Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Lodhi Road is the largest stadium in the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Delhi portfolio. Built for the 1982 Asian Games and rebuilt for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it has 60,000 fixed seats and is used for athletics, football and large public events.
Facility profile
- Official name: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
- Address: Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003
- Operator: Sports Authority of India, on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
- Contact: 011-24369781; email jns-sai@gov.in (administrator: Nitin Kumar Jaiswal)
- Built: for the 1982 Asian Games, built in 1982 and opened in 1983; the renovated stadium was inaugurated on 27 July 2010
- Land area: not published by the operator. The total floor area is 43,500 sq m, which is a different measure
The stadium was upgraded with modern facilities to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The government decided in 2006 to renovate it, work began in 2007 and the final cost was Rs 961 crore. The redesign was by Gerkan, Marg and Partners and Schlaich Bergermann Partner, with a new PTFE-fabric roof covering 53,800 sq m.
Infrastructure and facilities
The operator lists 60,000 fixed seats; other published figures give 60,254, and capacity was about 78,000 at the 1982 Games, before the 2010 rebuild. The figures differ slightly, so treat the capacity as roughly 60,000.
There are 14 ramps to the upper seating and four interior ramps to the lower tier, plus stairs, lifts and escalators. There are electronic scoreboards and video screens, and sports lighting and public-address systems mounted on a suspended catwalk. The stadium has barrier-free access. It also has a 10-lane synthetic track, a synthetic-turf field of 106 m by 68 m, a 400 m warm-up track and a 150 m underground ceremony tunnel.
Events hosted
The stadium has hosted:
- the 1982 Asian Games, including athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies;
- One Day Internationals in cricket in 1984 and 1991 (India against Australia and South Africa);
- the 1989 Asian Athletics Championships;
- the 2010 Commonwealth Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics;
- the 2011 SAFF Championship and 2012 Nehru Cup football, and a 2012 exhibition match between India and Bayern Munich;
- eight matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup;
- the World Para Athletics Championships, 27 September to 5 October 2025.
The India men’s football team uses it for home matches, and the Athletics Federation of India is a tenant.
Timings and operational hours
Opening hours, closing days and coaching timings for the stadium are not published. The stadium is an event venue, and access depends on the event or the academy concerned. Contact the administrator’s office for current arrangements.
Charges, membership and booking
Entry fees, membership categories, hire rates and a booking procedure for the stadium are not published. Ticket prices for events are set by the organisers of each event. No fee schedule is therefore given here; ask the administrator’s office on 011-24369781 about venue hire or training access.
Urban and ecosystem context
The stadium stands in central Delhi and is the base of the Sports Authority of India, whose headquarters are in the Jawaharlal Nehru sports complex. The site also houses archery, badminton and table tennis academies.
In November 2025 it was reported, citing an unnamed Sports Ministry official, that the ministry was considering redeveloping the 102-acre site as a modern sports city with facilities for Olympic disciplines and athlete accommodation, because the large site was not being used to its full potential. The plan was described as an idea at an early stage with no timeline. By February 2026 it was still at proposal stage, with no timeline or cost estimate, and only about 28 per cent of the land was said to be used effectively. No official announcement has been found since, so the stadium’s long-term future is unconfirmed.
Details were checked in November 2026. Confirm contact details, access and the status of any redevelopment with the stadium administrator before visiting.
Sources
- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – Sports Authority of India
- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi – Wikipedia
- Delhi’s Nehru Stadium to be rebuilt as modern sports city: Key details – Business Standard, 11 November 2025
- India: Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium may make way for a modern sports city – StadiumDB, 5 February 2026
