It was chosen as the arena for the blockbuster match between Spain and Italy, a supporter of the England national team fell asleep there and even if the match is not exciting, there is certainly no lack of beer there. Why is the stadium, which owes its name to Poles murdering German language, so special?

The wrong name and a fan in empty stadium

The expression auf Schalke in German, although grammatically incorrect, is sometimes used in colloquial speech in the Ruhr area. This construction, which is a calque from the Slavic languages, appeared there thanks to the Poles who used to go auf Schalke. The word auf, meaning on, was thus introduced into the name by the Polish inhabitants of the region.

Arena AufSchalke was chosen to host four matches at Euro 2024, and there is already an unusual story associated with the first of these matches. A supporter of the England national team woke up shivering from the cold at 4 a.m. in the empty Schalke stadium after watching his team's victory against Serbia at the venue's inauguration at Euro 2024. Afterwards, he posted a video on the internet, which went viral. We reported on the incident on our social media.

What Euro 2024 matches is Arena AufSchalke hosting?

The stadium is considered one of the most modern in the world. It is equipped with a closing roof and the lower part of the south stand can be moved back to make room for a stage during concerts, for example. The stadium also features a unique beer piping system, which measures more than 5 km in total. These pipes transport chilled beer from 52 containers located in the basement to bars spread throughout the venue.

Like Sapporo Dome in Japan, or State Farm Stadium and Allegiant Stadium in the United States, Arena AufSchalke features an extendable pitch. Supported by a substructure weighing 11,400 tonnes, the pitch can be moved in and out of the stadium in four hours. This solution has several advantages:

• The grass can grow under normal outdoor conditions, without the problems of lack of air and light circulation found in other arenas.
• The football pitch is not damaged during events inside the stadium, such as concerts.
• The floor of the multi-purpose facility can be quickly transformed and adapted to different needs.
• The area outside that is not occupied by the pitch can be used as a parking area for buses during football matches.

You can get to know both the stadium in Gelsenkirchen and the other Euro 2024 arenas in more detail with our material about the tournament.