National Arena – tournament stadium description

National Arena's Euro 2020 games

Average attendance: 13 049

Location

New national stadium of Romania replaced Stadionul Naţional l Lia Manoliu, which was demolished in 2007. The facility is located partly on the remaining mounds of the predecessor in the eastern part of Bucharest, about 4 kilometres from the city centre.

While not directly accessible with Bucharest's extensive subway network, there are two stations of M1 within 1 km from the stadium (Piata Muncii and Costin Georgian). Trams no. 14, 36, 40, 46 and 55 come much closer to the stadium.

History of the stadium

Construction started in 2008 and was completed with a delay of more than six months in the summer of 2011. The new venue was built with public money and the costs were shared by the Romanian government and the municipal authorities in Bucharest. Between November 2015 and April 2016, the stadium was closed as the retractable roof did not have a permit from the fire service.

Architecture

The arena has two-tier stands with a capacity of over 55,000 seats. Above the fans a light membrane canopy was created with central part – over the pitch – retractable. In the exterior tall concrete columns dominate the image, giving a distinctive rhythm to the arena. The whole structure consists of a total of 6 floors.

The facility is considered to be the twin brother of Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, as both were designed by the same architectural studio at around the same time. The biggest difference is the much more modest back-up facilities compared to the Polish stadium

Other events

First match ever played in the arena was a Euro 2012 qualifier against France. Romanian clubs playing in European competitions were also switching venues for the country's largest stadium. Additionally, the finals of the National Cup are held at the facility. The most prestigious of the matches so far was the Europa League final in 2012. The biggest non-sporting events were the concerts of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica.

Euro 2020 changes

Although it's among the youngest stadiums to hold the tournament, it saw significant technical changes before Euro 2020, including a replacementof 10,000 seats, upgrades to lighting, CCTV and ticketing systems.

Euro 2020 capacity

The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Romanian football federation confirmed that 25% of the stadium's capacity is a safe margin for Euro 2020. This means that 13,000 spectators will be able to watch live football.