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Atatürk Olympic Stadium: Getting There, Entry and Finals

A 77,563-seat stadium in western Istanbul: how to reach it by metro and road, what the gate allows and which finals were played here.

ByAbdullah Habib
17 min read Updated: October 27, 2026
Summarize with:
A long white stadium roof with a mast and a dark wall behind it, seen across an empty asphalt car park under a blue sky
Photo: Zach1055, 20.06.2026, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The stadium from its east car park.

Atatürk Olympic Stadium stands in Başakşehir, a district in the far west of Istanbul, with 77,563 seats by the Turkish Football Federation’s count. The M9 metro line ends at Olimpiyat station beside it. The Turkish Cup, the Super Cup and two Champions League finals have been played here, and the gate keeps a list of things it does not let in.

In short · checked 26.10.2026

A 77,563-seat stadium at the end of metro line M9, with a gate that asks for a ticket and ID.

  • 77,563 seats. That is TFF’s count (Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu, the Turkish Football Federation); other pages give other counts (chapter 1).
  • The M9 line ends at Olimpiyat. The ride is 26 minutes one way from Ataköy, and trains run from 06:00 to 24:00 (chapter 3).
  • Backpacks, bottles, power banks and umbrellas are on the banned list in TFF’s notice for the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026. The tool below sorts what you carry by that list.
  • On a big-match day the governorate can close metro stations. On 10.01.2026 it closed all M9 stations from 15:00 except Ataköy, Yenibosna and İkitelli Sanayi.

Tool · TFF notice of 09.01.2026

The gate table

Stewards check a ticket and ID at the gate and search each person by hand. Tap what you plan to carry; the lamp, the list and the Turkish line follow TFF’s notice for the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026.

  • Ticket
  • ID
  • Phone
  • Backpack

Lamp red. Not admitted: Backpack.

A ticket, an ID, a phone and a backpack are on the tray; the list below says what happens to each thing at the gate.

  1. obj ticketTicketAsked forEntry is only with a valid personal ticket.
  2. obj idIDAsked forStaff check ID and ticket at the gate and search each person by hand.
  3. obj phonePhoneNot on the listPhones are not on the banned list.
  4. obj bagSmall bagAsk firstUp to A4 only; no backpacks. A4 is 21 × 29.7 cm.
  5. obj backpackBackpackNot admittedThe notice names backpacks in its entry rule and again in its banned list.
  6. obj bottlePlastic bottleNot admittedPlastic water and soft-drink bottles are banned. Water and soft drinks are sold inside, opened, in single-use cups.
  7. obj powerbankPower bankNot admittedChargers, power banks and any spare battery are banned.
  8. obj umbrellaUmbrellaNot admittedUmbrellas are on the banned list.
  9. obj cameraCamera, selfie stickNot admittedCameras and selfie sticks are on the banned list.
  10. obj perfumePerfumeNot admittedDeodorant and perfume are on the banned list.

Ask the steward

Merhaba, bu eşyalarla stadyuma girebilir miyim? Bilet, kimlik, telefon, sırt çantası.Hello, can I enter the stadium with these things? Ticket, ID, Phone, Backpack.

Take
Ticket, ID, Phone
Ask first
nothing
Leave behind
Backpack

TFF’s notice for the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026. A later match can have a different notice: read the one for your match on tff.org. Nothing you tap is stored or sent.

What it is: a stadium made for an Olympic bid

Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı) was built from 1999 to 2002 in the Olympic Park (Olimpiyat Parkı) of Başakşehir, an ilçe (district) of Istanbul. The idea grew out of Istanbul’s Olympic candidacy (chapter 7). Atatürk is the surname that Mustafa Kemal, founder of the Republic, took; the surname story has the detail.

TFF stadium record

77,563 seats, one pitch of 105 × 68 m, built 1999 to 2002.

The stadium is an all-seated bowl (tümü koltuklu) with floodlights, a stand for disabled visitors and a closed-circuit camera system.

It stands in the 584-hectare Olympic Park.

A wide football pitch with a running track around it, a long white stand roof held by a mast above it and rows of seats with scattered spectators
Photo: Myrat, 12.12.2010, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0, file page. The stadium from the west stand in 2010, with the running track that was later taken out.

