto Cup. Its central location beside Delhi Gate makes it easy to reach, but it has also been used for non-sporting events, and its facilities had fallen into poor repair before the revamp. The 2024 revamp, requested by the Delhi Soccer Association, is meant to make the ground fit for regular football again, including in the monsoon, and the MCD has also said it plans repairs at five smaller arenas across the city.
Details were checked in November 2026. Capacity figures and the state of the revamp vary between published accounts; confirm access, availability and booking terms with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi before visiting.
