The stadium was built on 1 January 1995 to host the
1998 Commonwealth Games. It finished exactly on 1 January 1998. After the
1998 Commonwealth Games in September, the stadium became the home stadium for the
Malaysia national football team, replacing the
Shah Alam Stadium and the
Merdeka Stadium. It also served as the main stadium of the
2001 Southeast Asian Games,
2006 FESPIC Games,
2008 ASEAN University Games and
2017 Southeast Asian Games. National Stadium's capacity makes it the
21st largest stadium in the world and the
9th largest football stadium in the world. It was built by United Engineers Malaysia, Bhd and designed by Arkitek FAA. It was completed three months ahead of schedule. Designed to host a multitude of events, the National Stadium is the central and most prominent sports venue at the 1.2 km2
National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil. Malaysia's previous national stadium was the
Merdeka Stadium before the National Sports Complex was constructed. Malaysia also uses other stadiums for their football matches such as
KLFA Stadium,
MBPJ Stadium and the
Shah Alam Stadium. The stadium, along with the National Sports Complex, is currently undergoing a major renovation at a combined cost of RM1.34 billion as a part of KL Sports City project in 2 phases. Project 1 (Phase 1) has been completed ahead and for the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, with a new
Populous-designed facade that covers the exterior of the stadium with twisted vertical louvres which are also LED-lighted, as well as recolouring the seats to a yellow-black design and upgraded facilities. After the
2017 ASEAN Para Games, Project 2 (Phase 2) will commence, and will add a retractable roof, retractable seats, comfort ventilation and new sports and lifestyle facilities.
Pitch issues On 18 February 2020 to prevent another issue regarding the football pitch again in the future, the Malaysian Stadium Corporation (PSM) and Malaysia
Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) plan to upgrade the pitch from cow grass to zeon zoysia grass with an estimated cost of RM10 Million. The cost included the use of specialise machine and equipment for the grass. The plan upgrade will start later this year and is expected to be completed within the next three months. == Stadium facilities ==