Principality Stadium
Capacity | 73 931 |
---|---|
500 (VIP seats) | |
325 (Press seats) | |
Country | Wales |
City | Cardiff |
Clubs | - |
Other names | Millennium Stadium (1999-2016) |
Floodlights | 1,300 lux |
Inauguration | 26/06/1999 |
Record attendance | 74,576 (Wales - Scotland, 09/02/2008) |
Design | Populous |
Cost | £ 167 million |
Address | 101 St Marys Street, Cardiff CF10 1GE |
Other | Rettractable roof |
Advertisement
Principality Stadium – stadium description
In 1984 Wales erected their first official national rugby stadium, however it soon turned out to be outdated. Design created back in 1960’s and compromised capacity after Taylor Report (down to 47,500) led to talks of a major overhaul already in mid-1990’s. A special commission was created in 1994 to lead the work, prompted by the selection of Wales as 1999 Rugby World Cup hosts.
Two options were taken into account – remodeling the existing venue or moving to a new location. The latter one appeared unviable, mostly for transportation reasons. The first one on the other hand required additional land which was acquired in order to fit in a larger ground.
Main expectations were capacity of app. 75,000 seats – a lot in the modest plot available – and a retractable roof. This feature was a very innovative one in the days, only Amsterdam ArenA had one then, with Gelredome being planned in the same time as Millennium Stadium. Design company HOK S+V+E (later called Populous) was on the job. A three-tiered bowl was created except for the North stand which had to be left from the previous ground due to space restrictions. The megastructure was possible to carry out thanks to private funding mostly, with public subsidy, long-term seat allocations and debt being of support to the budget.
First event was organized in June 1999 before a ‘test-crowd’, but all stands were opened a few months later, for Autumn’s Rugby World Cup. Main tenant is the rugby national team with their football equivalent playing more games at smaller grounds. Other major matches in both football and rugby took place here though, to name just the Challenge Cup or FA Cup (during Wembley’s revamp).
Apart from sporting events (including boxing and motorsports), other large scale events are held here as well. The arena has a curtain system that allows ‘cutting off’ stands for smaller events to 46,000 or even 12,000 seats only.
Advertisement
Pictures
-
Related news
2024
-
Wales: Historic Premiership rugby match to take place at Principality Stadium
In an unprecedented move, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff is set to host a major Gallagher Premiership rugby match next May. The team has already learned about its rival.
-
UK: Will the Wales national team play at Principality Stadium ahead of EURO 2028?
The Welsh, who will be playing in the Euro 2024 play-offs, play their home games at a stadium in Cardiff, but it is not the larger of the venues, Principality Stadium. Should the country's national team move there? Voices are divided, with the coach and CEO in particular differing in their views on the subject.
2023
-
Wales: Cardiff City Stadium to host Welsh rugby's prestigious Judgement Day
The iconic Cardiff City Stadium is set to be the new battleground for Welsh rugby's much-anticipated Judgement Day, scheduled for June 1. This event marks a significant shift from the traditional Principality Stadium, promising a fresh experience for rugby enthusiasts.
-
UEFA: Official announcement of EURO 2028 and EURO 2032 hosts
UEFA has officially announced that the UK and Ireland will host the European Football Championships in 2028, while Italy and Turkey will co-host the event in 2032.
-
EURO 2028: Great Britain and Ireland announce list of stadiums
The most important football tournaments are fast approaching, and with them comes discussion about the future hosts of both the World Cup and the European Championships. The front runners in the race to host EURO 2028 are Great Britain and Ireland.
2022
-
United Kingdom: Is football coming home at the Euros?
At a time when most of the chatter is about the World Cup, plans for the next major football events are being clarified. Great Britain and Ireland announced their joint candidacy for hosting Euro 2028 some time ago. A shortlist of stadiums being considered by the federations was also recently announced.
-
UK and Ireland bid for EURO 2028
Will the fans of “Sons of Albion” sing "Football's coming home" again in 2028? If that happens, they will do it together with the Welsh, Scottish and Irish - including those from the north. The federations of these five countries have announced their joint bid to host the European Championship in 2028.
2021
2020
-
Cardiff: Principality Stadium hospital no longer in use
After just over a month of operation there are no patients at the Principality Stadium field hospital. At peak it had just 34 patients, though over 1,500 beds were at hand. Still, authorities will leave the facility at standby status until September.
-
COVID-19 crisis: First patients admitted to Principality Stadium
While it's not the only stadium turned into a field hospital, it final capacity of 2,000 patients means it's the second largest healthcare facility in the UK. And it might be in operation for a year.
2018
2017
2016
-
New lists: Who got 4 and 5 stars from UEFA?
It’s only 38 stadiums in total across Europe, so the two lists are truly exclusive. Check out who was granted a 4 or 5-star note by UEFA and why we’re showing these lists to you now…
-
Cardiff: European success won’t force Wales to larger stadium
The Welsh national team was greeted by some 200,000 people in Cardiff, having reached unprecedented success at Euro 2016. Still, moving back to Millennium Stadium is not an option.
-
Wales: Welsh supporters bought the whole stadium… in Cardiff
Tickets were sold out within minutes as Welsh fans flocked to see the semifinal against Portugal. No, not in Lyon. They’ll watch it at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
2015
-
Cardiff: Millennium Stadium to be renamed
For at least a decade the greatest stadium in Wales will be named Principality Stadium, along with latest naming rights deal.
-
UEFA: 2017 finals awarded, Cardiff gets CL
UEFA needs to work on their secrecy as for the third consecutive time Champions League final host venue was leaked well before announcement. Europa League goes to Solna and Super Cup to Skopje.
-
Cardiff: Millennium Stadium with 2017 CL Final?
According to BBC the host of next available Champions League Final is already known. After San Siro, the 2017 edition will go to Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
2014
-
Euro 2020: UEFA’s safe choice of hosts
There’s hardly any surprise in the list of 13 host cities. Sure, Saint Petersburg is included despite Russia’s aggression. Sure, Stockholm is out and Baku has quarterfinals, but that wasn’t hard to predict.
-
Euro 2020: All 19 bids evaluated by UEFA
It seems Wembley may prepare the champagne for next Friday. Russia and Israel are in a disturbing political situation, while Macedonia, Bulgaria and Belarus are the underdogs unlikely to get a piece of Euro 2020.