In November 2025, Plumbing Africa covered the upgrade of the Burundian Intwari FIFA Stadium’s drainage system, which was done by South African Company Seaqual. Since the drainage system’s installation, Seaqual has received testimonials for the installation.
Supplied by Seaqual, captured by Artificial Grass Africa
A recap
“The long-awaited redevelopment of Intwari Stadium (Stade Intwari) was officially completed in April 2025, and marks a major step forward, having now officially received FIFA compliance. Part of achieving this compliance, meant that the stadium’s drainage system had to be upgraded.
“Intwari Stadium has undergone a full-scale transformation to meet global standards following a 2021 ban by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which deemed the country’s facilities non-compliant. Since then, Burundi has had to host their international matches in neighbouring countries, at a significant cost.
“Now officially compliant with both Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and CAF standards, the stadium is set to re-establish Burundi’s presence on the international football stage. Here, we shine a spotlight on the stadium’s drainage system – a vital but often overlooked component of world-class stadium design.”
…read on in the November digital magazine here: PlumbingAfrica_Nov2025 Plumbing Africa
Testimonials
Pierre De Groote, Civil Engineer and Turf Contractor at Artificial Grass Africa said:
“The stadium in Burundi required a drainage solution that could meet strict FIFA standards for water evacuation, set at 180mm/hour (3mm per minute). The area being drained covers 11 000m².
During recent severe downpours, the QualiDrain system has performed exceptionally well. To put this in context, 1mm of rainfall on 1m² equals 1 litre of water. In storms of 50mm, the stadium surface received approximately 550 000 litres of water. Despite this immense volume, the system evacuated the water efficiently and without issue, ensuring compliance with FIFA’s requirements.”
Mr. Samugabo Mustapha, vice-president of the Burundi Football Federation said:
“The drainage has proven to be highly effective during the recent heavy rains.”
