Stuttgart Arena – tournament stadium description

What matches will take place at Stuttgart Arena during Euro 2024?

How Stuttgart Arena compares to other Euro 2024 venues?

What is the history of Stuttgart Arena?

Stuttgart's stadium was built in the interwar period. Its history is full of important sporting events, and it has also undergone major renovations and upgrades exceptionally often. Most of the time it had an athletics track, but after the 2009–2011 reconstruction, the stands have a football-specific layout.

The decision to build the stadium was made by the municipal authorities in 1929, in connection with preparations for the organization of the 15th German Gymnastics Festival (Deutsche Turnfest) in 1933. The commissioning of the facility took place on July 23, 1933.

The new stadium received a gravel runway, around which stands which could accommodate 40,000 spectators were erected. The 100-meter long main stand was made of reinforced concrete and had a canopy. The stands on the other sides were made of earth embankments.

In 1935, temporary wooden bleachers were erected, increasing the stadium's capacity to about 70,000 spectators. For safety reasons, the temporary structures were taken out of service in 1938.

During World War II, the stadium suffered some damage, but the defects were not significant. Shortly after the war, the stadium was used by American soldiers.

Between 1949 and 1951, the stand opposite the main stand (the so-called Gegengerade) was expanded. At the same time, wooden bleachers were added to the earth embankments on the curves, which allowed the stadium to reach up to 100,000 spectator capacity.

The makeshift wooden structures once again raised safety concerns and were dismantled. Instead, between 1955 and 1956, the curves were expanded with solid, reinforced concrete stands, equaling in height with the Gegengerade, which had been expanded a few years earlier. On August 7, 1963, floodlights were inaugurated at the stadium.

Before the 1974 World Cup, the old main stand was demolished and replaced with a new one, blending in with the rest of the auditorium. A wide roof was erected over the new main stand, and a slightly narrower one was also created on the opposite side. The southern curve, meanwhile, was enriched with an electronic scoreboard (replaced in 1986 by Germany's first color video screen).

In 1990, the turf was enhanced with a heating system. Prior to the 1993 athletic world championships, the stadium got a brand new, distinctive white membrane roof that covered the entire auditorium.

Between 1999 and 2001, the main stand was expanded with a second tier. In 2004-2005, the stand on the opposite side also received a second tier, although the superstructure was noticeably smaller.

Another major reconstruction took place between 2009 and 2011, when the athletics track was removed, the bowl was lowered and the stands were brought closer to the pitch (completely new structures were built behind the goals, enriched with a second tier, similar to the one at Gegengerade). At the same time, the roof was slightly enlarged inward.

Between 2022 and 2024, the last redevelopment to date took place, mainly involving the lower floor of the main stand, which was built from scratch, along with new facilities, catering and business areas.

What events has Stuttgart Arena hosted so far?

Over the years, the facility has had the opportunity to host many major sporting competitions, including matches at two World Cups (1974 and 2006) and the European Championships (1988), as well as the 1959 and 1988 European Cup finals and the European (1986) and World (1993) athletics championships. The stadium was often home to the German national football team, and is home of football club VfB Stuttgart on a daily basis.

A major event before World War II was the boxing fight between Max Schmeling and Adolf Heuser in 1939, as well as the German Gymnastics Festival in 1933. The stadium has also hosted a number of non-sporting events, including music concerts.

What does Stuttgart Arena look like?

After the 2009–2011 reconstruction, the stadium has a football-specific layout. The stands have a vast lower level, over which a rather narrow upper tier has been built. Only the upper level of the main stand is noticeably larger, and the stadium in this part is slightly higher. The upper level of the main stand is separated from the rest by gaps in the corners.

There are red seats in the auditorium, and the capacity of the stadium is just over 60,000 spectators, although there are 10,000 fewer seats for international matches. The stands are covered by a distinctive white membrane roof, which has a surface area of 41,750 m².

What is the name of the stadium in Stuttgart?

When it opened, the stadium was given the infamous name Adolf-Hitler-Kampfbahn. Immediately after World War II, American soldiers named it Century Stadium, and later the facility was named Neckarstadion, after the nearby Neckar River.

In 1993, the stadium received its first title sponsor and was renamed Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. In 2008 it was renamed Mercedes-Benz Arena.

In 2023, Porsche became the new title sponsor, also sponsoring the nearby arena (Porsche-Arena). For the stadium, Porsche decided to promote the MHP brand and renamed the facility MHPArena. MHP is a management consulting and IT company (Porsche is its majority shareholder). During Euro 2024, the stadium will be called Stuttgart Arena.

What interesting facts are related to Stuttgart Arena?

• On November 22, 1950 the stadium hosted the first match of the German national team after the end of World War II, won 1–0 over Switzerland. The encounter was very popular, with about 100,000 spectators in the stands. The stadium in Stuttgart was also the venue for the first match between the combined West and East German national teams after the reunification of the two countries – it was played on December 19, 1990, also against the Swiss national team (4–0)
• On June 29, 1963, the last final of the German football championships was played at the stadium (Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Köln 3–1). The following season Bundesliga was inaugurated and the battle for the German championship title has since been conducted under the league system
• The match between VfB Stuttgart and 1. FC Heidenheim, played on Easter, March 31, 2024 (3–3), was the 1,000th Bundesliga match in this stadium. The Stuttgart venue was the first in the Bundesliga to reach this number of games. On May 2, 2024, the 1,000th match was also played at the Weserstadion in Bremen

Where is the Stuttgart Arena located?

The stadium is located in the Bad Cannstatt district, in the Neckarpark area, less than 5 km east of Stuttgart's city center. Near the venue are the Porsche-Arena and Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, numerous training fields, as well as the Mercedes-Benz plant and headquarters and museum.