Accra Sports Stadium
info Stadium Snapshot
- Address Osu Klottey, Accra
- Capacity 40,000
- Surface Natural grass
- Built 1959
- Renovated 2007, 2024
- Record attendance 40,000 (2008 AFCON opener)
- Architect Julius Berger (2007), Consar (2024)
- Owner Ministry of Youth and Sports
Accra, Ghana
Ohene Djan Sports Stadium Road, Osu Klottey, Accra
Find Your Best View
Home End (Block A, West)
Organised Black Stars and Hearts of Oak supporters behind the west goal. Drums, flags, loudest block in the ground.
Main Stand (Covered, South)
TV-camera side, covered, cushioned seats, VIP sections adjacent. Midpoint of the pitch for the clearest view.
Family Block (East Stand)
Mixed crowd, no-flares policy, family-friendly. Partially covered.
Away End (Block D, North)
Segregation zone for travelling fans. Separate entry via Gate D, police escort in and out.
How to get there
directions_car
By car
10–20 min from Accra city centre
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By car
10–20 min from Accra city centre
Typical Fare
Indicative pricing
The stadium is in central Accra on Ohene Djan Sports Stadium Road, 500 m from Independence Square and 2 km from Jamestown. Driving from Airport Residential takes 15 minutes off-peak and 35 minutes on Black Stars match-days.
- arrow_right On-site parking for 2,000 cars; fills 2 hours before Black Stars kickoff
- arrow_right Overflow parking at Independence Square arena lot
- arrow_right Arrive 2 hours before kickoff for international fixtures — Liberation Road backs up
- arrow_right Uber, Bolt, and Yango all work reliably in Accra
local_taxi
By taxi / ride-hail
Uber, Bolt, or Yango from anywhere in Accra
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By taxi / ride-hail
Uber, Bolt, or Yango from anywhere in Accra
Typical Fare
Indicative pricing
All three major ride-hail apps work in Accra with good match-day coverage. Shared tro-tro drop taxis from Circle or Kaneshie also run the route cheaply. Airport taxis queue at Kotoka International.
- arrow_right Cash and mobile money both accepted; MTN MoMo is the Accra default
- arrow_right Match-day surge on Uber and Bolt rarely passes 50 percent
- arrow_right Book return before leaving the hotel on Black Stars nights
directions_bus
By bus / tro-tro
Tro-tro from Circle, Kaneshie, Tema Station
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By bus / tro-tro
Tro-tro from Circle, Kaneshie, Tema Station
Typical Fare
Indicative pricing
Tro-tros run from Circle, Kaneshie, and Tema Station to the Sports Stadium stop for GHS 3–8. Frequencies run every 5–10 minutes on non-match days and drop to 15 minutes on match-days as traffic thickens.
- arrow_right From Circle: any tro-tro marked 'Osu' or 'Labadi'
- arrow_right From Tema Station: shared taxi for GHS 10
flight
From the airport
8 km · 20 minutes
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From the airport
8 km · 20 minutes
Kotoka International Airport sits 8 km north-east of the stadium. Uber, Bolt, and Yango work from arrivals. International flights from London, Dubai, and Addis Ababa land at Terminal 3.
- arrow_right Pre-book a hotel pickup if you arrive match-day morning
- arrow_right Airport → stadium: Uber GHS 40–65 · airport taxi GHS 80–120
Where to buy tickets
Ghana FA + Ticketline
Black Stars tickets go through ghanafa.org and the Ticketline app. GPL fixtures for Hearts of Oak sell via the club ticket office and Ticketline.
Check current fixtures open_in_newWhitelisted secondary market
When the official portal sells out, these are the only resellers we recommend.
Match-Day Timeline
Gates open
Early arrival recommended for Black Stars matches and Super Clash. Phased entry by block.
