Inaugurated with the ambition of becoming the showcase for Malagasy sport, the Barea Stadium has still not obtained its official certification. This situation weighs heavily on national football, both financially and athletically.
As the 2027 AFCON qualifiers and African club competitions approach, football fans are once again deprived of matches at the Mahamasina stadium due to the lack of certification. Consequently, Madagascar continues to play matches abroad that are supposed to be held on home soil.
The paradox is striking. Madagascar possesses a modern 40,000-seat venue, presented as a symbol of the revival of national football, yet the Barea and clubs qualified for African competitions still cannot host their opponents there under the conditions required by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). How much is the absence of a fully operational national stadium really costing the Great Island?
The last official matches of the national team at Mahamasina date back to March 2024, during the international triangular tournament with Burundi and Rwanda. Since then, international matches have had to be relocated, involving significant logistical and financial constraints.
For a Barea match played in Morocco, a member of the delegation, who regularly accompanies the team’s trips to the kingdom and spoke on condition of anonymity, explains: “The amount required for administrative preparation, travel, hotel, catering, and stay expenses ranges between $70,000 and $120,000—that is, between 280 and 500 million ariary—for a delegation of 35 to 45 members. And for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, the Barea will make at least three trips for matches that are supposed to be played at home.”
Every international match played outside Madagascar incurs additional expenses: transport, accommodation, catering, logistics, and organization. Above all, the country loses the value of a true home game: its audience.
An international match played at Mahamasina is not just twenty-two players on a pitch. It brings life to the stands, transport, small businesses, and an entire economic environment around the stadium. When the match is moved abroad, this activity escapes the Malagasy territory. Added to this is a sporting loss: deprived of its supporters, Madagascar forfeits part of the advantage normally provided by a home game.
Clubs like CFFA and FC Rouge, engaged in African competitions, must also mobilize considerable budgets to play their matches, both home and away, outside of Madagascar.
The issue goes beyond the mere question of certification. As long as the Barea Stadium does not meet CAF requirements, Mahamasina will remain the symbol of an unfulfilled national ambition, the bill for which continues to grow.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-28 05:53:59 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/stade-barea-labsence-dhomologation.html