Stadium Of The Year 2023: Europe against the rest of the world

15.02.2024 11:33 source: StadiumDB.com; author: Kuba Kowalski

There are six European venues among the 35 stadiums nominated for Stadium of the Year 2023. In addition to the two Polish arenas, stadiums from Germany, Austria, Hungary and Croatia will be vying for the top spot. Get to know them better! Maybe one of them will deserve one of your stars?

Big expansions in Germany and Austria

The first plans for the redevelopment of Wildparkstadion were drawn up at the turn of the 20th century by designer Luigi Colani. The project was supposed to allow Karlsruhe to become one of the host cities of the 2006 World Cup. As we know, this did not come to fruition, but fans of the 2nd Bundesliga team can look forward to a new arena now instead. The new Karlsruher SC team venue was built on the site of the former Wildparkstadion and is located in the Hardtwald forest, about one kilometre from the Karlsruhe Palace. How will BBBank Widpark perform against other European arenas? Your points may find their way into its account!

Raiffeisen Arena was built on the site of the former Linzer Stadion on Gugl Hill. The stadium ranks among the largest and most modern in the entire country. The venue meets the conditions of UEFA Category IV. An interesting fact is that fans can fill their beer cups in the stadium using an unusual method, from underneath. This solution was previously used at Tottenham's new stadium. The London venue took part in the Stadium of the Year 2019 competition and finished in 2nd place, scoring 39,699 points. How many votes will the Raiffeisen Arena receive? One of them could be yours!

Extraordinary projects in Hungary and Croatia

During the development of the final shape of Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, the concept evolved and the initial maximum capacity of 55,000 spectators was reduced first to 40,000 and finally to 37,326 (with 14,531 seats after the removal of the upper floor). Whatever capacity the Budapest venue may eventually boast, it is an arena that has joined the group of outstanding stadiums from Hungary. Its location and design will attract votes from more than just locals - you can cast your own too!

Croatia is certainly not known for its new stadiums, but this year the country saw the construction of one venue - Opus Arena. The roof extends beyond the outline of the stands, the exterior of which is covered by a translucent band that can be illuminated at night. In front of the façade stands a row of metal poles that support the canopy and evoke associations with the new stadium in Bordeaux. If you think such a solution deserves your points, cast your vote for Opus Arena.

A Polish rivalry

There has been some buzz in Sosnowiec around the nomination of ArcelorMittal Park, but will it be enough to take a high place in the competition? The new complex is certainly the sporting event of the year in the city. The old facility with its high embankments in its first match reached an audience that could never be repeated again - 40 000 people. The stands of the arena to be completed in 2023 will not see as many fans, but it is where the Champions League anthem could already be heard. If you want to support the Sosnowiec community, vote for ArcelorMittal Park! Remember, too, that you have a total of as many as 10 points to distribute across 5 stadiums.

The second Polish arena in the competition is Orlen Stadion. Through Wisła's relegation from the top league in the 2022/23 season, the new venue was inaugurated in the second division. The full opening of the stadium took place on 1-2 September 2023. On September 1, the facility was opened to the public for tours, culminating a day later when Wisła faced Polonia Warsaw (3:0) in the 7th league round. Do you think Orlen Stadion deserves at least one of the five stars? Cast your vote for it!