The works on "Adem Jashari" start, the stadium is expected to open at the beginning of 2026

Three excavators, trucks and other work tools were on the field of the "Adem Jashari" stadium in Mitrovica on Monday. Work has started on the giant facility by the river Ibër, which looked like a ruin for several years. It has actually continued after a very long hiatus.

The start of the works has been eagerly awaited by Mitrovica football fans, but also by the entire sports community in the country. Kosovo currently does not have any stadium that meets the criteria for international matches. The stadium in Pristina, "Fadil Vokrri", has been closed in order to renovate the field. It is not expected to open until the fall.

The first friendlies of Kosovo, accepted by FIFA, were played in "Adem Jashari". The stadium was renovated twice, but not properly. A full renovation had begun in the spring of 2020. There were delays and then other problems arose. And for many, many months, no work was done at the big stadium in Mitrovica.

Three days ago, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku, announced that everything was ready for the start of the works.

"Everything is ready for the start of the works at the Olympic stadium 'Adem Jashari' in Mitrovica. Long and arduous was the road to complete all the procedures that should have finished in 2019, before the start of the renovation. Expropriations have been completed, construction conditions and construction permits have been secured, debts accumulated over the years have been paid, the contract with the operator has been extended, the commitment to the budget has been secured. We will monitor the work on a daily basis, no delay will be tolerated. Kosovo will also have two internationally certified stadiums", Çeku wrote.

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And on Monday, the excavators were turned on. The workers who were engaged have been working on cleaning the stadium space, which will be completely renovated. First, there is cleaning work, and then the gradual renovation of the damaged and outdated facility begins.

The work is not expected to be completed soon. If everything goes according to plan, the "Adem Jashari" stadium will receive football players at the end of 2025 or at the beginning of 2026.

"The dynamic plan envisages that the works will last 22 months. The stadium will be of category IV, according to UEFA criteria. The renovation will cost more than 12.5 million euros", Ibër Alaj, director of the Sports Department at MKRS, told KOĖN on Monday.

So, the stadium built many decades ago and known as the Trepça stadium will be the arena for international matches, including those of the representatives of Kosovo.

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The hopes are that the works will be carried out properly, their checking will be regular and then the maintenance will be proper, so that the stadium in Mitrovica will not need renovation for a longer time. Until now, there have been many concessions in the constructions and renovations made in the sports infrastructure.

The renovation of the stadium is expected to boost the development of football in Mitrovica and its region. Trepça, once a well-known and very important club in Kosovar football and beyond, competes in the second category and is almost unlikely to enter the Super League. Trepça is currently homeless and plays wherever he can. Her troubles are expected to end after nearly two years.