Chang Arena (Buriram)

Ground: Chang Arena
Capacity: 32,600
Opened: 2011
Club: Buriram United

When Newin Chidchob moved Thai champions, PEA FC from Ayutthaya to form Buriram United, he needed a stadium to match his ambitions. Nicknamed the Thunder Castle, the Chang Arena is Thailand's grandest football stadium.

This page covers the game I attended, when the stadium was called Buriram Stadium, negating the sponsor's name for matches played in AFC competitions.

My first visit to the stadium and Buriram United's history are detailed elsewhere, while matches from 2019 to 2026 have their own dedicated space.

The Chang Arena has huge car parks, the Buriram United training pitches, along with many retail units where famous brands sell their wares. Next door is the Buriram International Circuit, home of the Thai leg of the Moto GP, among other events.

The football stadium was initially called New I-Mobile Stadium before being retitled Chang Arena in 2017. It has staged several international matches over the years, with its design being similar to Leicester's King Power Stadium, minus the cover all the way around.

Visit as a Neutral Venue

Urawa Red Diamonds 5 Shandong Taishan 0
AFC Champions League Group F - Monday 18th April 2022
👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 321 🎟️ 100 THB (£2.40)

The worldwide pandemic restrictions were still in place in several Asian countries. It caused major disruption to international football and its club competitions. Thailand was selected as one of the countries to stage group games, with the city of Buriram awarded two groups, with two compliant stadiums available.

I needed no excuse to return to the city, with Kao Kradong Stadium staging an earlier game the same evening. This made a 'double' simple, especially with the help of my mate Gary and his car to drive between the venues, with the first game starting at 6pm, followed by a 9pm kick-off.

I took the train and checked into my room at the Klim Hotel adjacent to the station before I was picked up. Food and drink were enjoyed before heading to the earlier match. We were slightly delayed at the second, topping up on the way to the stadium. At least parking wasn't a problem with such a small crowd attending.

Our tickets were printed with the wrong instructions on which entrance to use, meaning a frustrating walk around the perimeter of the stadium. Once inside, it was a case of picking any seats we wanted. It was strange to be in such a huge arena among a sparse crowd.

The Japanese Diamond fans were small in number, but they were extremely noisy. They had an impressive array of banners behind the goal in support of their team, who proved far too strong for their Chinese opponents, who were totally outclassed.

It was one-way traffic in the first ten minutes as Yuta Miyamoto and then Kaito Yasui both had efforts on goal, closely followed by attempts from Yoshio Koizumi and Kai Shibato. Urawa’s Takahiro Akimoto then saw his shot saved by busy Taishan keeper Cao Zheng.

The deadlock was finally broken in the twenty-sixth minute when Akimoto was on hand to side-foot home. The same player was fouled in the box five minutes later. The referee pointed to the spot with the right foot of Alexander Scholz, making no mistake to make it 2-0.

Scholz then provided a cross for Tomoaki Okubo to be denied from the edge of the box by a Zheng save. The Chinese side must have been relieved to hear the halftime whistle, but the lead was extended eight minutes into the second half.

A corner led to Takuya Iwanami setting up Alex Schalk to score from close range with his left foot. Diamonds took their foot off the pedal for a spell, with Baihelamu Abuduwaili going close for Shandong as he was supported by Chen Zhexuan following a fast break.

Fourteen minutes from time, a superb right-footed free kick from Schalk found the top right-hand corner of the net. Kasper Junker saw a low shot saved after being set up by fellow Diamonds sub, Yusuke Matsuo, with less than ten minutes remaining.

Both players went on to go close before the scoring was rounded off by Yasui, who fired home from outside the box. It was a comprehensive victory and an impressive performance. We headed off to see Geordie at his bar, before I enjoyed a good rest to prepare for more football at Kao Kradong Stadium the following day.