Archive · 8 Nov 2025
Kolkata Inaugurates India's Largest Hockey Stadium, Hosts Beighton Cup
Kolkata has opened India's biggest hockey stadium, called the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium.
The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, opened it on a Thursday.
This new stadium is very modern and can hold many people, with the government saying it has space for 22,000 fans.
It's a special place built right before Indian hockey celebrated its 100th birthday.
The stadium has a new artificial grass field and other great features for players.
To celebrate its opening, the stadium is hosting a very old and important hockey competition called the Beighton Cup.
This cup has been around since 1895 and will start on Saturday.
The government hopes this new stadium will help hockey in India grow even more.
Kolkata inaugurated the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium, claimed by the West Bengal government to be India's largest international-standard hockey stadium with a 22,000 seating capacity.
The state-of-the-art facility, built at an estimated cost of Rs 20-crore, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, November 7, 2025.
The inauguration coincides with the eve of the centenary celebrations of Indian hockey, which officially completed 100 years on Friday, November 7, 2025.
The 126th edition of the Beighton Cup, the world's oldest hockey championship, will commence at the new stadium on Saturday, November 9, 2025, with the final scheduled for November 16.
The new stadium features a world-class synthetic turf, dressing rooms, a press corner, and other modern facilities, though the claimed capacity of 22,000 is questioned in the article.
- Who
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal government, Hockey Bengal, participants of the Beighton Cup
- What
- Inauguration of the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium and commencement of the 126th Beighton Cup tournament
- When
- November 7, 2025 (inauguration), November 9, 2025 (tournament start)
- Where
- Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium, Salt Lake Stadium complex, Kolkata
- Why
- To celebrate the centenary of Indian hockey and provide a new, large-capacity stadium for the sport.
State Government Claim
Capacity Verification
Stadium Capacity
State Government Claim
The West Bengal government claims the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium has a seating capacity of 22,000, making it the largest international-standard hockey stadium in the country.
Capacity Verification
The article questions how 22,000 spectators can be accommodated in the single-sided gallery structure, noting that Odisha's Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela has an official capacity of 20,000 and is recognized as the world's largest.
- Stadium Name
- Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium
- Location
- Salt Lake Stadium complex, Kolkata
- Claimed Seating Capacity
- 22,000
- Inauguration Date
- Thursday, November 7, 2025 (on the eve of Indian hockey centenary)
- Inaugurated By
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
- Cost of Construction
- Estimated Rs 20-crore
- Host Tournament
- 126th Beighton Cup
- Beighton Cup Start Date
- Saturday, November 9, 2025
