(2022) The stadium was first used for the
1998 Asian Games in 1998 and
1999 ASEAN University Games. Also was the main venue for the
2007 Summer Universiade when hosted the football finals and the ceremonies and later the main venue for the
2025 SEA Games when hosted
men's football and the
ceremonies. Since then, it has been used for many international matches and football tournaments. Most notably, for the
2007 AFC Asian Cup. Thai club sides have also used the stadium when playing in continental cup competitions. Krung Thai Bank FC (now
BG Pathum United) used it for
AFC Champions League matches, and
PEA FC and
Chonburi FC have recently used it in the
AFC Cup. Aside from football, it has been used for athletics, pop concerts, and political rallies. In addition, Rajamangala Stadium was built to honor King
Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of His Majesty the King's 5th Cycle Birthday Anniversary, 5 December 1987, and the Rajamangala Celebrations (The Celebrations of the longest reigning Thai monarch) for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 2nd July 1988. Rajamangala Stadium was designed by the Faculty of Architecture at
Chulalongkorn University. The main material used in construction was concrete and therefore, though the stadium is impressive and imposing, it could never be described as beautiful. However, it is undoubtedly dramatic. The stands rise and fall like a giant, exaggerated version of Huddersfield's
Galpharm Stadium. At each end are quite narrow tiers of seats but the tiers rise and rise as they move around the sides until they peak at level with the halfway line. From an aesthetic point of view, the stadium is best viewed from a distance, preferably from the air, where the elliptical shape of the side tribunes seems particularly pronounced. The aforementioned side tribunes are designated 'East' and 'West'. 'East' is the uncovered popular side; 'West' is the covered side where the more expensive seats are. The two ends are designated 'North' and 'South'. 'North' is the more popular of the two. It's where the more vocal and colorful elements of the Thai support congregate. The capacity of the stadium is 65,000. When the stadium first opened, its capacity was 80,000. But plastic seats were installed on the North, South, and East stands, where previously there had been bare concrete steps, in preprepation for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium is not served by public transport which has always been a source of frustration for fans. Presently, there are no train stations anywhere near the stadium (unlike at the
Suphachalasai Stadium, which is served by the Skytrain -
National Stadium BTS station). However, there are buses and taxis which pass fairly close to the stadium. From 2027, the stadium will be served by the
MRT Orange Line. The stadium hosted the 2012
Race of Champions. On 24 November 2013, a crowd estimated at 100,000 joined the rally around Bangkok's Democracy Monument in an anti-government protest, according to the Democrat Party, as pro-government red shirts gathered at Rajamangala Sports Stadium. On 16 September 2019
Sports Authority of Thailand has been closed for renovation to be used as one of the stadiums for
2020 AFC U-23 Championship, which Thailand hosted in January 2020 to select 3 teams to compete in the
2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. On 12 July 2022, Rajamangala Stadium held the world-class football match for teams in the
Premier League named "The MATCH Final Bangkok Century Cup 2022" between
Manchester United vs.
Liverpool, with improvements of the field and stadium to support the competition. Other stadiums in Bangkok include the
Thai Army Sports Stadium, the
Thai-Japanese Stadium, and
Chulalongkorn University Stadium. In 2024, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) announced a redevelopment project for the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, aimed at transforming the venue into a smart stadium. The project was reported to have an estimated budget of 5 billion baht. ==Performances==