The basics

Opened
31.07.2002, with a friendly between Galatasaray and Olympiakos. TFF match programme
Architects
Michel Macary and Aymeric Zublena. TFF match programme
Owner and operator
The Ministry of Youth and Sports (Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı) owns it. The Istanbul Olympic Games Preparation and Organisation Board (İOOHDK) runs it. İBB (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality) sports inventory
Address
Ziya Gökalp neighbourhood, Olimpiyat Stadı Yolu Caddesi 5, postcode 34490. İBB sports inventory
Car parks
About 18,900 places: 400 covered, 2,500 VIP and 16,000 open. TFF match programme

Checked 26.10.2026 · TFF record · TFF programme · İBB inventory

Five seat counts

Pages print different numbers, so each count carries its source: 75,145 when it opened (TFF match programme), 74,753 after the athletics track was taken out and the pitch edge lowered by 90 cm, with 250 of those seats for disabled visitors (TFF match programme), 76,761 (İBB sports inventory, undated), 77,563 (TFF stadium record and the notice of 09.01.2026) and 82,576 (Başakşehir municipality, undated). The count used here is 77,563.

Checked 26.10.2026 · TFF programme · İBB · municipality

Who plays here: finals and one-off matches

The stadium hosts one-off matches that TFF places here. For the Turkish Cup final of 2024 the TFF president and the two clubs’ presidents chose it, and a draw by lot divided the stands between the two clubs’ supporters. Three recent matches are below; the TFF fixtures page lists the leagues and cups.

Turkish Cup final

Beşiktaş 3–2 Trabzonspor

Thursday 23.05.2024, kick-off 20:45. The Ziraat Türkiye Kupası (Turkish Cup) final was played with semi-automated offside and a foreign VAR referee, the referee who reviews video replays.

TFF news of 13.05.2024 · page

Super Cup

Beşiktaş 5–0 Galatasaray

03.08.2024. The Turkcell Süper Kupa is a trophy final that TFF organises. The 2024 match was the fifth Super Cup played at this stadium.

TFF match programme · page

Super Cup final

Fenerbahçe 2–0 Galatasaray

Saturday 10.01.2026, kick-off 18:45; goals by Guendouzi (28th minute) and Oosterwolde (48th). TFF put the match in the category «high risk / high profile», the authorities’ label for matches that need extra security. All tickets were sold.

TFF notice of 09.01.2026 and match report · notice · report

A full football stadium seen from the upper stands: a long curved roof over packed seating on the far side, a green pitch with players and a large red and blue flag in the foreground
Photo: Myrat, 15.05.2022, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. A league match, Trabzonspor v Altay, 15.05.2022, from the stands.

Getting there: metro, road and a match day

The M9 Ataköy–Olimpiyat metro line runs 17.2 km over 14 stations, and Olimpiyat is its last stop. Metro İstanbul, the city’s metro operator, built that station with two platforms and three tracks because it serves the stadium. The road pane has the routes TFF set for 10.01.2026.

The east entrance of a metro station under a wavy red steel roof on blue columns, with cars parked in front and street lamps
Photo: Zach1055, 20.06.2026, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The east entrance of Olimpiyat station.
A blue pillar in a metro station with a white sign that reads Stadyum Batı Çıkışı with an arrow to the left and Stadyum Doğu Çıkışı with an arrow to the right
Photo: Zach1055, 04.09.2026, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The sign on the platform: Stadyum Batı Çıkışı (stadium west exit) and Stadyum Doğu Çıkışı (stadium east exit).

How do you come?

