Futbal Tatran Aréna – stadium description

What is Futbal Tatran Aréna like in a nutshell?

The football stadium in Prešov stands out thanks to the architecture of its main stand, which is enclosed by a massive, trapezoidal form evoking a green shell – giving the structure a distinctive and modern character.

The stadium offers 6,500 covered seats and meets the requirements of UEFA category 3. The facility is home to Tatran Prešov, the oldest football club in the country.

Futbal Tatran Aréna was built partly on the site of the old stadium, whose history dates back to 1898, and was therefore considered the oldest stadium in Slovakia.

Plans to build Futbal Tatran Aréna emerged in 2016. At the beginning of 2018, three stands of the old stadium (except for the main stand) were demolished, but then the work stalled for several years.

Finally, construction of the new venue began in the summer of 2023, with the organization of the Euro U-21 tournament in Slovakia providing an additional impetus. The stadium was opened on May 3, 2025.

How was Futbal Tatran Aréna built?

What did the old Tatran Prešov stadium look like?

The old Tatran Prešov stadium was built in 1899, which made it the oldest stadium in Slovakia. However, the facility did not have a historic character – the old wooden grandstand from 1907 burned down at the end of 1944 as a result of bombing, and new tribunes were built after World War II.

Before demolition, the stadium could seat just under 5,500 spectators (all seated). The covered main stand was located on the west side, and on the other sides, the pitch was surrounded by open stands, situated on gentle embankments.

When were the first plans to rebuild the stadium in Prešov made?

The first plans to rebuild the stadium appeared in 2008, after Tatran Prešov was promoted to the top division. At that time, the club's management presented a model of an English-style stadium with a capacity of 12,000 spectators. Interestingly, the plans were created by architect Ľubomír Sakala, the same who later designed the new Futbal Tatran Aréna.

The investment was to cost 700 million Slovak korunas (over €23 million), but the matter got stuck at the issue of ownership of the land on which the stadium stood.

When were the plans for the new Futbal Tatran Aréna made?

Further steps towards the reconstruction of the aging Prešov stadium were taken in 2016. This time, the initiative came from the local authorities – the city and the Prešov Self-Governing Region formed the company Futbal Tatran Aréna s.r.o., in which they held 51% and 49% of the shares, respectively. The main objective of the new company was to build a new stadium.

The impetus for the action was a program to support stadium investments, implemented by the government in cooperation with the Slovak Football Association (Slovenský futbalový zväz, SFZ). According to the original plans, the new stadium was to be ready in the summer of 2018, but procedural issues slowed down the investment. For financial reasons, plans to build an underground car park were also abandoned.

When was the design for the new Futbal Tatran Aréna selected?

An architectural competition for the design of the new Futbal Tatran Aréna was held at the turn of 2016 and 2017. Out of the three submitted works, the vision prepared by architects Ľubomír Sakala and Martin Sakala, in collaboration with Beáta Kováčová, was selected.

When did the demolition of the old stadium in Prešov began?

At the beginning of 2018, three stands of the stadium were demolished – all except the main stand. However, no further work was carried out over the next few years.

When did Tatran Prešov leave the old stadium?

Due to the planned reconstruction, Tatran Prešov moved out of its stadium at the beginning of 2017 to the Národné Tréningové Centrum in the rather distant Poprad. The club played its home games in Poprad for a year and a half, and for the 2018/19 season it moved to Stropkov.

As the reconstruction was delayed, Tatran returned to its facility in 2019 (where three stands were demolished in 2018, but the main one was still ready for use). The team played its last matches at the old stadium in 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the club also played its matches on the pitch at Jazdecká Street, and from mid-2021 again played outside the city, until the opening of the new stadium – in Veľký Šariš (2021/22), Ličartovce (2022/23, 2023/24) and Stropkov (2024/25).

When was the contractor for the new Futbal Tatran Aréna selected?

The first tender for the construction of the new stadium was awarded in November 2020 to AVA-stav, which was to carry out the work for over €16.5 million. However, as the company later demanded an increase in this amount, the cooperation ultimately did not materialize.

The tender for the construction was awarded for the second time in January 2023. It was won by the same company, AVA-stav, and this time the construction was to cost over €21 million.

What did the plans to build a new stadium in Prešov have to do with the U-21 European Championship?

Meanwhile, Slovakia applied to host the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and the planned new stadium in Prešov was included in the bid – in 2022, the city signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Slovak Football Association on this matter.

In January 2023, the Slovak bid won the race to host the tournament, and Prešov was announced as one of the eight host cities for the event.

The opportunity to host Euro U-21 matches was an additional incentive for local authorities to take action and also set a deadline for completion (the tournament has been scheduled for June 2025).

When was Futbal Tatran Aréna built?

