UEFA Euro 2020: The venues
Friday, 11 June 2021 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische UnionCategory/Kategorie: General, Sport Reading Time: 17 minutes
© UEFA
UEFA President Michel Platini said in 2012 that the tournament was to be hosted in several nations as a “romantic” one-off event to celebrate the 60th “birthday” of the European Championship competition. Having the largest capacity of any of the stadiums entered for the competition, Wembley Stadium in London is scheduled to host the semi-finals and final for the second time, having done so before at the 1996 tournament in the stadium’s former incarnation. The Stadio Olimpico in Rome was chosen to host the opening game, involving Turkey and hosts Italy. Originally to be played at 13 venues, two hosts were later removed: Brussels in December 2017 due to delays with the building of the Eurostadium, and Dublin in April 2021 as there was no guarantee for spectators to attend. Spain also changed their host city from Bilbao to Seville to allow an audience at matches. Portugal are the defending champions, having won the 2016 competition. The video assistant referee (VAR) system will make its debut at the European Championship in this tournament.
Johan Cruyff Arena © Alf van Beem
The Johan Cruyff Arena (officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost equivalent to €140 million, it is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium was previously known as the Amsterdam Arena (stylised as Amsterdam ArenA) until the 2018–19 football season, when it was officially renamed in honour of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff who died in March 2016. Both international and Dutch artists have given concerts in the stadium, including Tina Turner, Coldplay, Take That, Celine Dion, Madonna, Michael Jackson, André Hazes, David Bowie, AC/DC, One Direction, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and Rihanna. The dance event Sensation was held in the stadium every year, up until the final edition in 2017. The stadium has a retractable roof combined with a grass surface. It has a capacity of 55,500 people during football matches, and of 68,000 people during concerts if a centre-stage setup is used (the stage in the middle of the pitch); for end-stage concerts, the capacity is 50,000, and for concerts for which the stage is located in the east side of the stadium, the capacity is 35,000. It held UEFA five-star stadium status, which was superseded by a new system of classification.
Baku Olympic Stadium © Investigation11111/cc-by-sa-4.0
Baku Olympic Stadium is a 69,870-seat stadium, designed and constructed to meet the international standards for stadiums set by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the largest stadium in Azerbaijan. Construction of the 225,000-square-meter stadium on a 650,000-square-meter site was completed in February 2015. The six-storey, 65.7 meter structure near Boyukshor Lake, Baku, Azerbaijan, opened on 6 March 2015. The main tenant of the stadium is Azerbaijan’s national football team, who moved from their previous home at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. In June 2015 the stadium served as the main venue for the European Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, and the athletic games. The venue is intended to host the quarterfinals and three of the group games for UEFA Euro 2020. A green area is being developed around the stadium, which is accessible via public transport.
Estadio Olimpico Sevilla © panoramio.com – V&A Dudush/cc-by-3.0
Estadio La Cartuja, officially known as Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla, is a multi-purpose stadium situated in the Isla de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain. It is used mostly for football and it is commonly referred to as simply ‘la Cartuja’. It was completed in 1999 for the World Championships in Athletics. With a capacity of 60,000 seats, La Cartuja is the 6th-largest stadium in Spain and the 2nd-largest in Andalusia. It was the venue for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final between Celtic and Porto.
Arena Națională © Amorphisman(cc-by-sa-3.0
Arena Națională (“The National Arena”) is a retractable roof football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, which opened in 2011, on the site of the original Stadionul Național, which was demolished from 2007 to 2008. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the Romania national football team, and the Cupa României Final. The stadium is also the home of Liga I football clubs FCSB and Dinamo București. With 55,634 seats, it is the largest football stadium in Romania. Designed by Gerkan, Marg and Partners, the stadium was built by German firm Max Bögl and Italian firm Astaldi. The stadium has a retractable roof. A UEFA category four stadium, Arena Națională hosted the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final, and will host four games at UEFA Euro 2020 (including a round of 16 match). The stadium also hosts music concerts.
Puskás Aréna © Elekes Andor/cc-by-sa-4.0
Puskás Aréna is a football stadium in the 14th district (Zugló) of Budapest, Hungary. The stadium’s construction started in 2017 and was finished before the end of 2019. It is an all-seater with a capacity of 67,215. The Hungarian Football Federation meets all UEFA and FIFA stadium requirements, and was awarded 4-stars by the UEFA. The stadium is built in the place of the former Ferenc Puskás Stadium whose demolition was completed in October 2016. Both stadiums were named in honour of the legendary former national team captain Ferenc Puskás.