The line
M9 Ataköy–Olimpiyat: 14 stations, 17.2 km, 26 minutes one way. Metro İstanbul
Hours
06:00 to 24:00, a train every 9 minutes at peak hours. Metro İstanbul
Last stop
Olimpiyat. It meets M11, the line from Gayrettepe to Istanbul Airport and Halkalı. M9’s first section, Bahariye to Olimpiyat, opened on 29.05.2021. Metro İstanbul
Changes
Ataköy: Marmaray, the rail line under the Bosphorus (the B1 Halkalı–Gebze line). Yenibosna: M1A and the metrobüs, the city’s bus rapid transit. İkitelli Sanayi: M3. Metro İstanbul
For one club’s supporters
On 10.01.2026 the notice named: Kuzey Marmara Otoyolu (the O-7 motorway), Fenertepe Kavşağı (junction), Eski Edirne Caddesi, Rıfat Ilgaz Caddesi, Olimpiyat Yolu. TFF, 09.01.2026
For the other club’s supporters
TEM Otoyolu (the motorway) towards Edirne, the Başakşehir TEM Kuzey Yan Yol (north service road) and the İSKİ road (a road of İSKİ, Istanbul’s water utility). TFF, 09.01.2026
Car parks
Each club’s supporters used car parks assigned to them. The stadium has about 18,900 places in all. TFF notice and match programme
A taxi
Fares, apps and what to expect: Taxis in Türkiye.
The closure
On 10.01.2026 the governorate (Valilik), the state’s office in the province, closed every M9 station except Ataköy, Yenibosna and İkitelli Sanayi from 15:00, entrances and exits included. TFF, 09.01.2026
Who changed where
One club’s supporters travelled from Ataköy and Yenibosna. The other club’s supporters changed from M3 (Bakırköy Sahil–Kayaşehir) to M9 at İkitelli Sanayi and rode to Olimpiyat. TFF, 09.01.2026
The gates
They opened at 15:45 for an 18:45 kick-off, three hours before, and TFF asked everyone to come early. TFF, 09.01.2026
An example
That was the plan for one match, set by the governorate. Another match can have another plan.

Two lines to ask the way

Stadyum çıkışı hangi tarafta?Which side is the stadium exit?

Otopark nerede?Where is the car park?

Tickets and the gate: what happens before you sit

For the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026 entry was only with a valid personal ticket (kişisel bilet). The gate checked ID and ticket (kimlik ve bilet kontrolü) and searched each person by hand (üst arama).

A wide paved walkway between two lawns leading to a stone gateway with a red flag behind it, a metal barrier line and two stewards in orange vests, houses on the far hill
Photo: Валерий Дед, upload of 15.01.2014, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 3.0, file page. The walk to a gateway of the stadium.

From the street to your seat

  1. Arrive earlyGates opened three hours before kick-off on 10.01.2026. Security checks take time, and TFF warned that a late arrival can miss the start.
  2. ID and ticketStaff checked both at the gate, and entry was only with a valid personal ticket.
  3. Hand searchEach person was searched by hand. The tool above sorts what was kept outside.
  4. Your seatSit only in the seat on your ticket and show the ticket when stewards ask. Do not stand in corridors or stairwells.

TFF notice of 09.01.2026 · checked 26.10.2026 · notice

The rest of the 10.01.2026 notice

  • Also not admitted: coins, e-cigarettes, helmets, pets, laser devices, megaphones and horns, and food or drink from outside.
  • Flags, banners and choreography must be notified to the Istanbul police sports-security branch 48 hours before the match; what is not notified is not allowed on the day.
  • Entering the pitch is banned. Offences fall under Law no. 6222, the law on order at sports events.
  • Water and soft drinks are sold inside, opened, in single-use cups.

TFF notice of 09.01.2026 · checked 26.10.2026 · notice

Passolig

On 03.04.2014 TFF announced that stadium entry would be only with a Passolig card, a personal card under the e-ticket project of Law no. 6222: the electronic ticket is loaded onto the card and the card is read at electronic readers at the gates. From 14.04.2014 no match ticket was sold to anyone without the card. That is how TFF described the system in 2014; the notice of 09.01.2026 asks for a «valid personal ticket».

TFF news of 03.04.2014 · checked 26.10.2026 · page

For a wheelchair or a mobility need

  • The stadium has a stand for disabled visitors. It also has 250 seats set aside for disabled spectators, a viewing platform, and 24 turnstiles and readers built for accessible entry.
  • Every main gate has one entrance without a turnstile for police and disabled visitors.

More on getting around Istanbul with a mobility need: Istanbul accessibility · TFF programme · checked 26.10.2026 · programme

Inside the bowl: pitch, stands and roof

The pitch is 105 × 68 m of natural grass, and there are stands on all four sides: east, west, north and south. Two stands are covered and two are open. Touch a dot on the picture, taken in 2016 or earlier, before the running track was removed.