The ceremonial laying of the cornerstone for the construction of the new stadium took place on July 18, 2023. Preliminary construction work began a little earlier, at the end of June 2023. The stadium was supposed to be ready in a year and a half, but the work took a few months longer and was completed in April 2025 – still in time for the U-21 European Championship.

When was the last stand of the old stadium in Prešov demolished?

The new stadium was only partially built on the site of the old facility, also occupying the area of the adjacent training field – the field of the new stadium is shifted slightly eastward from the previous one.

Therefore, the construction of the new stadium did not require the demolition of the old main stand (the only one that was not demolished in 2018) – throughout the construction work, it stood on the side, behind the new main stand that was being built, and the area around it was slowly overgrown with wild vegetation.

However, the grandstand was ultimately intended to be demolished, which was not done until the spring of 2025, when the new facility was practically ready. The land on which it was located belongs to a company associated with the former owner of the club, who intends to build new apartment buildings and commercial facilities on the site.

How much did it cost to build Futbal Tatran Aréna?

The cost of building the new stadium was initially estimated at €6-7 million, but in 2020, when the tender was first awarded, it was already expected to exceed €16.5 million. This amount proved to be insufficient, so the contract was terminated. After the next tender was awarded in early 2023, the contractor committed to completing the project for €21.2 million.

Ultimately, the cost of building the stadium amounted to €24.4 million (the costs for this investment are given after deduction of tax). The additional increase was due to the introduction of more advanced technologies and improvements to the security infrastructure.

The investment was financed by the city, the Prešov Self-Governing Region, the Slovak Football Association, and the government's Sports Support Fund (Fond na podporu športu, FNPŠ).

When was the Futbal Tatran Aréna inaugurated?

The grand opening of the stadium took place on May 3, 2025. As part of the inauguration, a symbolic ribbon cutting ceremony was held and a commemorative plaque dedicated to Ladislav Pavlovič was unveiled. The day before, a ceremonial blessing of the facility also took place.

During the inauguration, the Tatran Prešov footballers presented the trophy for winning the 2nd league – the event was an opportunity to celebrate the club's promotion to the top division, where it will play for the first time since 2018 (the team secured its promotion the day before the stadium opened).

The main event was an exhibition match between Slovak football legends: a team of former Tatran Prešov players faced a team consisting of former country representatives and members of the League Scorers Club (Klub ligových kanonýrů).

The match was refereed by Ľuboš Micheľ, and the symbolic first kick was taken by the legendary Antonín Panenka. The match ended with a 3–2 win for the hosts.

The event was also one of two tests of the new stadium before the U-21 European Championships. The second was a match between the women's national teams of Slovakia and Gibraltar, played as part of the Nations League on May 30, 2025. The hosts won confidently 11–0, and a new attendance record for a women's football match in Slovakia was set (3,814 spectators).

In order not to overuse the turf before the Euro U-21, it was decided that Tatran Prešov would make its debut at the stadium only after the summer break.

What are the characteristics of Futbal Tatran Aréna?

The stadium has a rectangular, football-specific layout and the stands can accommodate 6,500 spectators (all seats are covered). The distinctive main stand, located on the west side, is separated from the other sectors. Four tall lighting masts are located in the corners of the stadium.

The green and white colors of the seats and roof refer to the colors of the Tatran Prešov. The main stand has VIP seats and skyboxes. The stadium has 252 rooms and 157 toilets. The facility is located near the city center, about one kilometer to the north.

The dominant architectural feature of the main stand is its massive roof, resembling green shell, which surrounds the entire structure of the building. The trapezoidal form, made of metal panels, builds the visual identity of the stadium. Its distinctive shape and contrasting colors give the facility a modern yet individual look.

Who uses Futbal Tatran Aréna?

Futbal Tatran Aréna serves as the main stadium in Prešov, the third largest city in Slovakia. The main user of the facility is Tatran Prešov, the oldest football club in the country, operating since 1898.

As a relatively high-class facility (it meets the requirements of UEFA category 3), it can occasionally host major football events, such as national team matches. In June 2025, the stadium will be one of the venues for the European Under-21 Championship. The facility can also be used to organize other events, such as festivals and concerts.

The stadium is publicly owned and managed by a company jointly established by the city and the Prešov Self-Governing Region (Futbal Tatran Aréna s.r.o.).

What name was given to the stadium in Prešov?

The stadium is called Futbal Tatran Aréna – this name appeared at the very beginning of the project, when the facility was still in the planning stage.

In addition, the arena was honorarily named after Ladislav Pavlovič (Štadion Ladislava Pavloviča) – a commemorative plaque dedicated to the footballer was unveiled at the stadium on the day of its inauguration.

Ladislav Pavlovič was a bronze medalist at the first European Championships in 1960 and a two-time top scorer of the Czechoslovak league. The player was associated with Tatran Prešov for almost his entire career and is considered one of the most prominent athletes from Prešov.