Rizal Memorial Stadium

The Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium (simply known as the Rizal Memorial Stadium; officially the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium) is the main stadium of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It served as the main stadium of the 1954 Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games on three occasions. The stadium is also officially the home of the Philippines national football teams and domestic matches.

Background


Since the 1930s, it has hosted all major local football tournaments and some international matches. When a new tartan track was laid out at the oval for the country's initial hosting of the 1981 Southeast Asian Games, the venue became a hub for athletics and the football pitch's condition slowly deteriorated. It eventually became unsuitable for international matches which meant the Philippine national team would have to play their home games at an alternate venue.

In 2010, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) partnered with the De La Salle University to refurbish the stadium's football pitch. The stadium had undergone a major renovation program with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) spend ₱3.4 million for the renovation of the locker rooms, comfort rooms, and the fiberglass seats. The renovation was completed in 2011 and was first used for the game of Azkals against Sri Lanka in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers round on July 3, 2011 which was the first international football game held at the stadium in the decades, where the Philippine national team won 4-0 overall. However, the pitch (which was a natural grass) deteriorated again due to the number of football and rugby events, that led the PSC to convert it into an artificial turf in 2014. In 2015, its football pitch received the 2-star accreditation from FIFA, making it the first football pitch in the Philippines to have it.

The stadium has undergone a major renovation after it was designated as the venue for the men's football event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games New individual seats are to be installed in the spectator area of the stadium outside the main grandstand. The renovation also includes the upgrading of its rubberized track oval. The renovation will be funded from the ₱842.5 million given by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to the Philippine Sports Commission.

In August 2021, the stadium was officially renamed as the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium, after Olympic high jumper Simeon Toribio.

Track and Field

 * 2005 Southeast Asian Games athletics events
 * 1993 and 2003 Asian Athletics Championships
 * 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games
 * 1954 Asian Games
 * 2005 ASEAN Para Games

Domestic

 * 2017 Philippines Football League
 * 2018 Philippines Football League
 * 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara
 * 2019 Philippines Football League
 * 2019 Philippine Premiere League
 * 2022–23 Philippines Football League
 * 2023 Copa Paulino Alcantara
 * NCAA Season 99 men's football tournament

International

 * 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games
 * 1954 Asian Games
 * 1966 and 1970 AFC Youth Championship
 * 1981 and 1991 Southeast Asian Games
 * 2005 ASEAN Para Games
 * 2012 Asian Five Nations Division I
 * 2012 and 2014 Philippine Peace Cup
 * 2012 and 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Semifinals
 * 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
 * 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification Group E
 * 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup
 * 2017 AFC Cup
 * 2018 AFC Cup
 * 2019 Southeast Asian Games football matches
 * 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs
 * 2020 AFC Cup
 * 2022 AFF Women's Championship
 * 2023 PFF Women's League
 * 2023–24 AFC Champions League
 * 2023–24 AFC Cup
 * 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
 * 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Rugby
The first international rugby test in the stadium was held when the Philippines hosted the 2012 Asian Five Nations Division I tournament, which doubled as a qualifying tournament for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; the goal posts were erected just days prior to the tournament.

Entertainment
On July 4, 1966, the Rizal Memorial Stadium hosted two sold-out concerts of the Beatles. The combined attendance was 80,000 with the evening concert registering 50,000 paying audience and becoming the Beatles' second-biggest concert ever.

Add to this, a celebrity had concert in this Stadium “The Vic Damone Show” held on 24 December 1960. A huge audience attended his concert in the evening.

COVID-19 pandemic
During the government's "Hatid Tulong" program, the stadium was used as the designated temporary holding place for Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs). With the stadium being full, many other individuals who availed of the said program ended up sleeping and gathering outside.