The stadium is also certified by the IAAF and IOC as a first-class venue for track and field, and has hosted several European athletic competitions.

The stadium was originally scheduled to stage its second Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on 30 May 2020, but following the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe the match was postponed and later rescheduled to August at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal behind closed doors; the stadium was then set to hold the 2021 final between Manchester City and Chelsea instead, but the match was once again moved to Portugal, this time at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.

Galatasaray eventually returned to Ali Sami Yen for the 2004–2005 season, but played 2006–2007 UEFA Champions League group stage matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

Beşiktaş used the arena in the 2013–14 season to play most of their home games, with the reasoning being the same as Galatasaray's, while their own stadium, the Vodafone Park, was under construction.

The west roof, designed in the form of a crescent and principally composed of a 1,000 t main beam called mega-truss, is supported by two reinforced concrete shafts with 196 m span.

Two annex fields (for warm up / training purposes) are connected directly to the Olympic Stadium with a tunnel.

To meet all requirements of UEFA for being able to organise the championship, the authorities planned to take major reconstruction works on this stadium.

In order to provide better convenience for the VIP guests and the media, all existing hospitality areas at levels 3 and 4 would have been extended.

On 6 September 2010, the renowned Irish rock band U2 gave a sold-out concert at the stadium with 54,278 fans in attendance, as a part of their U2 360° Tour, the opening act of which was performed by the group Snow Patrol.