PROJECT 23
All images supplied by Seaqual, captured by Artificial Grass Africa
A fully completed Intwari Stadium in Bujumbura, Burundi. The turf, Shockwave drainage pads, a 30 000l water catchment system, and Seaqual’ s QualiDrain perimeter drainage channels installed by Artificial Grass Africa.
Burundi’ s Intwari FIFA Stadium
Compiled by
Megan O’ Connor, with technical input from Seaqual
As Burundi edges closer to reclaiming its place on the international football stage, one of the most significant milestones in its sporting history is unfolding in the heart of Bujumbura, the country’ s former capital city.
The long-awaited redevelopment of Intwari Stadium( Stade Intwari) was officially completed in April 2025, and marks a major step forward, having now officially received FIFA compliance. Part of achieving this compliance, meant that the stadium’ s drainage system had to be upgraded.
A new era for Burundian football Intwari Stadium has undergone a full-scale transformation to meet global standards following a 2021 ban by the Confederation of African Football( CAF), which deemed the country ' s facilities noncompliant. Since then, Burundi has had to host their international matches in neighbouring countries, at a significant cost.
Now officially compliant with both Fédération Internationale de Football Association( FIFA) and CAF standards, the stadium is set to re-establish Burundi’ s presence on the international football stage. Here, we shine a spotlight on the stadium’ s drainage system – a vital but often overlooked component of world-class stadium design.
FIFA guidelines: drainage in the stadium CAF works hand-in-hand with experts in safety and security from FIFA, enabling them“ to identify and minimise risk factors at football fixtures throughout our continent”( CAFonline).
FIFA lays out comprehensive plumbing, water and drainage requirements and guidelines that stadiums need to follow in order to be compliant and allowed to host international football matches
– requirements and guidelines that Intwari had to consider and implement before its international reopening.
Drainage guidelines from FIFA that Intwari had to take into consideration include:
• Pipe drainage carries any excess water that drains through the pitch, so a good drainage system needs to be supported by a good irrigation system.
• As water moves through the profile, the moisture builds up until the weight of the water, under gravity, forces the excess water to drain through to the lower layers and away through the pipe drainage system. Sufficient water is retained in the rootzone for the demands of the plant. All materials to be used must therefore pass through an approved laboratory for analysis in order to meet the design criteria project.
• The drainage design and any attenuation required is calculated based on local climate knowledge and predicted extreme rainfall incidents. Therefore, in order to future-proof the project in relation to climate change, it is becoming increasingly common to provide more than the initially-required drainage capacity.
“ The stadium’ s drainage system had to be upgraded in order to meet FIFA’ s compliance guidelines.”
November 2025 Volume 31 I Number 09 www. plumbingafrica. co. za