The National Stadium in Surčin was supposed to be completed by the end of 2026, but the deadlines are moving, and the budget implementation shows serious deviations. Construction engineer Danijel Dašić tells Vreme that the project has been stalled for months and that all contracts will have to be reviewed.
"The project National Stadium it has been standing since the summer. In addition to the fact that there has been less talk about him lately, far less is being done at the National Stadium," he told Vreme. Danijel Dašić, a civil engineer and a member of the Commission of Inquiry to investigate liability for the fall of the canopy.
He explains that the works on the stadium have been suspended or significantly slowed down for months, that there are serious unknowns regarding the project and that all contracts and documentation on its construction will have to be examined in detail after the constitution of the new Government of Serbia and competent institutions.
"The former president of Serbia, now an unemployed citizen, himself admitted that there are problems. Basically, we don't have any official information as to why the works are delayed, except that the construction is being used as an installation, that is, for budgetary laundering of financial resources. Most likely, there are major problems with the project itself, statics, load-bearing capacity... We have unverified information that the stadium, or some parts of it, are practically sinking, but again, since the whole work has been declared a secret - we can only get some information from unofficial sources." emphasizes Dašić.
He adds that what he sees is also seen by other citizens - the National Stadium project has been stopped since the summer. The works in Surčin have been transferred to other projects within the Expo 2027 event.
He announces that after the constitution of the new Government of Serbia and competent institutions, the contracts related to the construction of the National Stadium will be reviewed.
"As Ilija Srdanović said: 'What's good - we'll continue, what's not good - we'll fix, what's missing - we'll make it'. The first thing is to review all these started projects, all contracts, and to extract all the documents that were used or are still being used during construction. It must be established whether there are any problems, deficiencies or miscalculations so that it can be fixed as soon as possible. The Serbian Expo as such must be held, because there are legal obligations of the state that must be fulfilled. they comply with," points out Dašić.
He notes that there are obligations towards contractors, whose contracts must also be examined.
"Whatever and with whomever the contract was signed, if there are suspicions of corrupt activities, unrealistic prices, fake invoices, problematic transferors, the hiring of contractors who do not have all the necessary licenses, it is completely legitimate to terminate the contract without compensation, that is, any additional costs, and that is the key to everything. I will remind you of the part of the documentation about the fall of the canopy that we managed to 'tear out', and in relation to subcontractors, when it was determined that out of 200 subcontractors that were officially hired, only 67 had the consent of the contractor, which is a legal requirement. Practically, two thirds of them were hired in a way that we don't know about and which will be very interesting one day. I don't expect anything different to happen in the case of the construction of the National Stadium, "said the interviewee of "Vremena".
Speaking about the confirmed announcement by UEFA that the final of the Europa League in 2029 will be played at the National Stadium, he said that the essence is that it will be played in Serbia, but that there is a possibility of changing the stadium when playing the matches, as already happened with the Serbian national team, when the match that was supposed to be played in Belgrade was played in Leskovac.
Dašić stated that the contracts that have been signed, but which have not yet started, will be part of a detailed check, i.e. it will be determined whether all contractual preliminary work has been completed, in order for the contract to be implemented.
He concludes that detailed analyzes follow, as well as the ultimate goal - to transfer the entire system from "building to building".
Analysis of the "New Economy" shows that problems with the dynamics of construction are also visible in official data. According to data from the final budget account for 2025, about 2,5 billion dinars were spent on the National Stadium last year, that is, only 13,6 percent of the originally planned 18,5 billion dinars.
In the final account, it was stated that the weak realization of the planned funds is a consequence of additional activities related to obtaining permits for works on the LOT 2 contract, which is why the start date of the works was moved.
These data indicate a significant deviation from the original dynamics of the project, which from the beginning was accompanied by a series of delays and problems in implementation.
The postponement of construction deadlines was discovered by "Forbes Serbia" in July 2026, after visiting the construction site and talking with project representatives. According to that information, the stadium will not be finished until the beginning of Expo 2027, but only at the beginning of 2028.
One of the reasons is the need for additional strengthening of the soil. About 2.300 piles were placed on the site to stabilize the ground and prevent the building from moving. "Forbes" noted during the tour that the metal structure for the roof was nearing completion, while the installation of the elements of the stands was still ongoing.
Another reason for moving the deadline is the planned three-month suspension of works, from mid-May to mid-August 2027, during the duration of the Expo. According to information from "Forbes", the reason is the safety of visitors and logistical problems, because the construction site is located next to access roads and the area through which visitors to the exhibition will pass.
Despite this information, the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijević stated on June 25, 2026 that the National Stadium will be completed by March 2027.
"This National Stadium will be completed by March in terms of construction in its entirety," said Sofronijević, adding that the work on the construction site for the Expo is proceeding according to plan and that more than 3.500 workers are engaged every day.
The minister emphasized that the stadium, although it is not formally part of Expo, is part of the broader infrastructure development of Surčin and Belgrade. Its announcement of completion in March 2027, however, does not coincide with the information of "Forbes" about the planned completion in early 2028, nor with the announced three-month suspension of works.
The idea of building the National Stadium in Surčin is not new. On July 30, 2018, the Government of Serbia made a decision declaring the construction of the stadium with accompanying facilities as a project of national importance. In November of the same year, the creation of a spatial plan was initiated, and the location was determined on state agricultural land in Surčin.
The project was announced again in 2020, when then Finance Minister Sinisa Mali claimed that the feasibility study had been completed. However, construction was delayed, among other things, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the study announced by the state at the time was not presented to the public.
The previous feasibility study, commissioned by the Government of Serbia and prepared by the Chinese company "China Railway 14th Bureau Group", showed that the original vision of the client was to build a stadium with a capacity of 65.000 seats. In the study, however, it was stated that a facility with 42.500 to 47.500 seats would be sufficient for the needs of representative football. Finally, a capacity of 52.000 places is foreseen.
According to the Government's conclusion from 2018, the capacity was defined at 55.000 to 60.000 spectators, while the later spatial plan provided for 52.000 permanent seats, with the possibility of installing another 8.000 temporary seats for large international matches.
According to the original study, the construction of the stadium itself was estimated at 257 million euros. In the meantime, estimates of the value of the investment have also changed. According to the data published by Forbes Serbia, the current estimate of the value of the stadium itself reached around 468 million euros, while the Fiscal Council, including the accompanying infrastructure, made significantly higher estimates.
The official start of the works was marked on May 1, 2024, with the laying of the ball with the signatures of football legends and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. It was then announced that the stadium would be completed by December 1, 2026.
The project was entrusted to the Spanish architectural studio "Fenwick Iribarren", known for designing sports facilities. A circular stadium is planned, with 52.000 seats, green terraces on three of the four levels and partially covered stands. Unlike some earlier announcements, the designed solution does not have a movable roof, and the stadium does not even have an athletics track, but is intended for football.
The contract for LOT 2, which includes the main part of the construction, was signed on September 30, 2023 between Serbia, as the financier, the Ministry of Finance, as the investor and client, and the Chinese company "Power Construction Corporation of China", as the contractor. The execution of the works was also entrusted to a consortium in which the local company "Millennium Team" participates.
During the implementation of the project, deadlines and financial plans were changed. The original deadline for completion was December 2026, then March 2027 was mentioned as the deadline, and according to information from Forbes Serbia, completion is now expected in early 2028.
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