Parken Stadium © Leif Jørgensen/cc-by-sa-4.0
Parken Stadium, also known simply as Parken and as Telia Parken (2014–2020), is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (Inner Østerbro) district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990 to 1992. The stadium, which features a retractable roof, currently has a capacity of 38,065 for football games, and is the home of FC Copenhagen and the Denmark national football team. The capacity for concerts exceeds the capacity for matches – the stadium can hold as many as 50,000 people with an end-stage setup and 55,000 with a center-stage setup. Parken has been announced as one of 12 host venues of the UEFA Euro 2020. It will host three group stage matches, as well as a round of 16 match. Geranium, a three Michelin star restaurant, is located on the eighth floor of the stadium.
Hampden Park © Cal Umbra/cc-by-sa-4.0
Hampden Park (often referred to as Hampden) is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 51,866-capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the normal home venue of the Scotland national football team and was the home of club side Queen’s Park for over a century. Hampden regularly hosts the latter stages of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup competitions and has also been used for music concerts and other sporting events, such as when it was reconfigured as an athletics stadium for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There were two 19th-century stadia called Hampden Park, built on different sites. A stadium on the present site was first opened on 31 October 1903. Hampden was the biggest stadium in the world when it was opened, with a capacity in excess of 100,000. This was increased further between 1927 and 1937, reaching a peak of 150,000. The record attendance of 149,415, for a Scotland v England match in 1937, is the European record for an international football match. Tighter safety regulations meant that the capacity was reduced to 81,000 in 1977. The stadium has been fully renovated since then, with the most recent work being completed in 1999. The stadium houses the offices of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Hampden has hosted prestigious sporting events, including three European Cup / Champions League finals, two Cup Winners’ Cup finals and a UEFA Cup final. Hampden is a UEFA category four stadium and it is served by the nearby Mount Florida and King’s Park railway stations.
Wembley Stadium © Wikiolo/cc-by-sa-3.0
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final. Wembley Stadium is owned by the governing body of English football, the Football Association (the FA), whose headquarters are in the stadium, through its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL). With 90,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in the UK and the second-largest stadium in Europe. Designed by Populous and Foster and Partners, the stadium is crowned by the 134-metre-high (440 ft) Wembley Arch which serves aesthetically as a landmark across London as well as structurally, with the arch supporting over 75% of the entire roof load. The stadium was built by Australian firm Multiplex at a cost of £798 million (£1.2 billion today). Contrary to popular belief, Wembley Stadium does not have a retractable roof which covers the playing surface. Two partially retractable roof structures over the east and west end of the stadium can be opened to allow sunlight and aid pitch growth.
Allianz Arena © Richard Bartz/cc-by-sa-2.5
Allianz Arena – Christopher Street Day 2016 illumination © Sinnbildner/cc-by-sa-4.0
Allianz Arena (known as Fußball Arena München for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ETFE plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior. Located at 25 Werner-Heisenberg-Allee at the northern edge of Munich’s Schwabing-Freimann borough on the Fröttmaning Heath, it is the second-largest arena in Germany behind Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. FC Bayern Munich has played its home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The club had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50% share in the stadium, but Bayern Munich purchased their shares for €11 million in April 2006 due to 1860 Munich suffering from financial issues. The arrangement allowed 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025. However, in July 2017 the rental contract was terminated, making Bayern Munich the sole tenants of the stadium. The large locally based financial services provider Allianz purchased the naming rights to the stadium for 30 years. However, this name cannot be used when hosting FIFA and UEFA events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was referred to as FIFA WM-Stadion München (FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich). In UEFA club and Nations League matches, it is known as Fußball Arena München (Football Arena Munich), and it hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final and will host the upcoming 2023 final. The stadium has been nicknamed “Schlauchboot” (“dinghy”). Since 2012 the museum of Bayern Munich, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, has been located inside the Allianz Arena.
Stadio Olimpico © panoramio.com – Mister No/cc-by-3.0
The Stadio Olimpico is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian National Olympic Committee and it is used primarily for association football. The Stadio Olimpico is the home stadium of the Roma and Lazio football clubs, and also hosts the Coppa Italia final. It was rebuilt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and it hosted the tournament final. Despite being an Olympic stadium, therefore exclusively dedicated to sport, musical concerts were also held, in particular the concert by Claudio Baglioni on 6 June 1998, which still holds the record attendance at the Olimpico with a total of over 100,000 spectators, thanks to the fact that the stage was located in the center of the stadium and the public surrounded it filling all the seats. Rated an UEFA category four stadium, it has also hosted four European Cup finals, the most recent being the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. Outside football, the stadium is used by the Italian national rugby union team and it is Italy’s national athletics stadium. Occasionally, it hosts concerts and events.
Gazprom Arena © Andrew Shiva/cc-by-sa-4.0
Krestovsky Stadium, known as Gazprom Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof stadium with a retractable pitch in the western portion of Krestovsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which serves as home for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. The stadium was opened in 2017 for the FIFA Confederations Cup. It was called Saint Petersburg Stadium during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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