Schalke 04, leader of the 2. Bundesliga, is drawing crowds not seen in years. The club's sporting renaissance has sparked an avalanche of ticket demand, prompting management to consider accelerating the announced modernization of Veltins-Arena.

Boom on Schalke and stands bursting at the seams Veltins Arena

Enthusiasm for Schalke 04 knows no bounds. The Gelsenkirchen club has returned to the top of the 2. Bundesliga, and football fever has gripped the city once again. Five of the seven home matches so far at Veltins Arena have sold out, with an average attendance of exactly 62,077 spectators.

The match against SC Paderborn, won 2:1, saw record interest – over 80,000 ticket requests. This massive demand has led club officials to seriously explore ways to increase the stadium's capacity.

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More standing places in northern part of stadium and flexible guest sector

As reported by Sport Bild, Schalke 04 is developing plans to rebuild the north stand. The concept involves converting small seated sectors on its left and right sides into standing areas.

This would transform around 800 seats into approximately 2,000 standing places, boosting capacity by over 1,000. With younger fans increasingly preferring standing sections, the change makes sense both sportingly and commercially.

The next element of the planned modernization is the away fans' sector. It currently holds about 6,000 people, but not every visiting team sells out its allocation. During the Paderborn game, parts remained empty despite over 4,000 away supporters.

Schalke is considering flexible sector boundaries – allowing unused spaces to be offered to home fans when demand from away teams is low. While this wouldn't formally increase capacity, it would maximize usage and lead to more sell-outs.

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Veltins and Schalke extend cooperation

Amid the sporting and infrastructure plans, the club announced a key commercial decision – extending its deal with Veltins brewery. The partnership, ongoing since 1997, has been renewed for another decade until 2036. It secures the brewery's exclusive naming rights and beer sales on the stadium grounds.

Early extension of the agreement highlights the reliable longevity of our collaboration, intensely felt not just by Schalke fans, said Fabian Veltins, the brewery's marketing director. Schalke CEO Matthias Tillmann added: Talks proceeded in a positive atmosphere, marked by a desire to continue our shared path through this decisive step.