Football Inside the Fortress
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY Ali Sharifzade
May 18 2026
TEHRAN, Iran
In southwestern Tehran lies a city called Shahr-e Qods — a place that was once a fertile plain during the Qajar era and became known for a governmental fortress called “Qaleh Hassan Khan,” a name many residents still use today. In recent years, however, the city has unexpectedly entered the vocabulary of Iranian sports. Once known mainly for its factories, migrant population, and suburban identity, Shahr-e Qods has now become a temporary center of Iranian football by hosting some of the country’s most important matches.
In 2024, following the extensive renovation of Azadi Stadium, Shohadaye Shahr-e Qods Stadium became the home venue for both Persepolis and Esteghlal in Iran’s Premier League and Asian competitions — a temporary decision that has gradually turned into part of the daily reality of Iranian football. Teams that once played in front of tens of thousands of fans at Azadi Stadium are now forced to compete in a venue with an official capacity of only 8,000 to 10,000 spectators. The stadium is small and aging, lacking both the infrastructure and facilities required to host the country’s biggest football matches. As a result, many supporters have stopped attending games altogether. Long travel distances, severe traffic congestion, the absence of a metro connection, and minimal public facilities have convinced many fans that watching matches from home is easier than traveling to a stadium on the southwestern outskirts of Tehran. For many supporters, attending a match now requires spending hours on the road. What should be a routine football outing has increasingly become an exhausting — and sometimes dangerous — journey.
Earlier this year, a car carrying Persepolis supporters crashed after the team’s match against Nassaji Mazandaran, killing one passenger and once again raising concerns about transportation safety and access to the stadium. Yet distance and traffic are not the only concerns. The safety of Shohadaye Shahr-e Qods Stadium has long been criticized by journalists and sports experts. Over the years, reports have pointed to poor access routes, inadequate emergency facilities, and even concerns about the structural safety of some sections of the stands. Crowd movement through the narrow streets surrounding the stadium regularly creates disorder and security concerns on match days. The area outside the stadium bears little resemblance to the surroundings of a modern sports venue. Across from the main entrance are auto repair shops and construction waste depots. Empty lots nearby are filled with garbage and debris, forcing supporters to walk through rubble before reaching the rusted gates and metal structures surrounding the stadium. On the southern side of the complex lies a cemetery built directly beside the stadium walls.
During matches, the sound of funeral ceremonies and religious mourning blends with the cheers and chants of football supporters, creating a surreal and deeply contradictory atmosphere. On windy days, dust rising from the cemetery and surrounding empty land drifts into the stands, irritating spectators’ eyes. Today, Shohadaye Shahr-e Qods Stadium represents more than just a football venue; it has become a symbol of the deteriorating condition of sports infrastructure in the Iranian capital. A city like Tehran — home to millions of residents and some of the largest football fan bases in the country — still lacks a modern and fully operational stadium capable of hosting major sporting events. While Azadi Stadium undergoes renovation, Takhti Stadium has effectively fallen into disuse, and older venues such as Shiroudi Stadium and Kargaran Stadium have long been forgotten. Despite football remaining Iran’s most popular sport, many of its most important matches have effectively been pushed to a neglected and dusty corner on the outskirts of Tehran.