A wide-angle view over empty rows of dark seats towards a green pitch inside a red running track, with a high stand on the far side and a roof edge across the top of the picture
Photo: Валерий Дед, 2016 or earlier, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 3.0, file page. The bowl from the upper stand, with the running track still in place.
  1. The pitchNatural grass, 105 × 68 m, with floodlights. TFF stadium record
  2. The running trackThe red track round the pitch was taken out in the renovation, and the pitch edge was lowered by 90 cm so that seats with no view could see the pitch. TFF match programme
  3. The standsAll seats, on four sides: two covered stands and two open ones. TFF record, İBB inventory
  4. The lightsThe renovation put in new LED floodlights and an effects module for events before a match. TFF match programme
  5. The way outFans can leave through all gates in about 8 minutes, and the farthest seat is 45 m from an exit. TFF match programme
A long wavy white stadium roof over rows of grey seats seen across a pitch under a pale sky, with a floodlight mast at each end
Photo: Ultraslansi, 02.03.2014, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0, file page. The roof line over a stand, seen from the pitch side.

Gates by side

Entry turnstiles
East 32, west 48, north 16, south 18.
Exit gates
East 22, west 20, north 16, south 15.
Other gates
One road for the athletes’ vehicles, one for the media, one for VIP guests and one for protocol.
The renovation
It also enlarged 28 boxes and added eight new kiosks in the west stand. TFF match programme

TFF match programmes of 2024 and 2025 · checked 26.10.2026 · programme

The big nights: finals played here

The stadium has hosted two Champions League finals, five Turkish Cup finals and, with the match of 10.01.2026, six Super Cup matches. The Champions League is the top club competition of UEFA, the European football federation.

WhenMatchResult
31.07.2002Opening friendlyGalatasaray v Olympiakos
2004Turkish Cup finalTrabzonspor 4–0 Gençlerbirliği
25.05.2005Champions League finalMilan v Liverpool 3–3 after extra time; Liverpool won the shoot-out 3–2
2005Turkish Cup finalGalatasaray 5–1 Fenerbahçe
2009Super CupFenerbahçe beat Beşiktaş
2010Super CupTrabzonspor 3–0 Bursaspor
2020Turkish Cup finalTrabzonspor 2–0 Alanyaspor
2020, played in 2021Super CupTrabzonspor 2–1 Başakşehir
2022Turkish Cup finalSivasspor 3–2 Kayserispor after extra time
2022Super CupTrabzonspor 4–0 Sivasspor
10.06.2023Champions League finalManchester City beat Inter
23.05.2024Turkish Cup finalBeşiktaş 3–2 Trabzonspor
03.08.2024Super CupBeşiktaş 5–0 Galatasaray
10.01.2026Super CupFenerbahçe 2–0 Galatasaray

TFF match programmes, news of 20.05.2023 (the date of the 2023 final) and match report of 10.01.2026 · checked 26.10.2026 · programme · 2023 final news · report

25.05.2005, the Champions League final in four steps

  1. Half-timeMilan led 3–0: Maldini scored one goal and Crespo two.
  2. Six minutesLiverpool scored three times, through Gerrard, Šmicer and Xabi Alonso, and the match stood 3–3 after 90 minutes.
  3. Extra timeNo goals.
  4. The shoot-outLiverpool won 3–2 on penalties and won the European Cup for the fifth time.

TFF match programme · checked 26.10.2026 · programme

The record crowd

The record crowd is 81,381, at Galatasaray v Fenerbahçe on 27.09.2003; the stadium then had room for more than 80,000. Three other matches also passed 80,000: 31.07.2002, 30.08.2003 (Galatasaray v CSKA Moscow) and 25.05.2005.

TFF match programme · checked 26.10.2026 · programme

The Olympic bids and EURO 2032: what each date says

The stadium and its park exist because of Istanbul’s Olympic bids. The dates below run from the first bid, set out in a report of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to EURO 2032.

