Burkina Faso: the renovated and certified Stade du 4-Août reopens more splendid than ever

Africa 07 August 2025 at 06:33

Nafongo TRAORE

News Editor

The Stade du 4-Août, Burkina Faso's main stadium, officially reopened its doors on Monday, August 4, 2025, during a ceremony presided over by Head of State Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and attended by legends of African football.

Burkina Faso is no longer without an approved stadium. The Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou is now ready to host international matches. In an email dated July 1 and addressed to the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF), the Confederation of African Football (CAF)—Africa's football governing body—gave its official green light for the stadium's certification after several inspection missions. Closed since March 2021, the venue underwent extensive renovation and compliance work that lasted four long years.

Monday was a day of celebration in the Burkinabè capital. Several events marked the reopening ceremony of the Stade du 4-Août, which was originally inaugurated in 1984 by President Thomas Sankara. Highlights included parachute jumps, performances by renowned artists, and a gala match.

Samuel Eto'o scores the first goal in the renovated Stade du 04 Août

The day's main attraction was a highly symbolic gala match, pitting the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) against a selection of African football legends.

A constellation of stars graced the Land of Upright People for the occasion: Cameroonians Samuel Eto’o Fils, Rigobert Song, Stéphane Mbia, Alexandre Song, Benjamin Moukandjo; Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor and Sapol Mani; Nigerians Augustin Jay Jay Okocha and Tayé Taiwo; Malian Seydou Kéïta; Senegalese El Hadj Diouf, Mamadou Niang, and Souleymane Diawara; and Nigerien Moussa Maazou.

They were joined by Burkinabè football greats such as Alain Traoré, Charles Kaboré, Prejuce Nakoulma, Moumouni Dagano, Rahim Ouédraogo, Mohamed Koffi, and Mamadou Zongo, known as Bebeto, among others. The match was played in two 20-minute halves. At the end of the first half, Samuel Eto'o, wearing the captain's armband for the day, opened the scoring for the African stars with a brilliant assist from El Hadj Diouf. The contest ended in a draw (1-1), with the national armed forces equalizing at the very end of the second period.

Egypt, the first real test

The suspension of the Stade du 4-Août forced the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF) to stage the Stallions’ matches abroad, most recently in Morocco and Mali. "No more sporting exile," declared Burkinabè Minister of Sports Roland Somda, speaking about the availability of the Stade du 4-Août. The first official match at the renovated venue will be the crucial Burkina Faso vs. Egypt clash on matchday 8 of the 2026 World Cup African qualifiers. Second in the standings with 11 points—five behind Egypt—Burkina Faso could reignite the suspense in Group A with a victory in front of a fired-up home crowd.