Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium: İstanbul Başakşehir F.K.

Sakhalinio / CC BY-SA

For English speakers, Turkish can often seem like a language in which the creators just throw some Scrabble tiles onto the floor and see what comes up. In actuality, it is a beautiful language that is full of poetry and meaning. İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü might therefore look like an odd name for a football team, but it’s simply a football club called Başakşehir that players its games in Istanbul.

The club’s ground, Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, opened its doors in 2014 and has been the club’s home ever since. It cost around ₺178 million to build and is named in honour of Fatih Terim, the successful Turkish footballer. After enjoying relatively little success in the wake of being formed in 1990, İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. shot to prominence in the wake of the Süper Lig success in 2020.

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Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Photos

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Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Seating Plan & Where to Sit

The Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium is built in a bowl style and has two tiers. The cheaper tickets are in the two ends that are behind the goals, whilst the more expensive tickets around found in the stands that run alongside the pitch. This is also where you’ll find the executive boxes.

İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. Ticket Prices

The price of tickets for an İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. game will depend entirely on the level of game that you’re hoping to go and see and the opposition involved, with matches against rivals costing more. Specific information isn't easily found though so contact the club for accurate pricing.

How To Get İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. Tickets

İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. have a deal with Passo, so you can get tickets for the club’s matches via the company’s website. Those looking to see a match live will need a Passolig card, which tend to be pre-paid for foreign visitors and can be obtained via the Passolig website.

Where to Buy

Getting To Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium

Train - Marmaray Sirkeci İstasyonu, better known to English speakers as Sirkeci Railway Station, is one that serves central Istanbul. Because of the sprawling nature of the city, it’s nowhere near the football ground, but if you can get there then you at least know you’re at a good starting point. One of the best ways to get to the ground is via the T4 tram, which takes about 40 minutes.

Bus - There are a host of buses that stop within walking distance of the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium. This includes, but is not limited to, the following bus numbers:

• 78B
• 78C
• 78E
• 78F
• 78G
• 78H
• 78M
• 78ZB
• 146E
• MK31

Car - The car journey from Istanbul to Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium will take about 40 minutes, depending on traffic. The fastest route will take you via Horhor Cd. and Simitçi Şakir Sk. to Adnan Menderes Blv. Onto the Avrupa Otoyolu/O-3, O-7 and Yeşilvadi Cd. to İbn-i Sina Cd in Başak.

By Air - Istanbul Airport is actually further from the centre of the city than Sabiha Gokcen Airport, but is still the best one to head to for most people. That’s because it is an international airport and therefore more readily able to cope with international travellers.

Taxi - A taxi from the centre of Istanbul to the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium will take about forty minutes to compete its journey and should cost you somewhere in the region of 100 Turkish lira. Obviously this is traffic dependent, so do bear that in mind.

Parking Near Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium

There are numerous areas to park close to the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, but make sure that you pay attention to local parking restrictions. If you’re not used to driving in Istanbul then you’d probably be better off taking another mode of transport.

• See Available Parking Near Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium

Useful Resources

Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Hotels

One thing you won't struggle for in Istanbul is accommodation. It's not hugely expensive either, so you can maybe even treat yourself to somewhere a bit nicer than normal.

Darussaade Istanbul - £50+

Akbiyik Cad. No:90 Sultanahmet, Istanbul, 34122

In all honestly, there are hotels to suit any budget in Istanbul. When we were doing our research we even found one for £4 a night, so you’re not going to struggle to be able to afford to stay in the city. The Darussaade is a decent place to start, though, being located close to Sultanahmet Square and offering 22 rooms. There’s a restaurant and a bar on-site, free Wi-Fi and a breakfast included in the cost of your stay. More details.

Hotel Yasmak Sultan - £80+

Ebusuud Cad. 12, Istanbul, 34410

The Hotel Yasmak Sultan offers a continental breakfast included in the cost of your stay and has an indoor pool that is part of the full-service spa. There are 79 rooms, a fitness centre and a business suite, so whatever reason you have for being in Istanbul, you’ll be well catered for. With a rooftop terrace, restaurant and bar, there are many things that appeal about staying here. It is also located close to Hagia Sophia in terms of getting out and about to see some parts of the city. More details.

Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hote - £120+

Ciragan Cad 46, Ortakoy, Istanbul, Istanbul, 34349

Let’s be honest, if you find yourself in a city and a culture that you don’t really understand then you could do a lost worse than to stay in a chain hotel. The Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul is located on the waterfront close to Ortakoy Mosque and its 120 rooms offer that little bit of luxury. It has two restaurants, a full-service spa and free Wi-Fi. There’s also a terraced area if the weather is nice, which it will be more often than not. More details.

Pubs & Bars Near Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium

Turkey's alcohol consumption is 1.5 litres per person, one of the highest in the Middle East. Still, it's a Muslim country so 'Brits abroad' behaviour is not recommended in any of the places recommended below.

Facilities

Having opened its doors relatively recently, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that the facilities at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium are amongst the best in Turkey. Whilst this might not mean that they’re quite up to the standards of the most recently opened European stadiums, they’re not far off.

Hospitality

There are executive boxes on both of the side stands in the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, meaning that those of you that like to watch football matches play out in relatively comfort are definitely catered for. Given that the stadium is relatively modern, it’s also fair to say that the quality of the hospitality areas is excellent.

Private Hire

When it comes to private hire of any of the areas of the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, your best bet is to contact either the stadium or the club directly.

Stadium Tours & Museum

At the time of writing there is no museum at Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium. It is also not possible to do a tour of the football ground, but if that changes then we’ll definitely let you know.

About İstanbul Başakşehir F.K.

İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü, often referred to simply as İstanbul Başakşehir but officially known as Medipol Başakşehir at the time of writing because of a sponsorship deal, is a relatively new club in the city of Istanbul. Founded in 1990 as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, it took the club more than a decade and a half to reach the top tier of Turkish football. Owned by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the team sits alongside Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Kasımpaşa as being a Süper Lig team that is based in Istanbul. Having previously been owned by the city’s water distribution company, the club took on its current name in 2014.

When İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü won the Turkish Süper Lig in 2020, the club became only the sixth different club in the competition’s history to do so. They were also the fourth team based in Istanbul to win the Turkish top-flight, making it by far the tournament’s most successful city. The win added to a list of honours that includes a 1. Lig championship in 2014 and two 2. Lig wins in 1993 and 1997. At the time of writing the side hasn’t won the Turkish Cup, but has finished as runners-up on two occasions. The first was in 2011 when they lost on penalties to Beşiktaş, whilst the second was in 2017 when they lost on penalties to Konyaspor.

They also interestingly have their own Esports team.

Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium History

When İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. first began playing football, they did so at a number of different venues around the city of Istanbul. This was mainly in smaller venues, with their first move to the big time coinciding with a shift to games being played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The ground, made famous thanks to Liverpool’s comeback against AC Milan in 2005 in what was dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’, has no permanent team using its facilities and instead has been used by numerous sides over the years. Construction of the new stadium began in 2011 and took more than three years to be completed, with Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium eventually opening in July of 2014.

Having cost nearly 180 million Turkish lira to build, the 17,000 plus capacity stadium was named in honour of the former Turkish footballer turned manager, Fatih Terim. The capacity is far more realistic for İstanbul Başakşehir F.K., with the 76,000 capacity Atatürk proving to be much too large for the meagre crowds that the club could attract at the time. The move to the new ground coincided with the club taking on its current name. The move has obviously been seen as a successful one by the club’s supporters, given that they became Turkish Süper Lig champions within six years of moving into it.

Future Developments

Whilst the relative modernness of the Fatih Terim Stadium means that changes are unlikely in the new future, it’s possible that the club might look to improve its capacity at some point. The ground was originally intended to have a capacity of 22,500, but had to be scaled back during the planning phase. Should the club’s success result in a re-think of that, there is at least the ability to expand relatively easily.