Almost as planned, the last grandstand is being equipped with new, red seats. Meanwhile, the eastern expansion is reaching final phase, changing the appearance of what is now Johan Cruijff ArenA.

When the new seating layout was announced in late 2016, we heard that all 54,000 seats would be replaced by January 2018. And, as announced back then, the replacement of the last grandstand's seats has now begun.

The lower tier of the main stand is covered in this operation, however not all new seats will be installed before Ajax resumes Eredivisie fixtures on January 21. Six sections of the lower west stand are turning red now, four last sections are being left until one of the other upcoming breaks.

© Ajax Life

Changing the seats is a minor operation compared to the expansion of the east stand. Not the auditorium itself, rather what's behind it. New floorspaces are already covered with opaque black cladding. Above them the public concourse is widened and is now being covered with cushions resembling those at Allianz Arena.

And finally, since we haven't covered the stadium recently, keep in mind that in fall of 2017 the name was officially switched to Johan Cruijff ArenA. For the first time since opening in 1996 the building's name has changed.

© Ajax Life