  1. 1992Türkiye’s Olympic effort began with a bid for the 2000 Games and the creation of the Olympic Law. Bids for 2004, 2008 and 2012 followed. IOC report, 05.04.2012
  2. 1999 to 2002The stadium was begun in 1999 as the largest project of the Olympic Park and finished in 2002. TFF match programme
  3. 05.04.2012The IOC working group recommended that its Executive Board select Istanbul as a Candidate City for the 2020 Games, Istanbul’s fifth bid. Tokyo, Baku, Doha and Madrid had also applied. IOC report
  4. 10.10.2023UEFA named Italy and Türkiye co-hosts of EURO 2032, the men’s European Championship. The motto is «Play as One». TFF news

IOC working-group report of 05.04.2012 · TFF · checked 26.10.2026 · IOC report (PDF) · EURO 2032 news

The district: Başakşehir and its parks

Başakşehir is an ilçe, a district with its own municipality (belediye), at the western edge of Istanbul. The Olympic Park lies in the İkitelli area and holds many sports facilities, among them the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, the Bahçeşehir Spor Merkezi (sports centre), the Bahçeşehir Tenis Parkı (tennis park) and sports parks inside a Millet Bahçesi (a public garden).

An aerial view of a large oval stadium inside a ring of grey paving, with a running track and a training pitch beside it, a dense district of houses behind and bare hills below
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, 19.08.2009, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0, file page. The stadium and its ring of paving from a plane in 2009.
A hazy aerial view of an oval stadium inside a ring road with blocks of flats and open land around it
Photo: Wiki leylek, 30.07.2026, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 4.0, file page. The stadium in its ring, among Başakşehir’s blocks of flats, in 2026.

Başakşehir municipality, page undated · checked 26.10.2026 · page

Quick answers in a few lines

Where is it?

In Başakşehir, in the far west of Istanbul, at Olimpiyat Stadı Yolu Caddesi 5. The M9 metro line ends at Olimpiyat station next to it.

How many seats does it have?

77,563 by the TFF stadium record and TFF’s notice of 09.01.2026. Other pages print other counts; chapter 1 lists them.

How long is the metro ride?

26 minutes one way on M9 from Ataköy to Olimpiyat, 06:00 to 24:00.

Do I need ID?

At the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026 staff checked ID and ticket at the gate, and entry was only with a valid personal ticket.

Can I take a backpack?

Not at the Super Cup final of 10.01.2026: backpacks were barred and no bag could be bigger than A4. Bottles, power banks, umbrellas, cameras, selfie sticks and perfume were on the same list.

How early do the gates open?

On 10.01.2026 they opened at 15:45 for an 18:45 kick-off, three hours before.

Is there a stand for disabled visitors?

Yes: a stand for disabled visitors and 250 seats set aside for disabled spectators.

Which finals were played here?

Champions League finals on 25.05.2005 and 10.06.2023, Turkish Cup finals in 2004, 2005, 2020, 2022 and 2024, and six Super Cup matches up to 10.01.2026.

Who owns and runs it?

The Ministry of Youth and Sports owns it, and the Istanbul Olympic Games Preparation and Organisation Board operates it.

Sources and limits

Show the pages checked
  1. Stadium details: ATATÜRK OLİMPİYAT (undated) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  2. Turkcell Süper Kupa 2025 Finali Taraftar Bilgilendirmesi (09.01.2026) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  3. Süper Kupa 2025 final report (10.01.2026) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  4. Ziraat Türkiye Kupası Finali Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu’nda Oynanacak (13.05.2024) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  5. Champions League final 2023 news (20.05.2023) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  6. Italy and Türkiye Will Host EURO 2032 (10.10.2023) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  7. Passolig news (03.04.2014) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  8. Turkcell Süper Kupa 2025 match programme — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  9. Turkcell Süper Kupa 2024 match programme (03.08.2024) — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  10. Ziraat Türkiye Kupası Finali 2024 match programme — TFF, checked 26.10.2026
  11. Atatürk Olympic Stadium (sports inventory) — İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, checked 26.10.2026
  12. Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı — Başakşehir Belediyesi, checked 26.10.2026
  13. M9 Ataköy-Olimpiyat Metro Hattı — Metro İstanbul, checked 26.10.2026
  14. 2020 Working Group Report (05.04.2012) — International Olympic Committee, checked 26.10.2026

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, each with its author, date, licence and file page in the caption. The ten object pictures in the gate table are illustrations made with an image generator, not photographs, and show no real person or brand.

The gate list is the one TFF printed for a single match. Hours, closures and prices change, and every match has its own plan: read the notice for your match at tff.org.

Article Information

Written by: Abdullah Habib
Published: June 2, 2023
Category: Guides

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