Kickoff −3hWarm-up begins
Concessions open; full food service from −1h
−2hTeam arrival
Tunnel view from the Main Stand forecourt
−90 minPre-match announcement
National anthem rehearsal, pre-match entertainment
−30 minMatch begins
KickoffHalf-time concessions
Queues peak 45–55 min; plan accordingly
HTStaggered exit
Block-by-block release since 2001 safety review — home blocks first, away fans held 30 min
FT +20 minSafety & fan tips
Accra Sports Stadium carries the memory of the 9 May 2001 disaster, when 126 fans died in a crowd crush during a Hearts of Oak–Asante Kotoko league match after police fired tear gas toward already-packed stands with locked exit gates. The 2001 commission of inquiry produced a full set of recommendations that reshaped Ghanaian match-day safety — mandatory phased entry, minimum gate-width ratios, permanent stewarding, on-site medical teams, and a standing ban on crowd-control tear gas inside seated stadia. The 2007 and 2024 refurbishments implemented those recommendations in the stadium fabric: widened exit gates, separated concourses, permanent medical bays at every block, and controlled staggered exits from full time +20. Visible police and stewards cover every gate on match-day, and the standard procedure for overcrowding is to hold entry rather than to clear the concourse.
- security Body and bag search at every gate. Post-2001 crowd protocol means entry can be paused if a block reaches capacity — comply, do not push forward.
- payments Keep cash split across two pockets. Pickpockets target the turnstile queue.
- warning Do not wear away colours in the Home End. The Super Clash fixture has clear segregation rules.
- medical_services Permanent medical bays at every block since the 2007 rebuild. Red Cross and National Ambulance Service on-site for every match.
- do_not_disturb Follow steward directions at full time. Staggered exits are mandatory and not negotiable.
Accessibility
- accessible Wheelchair-accessible viewing platform at Block E (south-east), capacity 140
- elevator Elevator to Main Stand VIP (Block E south) — accessible entry from VIP gate
- hearing Hearing loop active in Main Stand VIP; request at Block E gate
- local_parking Accessible parking at North Car Park Bay 1–20 — reserved, book via Ghana FA portal
- family_restroom Accessible washrooms at every concourse stairwell
- volunteer_activism Companion ticket free — apply to Ghana FA 7+ days in advance with medical documentation
Where to stay and eat nearby
Hotels — walkable
Accra's five-star flagship, walking distance from the stadium. Black Stars squad stays here pre-match.
Book on Kempinskiopen_in_newFive-star next to Independence Square. Used by visiting national teams.
Book on Movenpickopen_in_newReliable four-star at Airport Residential with shuttle access.
Book on Best Westernopen_in_newPre-match bars
Local mix, big-screen football, cocktails. Popular with Hearts of Oak fans.
Sports bar with multiple TVs, cold beer, outdoor seating.
Casual street-food cluster along Oxford Street for a cheap pre-match meal.
Post-match food
Pan-African cuisine, open late, outdoor tables.
Japanese fine dining inside Kempinski. Late kitchen on match-nights.
Labadi beach-front bars open past midnight on match-days.
Historical Significance
Accra Sports Stadium opened in 1959, two years after Ghana's independence, as the new republic's national ground. The venue hosted the football finals at the 1961 All-Africa Games — the first edition of the Games — and served as the Black Stars' primary home for most of the 1960s onwards. On 9 May 2001 the stadium was the site of the worst sporting disaster in West African history: 126 fans died in a crowd crush during a Hearts of Oak vs Asante Kotoko league match after police fired tear gas into packed stands while exit gates remained locked. The 2001 commission of inquiry delivered sweeping recommendations on stadium safety, stewarding, and crowd control, many of which are now codified across African match-day procedure. Julius Berger led a full 2007 rebuild ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, which Ghana hosted and where the stadium staged the opening match. A further 2024 refurbishment by Consar upgraded floodlighting, rewired concourse electrics, and refreshed the pitch drainage.
Built
1959
Renovated
2024
Surface
Natural grass
Record
40,000
Notable matches
Early Jalco Cup fixture at the new stadium. Founded the Black Stars–Super Eagles rivalry on home soil.
The 2001 disaster. 126 fans died in a crowd crush after police fired tear gas while exit gates were locked. The commission of inquiry reshaped African match-day safety procedure.
2008 AFCON opening match. First major fixture in the rebuilt stadium; record attendance of 40,000.
2008 AFCON quarter-final. Michael Essien and Junior Agogo goals; a full house celebrated.
2026 World Cup qualifier, first fixture after the 2024 refurbishment programme began.
help Frequently Asked Questions
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Related Pages
Last updated 2026-04-22 · written by Kwame Asante.