President Paul Kagame was on Monday hosted by his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall ahead of the launch of Stade du Sénégal. The facility, a 50,000-seater multipurpose Olympic complex is set to be officially inaugurated at a state ceremony on Tuesday, February 22. President Sall launched construction of the stadium in February 2020. The sports facility is situated around 30 kilometres from Senegals capital Dakar, and is reported to be part of a reported $2 billion project. The new stadium is due to host events at the delayed Youth Olympic Games in 2026. It is also expected to host football matches, with officials optimistic that it will be able to host Senegals crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier against Egypt in March. Defending African champions Senegal are set to host the second leg of the tie which will see the winner qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year. Just recently on February 6 they beat Egypt on penalties in the final to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. In a recent interview with local media reports, Senegals Sports Minister Matar Bâ revealed that significant plans are in place to mark the unveiling of the mega sports facility. Turkish company Summa - which is behind the construction of Kigali Arena- oversaw the construction of the Senegalese stadium, which according to reports cost $260 million.
