Loto-Tonga Soka Centre

Loto-Tonga Soka Centre
TFA Stadium
The stadium in November 2025
Interactive map of Loto-Tonga Soka Centre
LocationNukuʻalofa, Tonga
Coordinates21°11′24″S 175°13′23″W / 21.190°S 175.223°W / -21.190; -175.223
OwnerTonga Football Association
Capacity500
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened2001
RenovatedAugust 2022–August 2024
Construction costUSD 4 million (Reconstruction only)
Main contractorsDexing Construction Ltd.
Tenants
Tonga national football team

The Loto-Tonga Soka Centre is a 500-seat association football stadium in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga that serves as the home of the Tonga national football team.[1] The stadium is the second-largest outdoor venue in the country, behind only the Teufaiva Sport Stadium.[2] The main office of the Tonga Football Association is also located at the venue.[3]

History

The Loto-Tonga Soka Centre was funded by FIFA through the world football body's Goal Programme and opened in 2001. It hosted matches of the first round of the OFC 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[4] It had an originally capacity of 1,500 and was home to the Tonga national football team and Veitongo FC.[5] The original facility was demolished and the land was redeveloped for the construction of the new Loto-Tonga Soka Centre.[6]

Plans for a new 700-seat association football stadium to be built on the site of the former Loto-Tonga Soka Centre were revealed in 2019.[6] The deadline for construction bids for the new facility closed in September of that year.[7] Construction had not begun by February 2021, but construction bids were called for again after the Tonga Football Association received funding for the project from FIFA.[8] The stadium would be built to be resistant to natural disasters such as cyclones which occur annually in the nation, in line with FIFA's policies.[9]

The groundbreaking ceremony on the site was held on 17 August 2022.[10] By November, construction of the stadium had begun with local company Dexing Construction Ltd as the contractor. The target opening for the facility was moved to June 2023 because of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami. Final plans included an altered seating capacity of 500 at a cost of USD 4 million.[8] In July 2023, FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited Tonga on his tour of Oceania. As part of the visit, he evaluated progress on the stadium which was then expected to open in 2024. He also announced other infrastructure projects in the kingdom, including the establishment of technical centres on the islands of Ha’apai and ʻEua.[11]

In February 2024, it was announced that the stadium was expected to be completed by the end of August the same year.[12] The new stadium was selected as the venue for 2024 OFC U-16 Men's Championship qualification in April 2024.[13]

  • Entrance
  • Practice fields at the centre
  • Practice field and stadium facade
  • Other facilities
  • Main scoreboard

References

  1. ^ Bjerkevoll, Ola. "Tonga plan new stadium". Football in Oceania. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Model Association Tonga Sets Sail For Greater Goals". Box Score News. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Contact". Tonga Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. ^ "History-making Cook Islands and Samoa open brightly". FIFA. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Loto-Tonga Soka Centre, home to Veitongo, Tonga - Football Ground Map". www.footballgroundmap.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Infrastructure Upgrade in the Future for Tonga". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ^ Bjerkevoll, Ola. "Tonga to build new stadium". Football In Oceania. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b Bjerkevoll, Ola. "Tonga on course with new stadium". Football in Oceania. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Tackling natural disaster, building football future – here's Tonga's plans". FIFA. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Construction Launch of Tonga Football Association Stadium". Tonga Football Association. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. ^ "FIFA President Gianni Infantino Visits Tonga to Witness Progress and Discuss Football Development". The Tonga Independent. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  12. ^ "2024 SHAPING UP TO BE A DEFINING YEAR FOR TONGA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  13. ^ David, Paula. "U16 PNG BOYS' SOCCER TEAM OFF TO OFC QUALIFIERS". PNG Bung Haus. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
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