The 66-year-old Malmö Stadion no longer meets international standards. It will therefore be demolished, and up to two arenas will be built in its place, both right next to Eleda Stadion, where Malmö FF plays. Although the project isn't there yet, a contractor has already been selected.

Malmö's historic facility is passing into history

The multi-purpose Malmö Stadion is nearing the end of its history. The City Council has chosen Skanska to demolish it and build in its place a modern facility that will be suitable for both athletic events and soccer matches.

The current stadium was built for the 1958 World Cup, replacing the old Malmö IP, opened in 1986. Today, the venue, after 66 years of operation, boasts the achievements of 1 World Cup (1958), 1 Euro (1992), 1 World Athletics Championship (1976) and 1 World Individual Speedway Championship (1961).

Legends such as Pelé, Omar Corbatta, Uwe Seeler, Didier Deschamps, Éric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have played on Malmö Stadium’s turf. Today, in its final months of existence, the stadium's capacity is 26,930 fans: 15,000 in seating places, 11,500 in standing places and 430 in the VIP area. That is 4,000 less than on the day of its inauguration.

© groundhopping.de | Malmö Stadion

Two new pieces of the stadium puzzle

Skanska will be responsible not only for the construction, but also for the entire preparatory process, since the new facility does not even exist on paper yet. So the company will hold a competition for the architect of the new stadium, and then oversee the creation of the architectural plan.

Instead, the requirements are already known: 8,000 seats, a full canopy, a circular running track, and tracks for sprint, long jump and javelin throw. The pre-qualification stage for the stadium's design runs through December 6. Demolition of Malmö Stadion is scheduled to begin in 2025, and a year later work will begin on the new facility, which is expected to open in 2028.

According to the plans, a multi-purpose sports hall will stand next to the new athletics and soccer stadium. And it's all right next to Eleda Stadion, where Malmö FF plays its matches. This is not surprising, however, considering that Sweden's third largest city concentrates almost all of its sports infrastructure in Stadionområdet, the stadium district. It includes, in addition to the two stadiums, an athletics hall, a concert hall, a hockey hall and a complex of training fields.

© Christian Rose (creative commons, by-nc-sa) | Eleda Stadion (Stadion Himmaborgen)