Arena Națională () is a
retractable roof
A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term op ...
football stadium in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, Romania. It opened in 2011 on the site of the
original National Stadium, which was demolished between 2007 and 2008. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Română de Fotbal), al ...
, and usually
Romanian Cup Final. With 55,634 seats, it is the
largest stadium in Romania and now serves primarily as the home of
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
club
FCSB
Fotbal Club FCSB (), commonly known as FCSB, is a Romanian professional Association football, football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the top flight of the Romanian football league system, Romanian league system, t ...
.
Designed by
Gerkan, Marg and Partners
Gerkan, Marg & Partners (gmp) is an international architectural company based in Hamburg, Germany. The company was founded in 1965 by Meinhard von Gerkan and , and now has more than 300 employees in 13 offices. In the same year the archite ...
, the stadium was built by German firm
Max Bögl
Max Bögl is a German multinational major construction company based in Sengenthal, Germany.__NOTOC__
Projects
The company has carried out several major projects in transport infrastructure, civil engineering and sport venues. It has also paten ...
and Italian firm
Astaldi
Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, Electromechanical Engineering and transportation.
Significant subsidiaries incl ...
. The stadium has a retractable roof which covers the playing surface.
In addition to Romania home games and the Romanian Cup final, the stadium also hosts other major games in Romanian football, including the season-opening
Supercupa României
The Supercupa României ( en, Romanian Supercup) is a Romanian football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest.
The competition started off in 1994, ...
. A
UEFA category four stadium, Arena Națională hosted the
2012 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, the 41st season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA (after the UEFA Champions League), and the 3rd season since it was renamed ...
, and four games at
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
(including the Round of 16). The stadium has also been used as the venue for
The International 2021
The International 2021, also known as The International 10 (TI10), was the tenth iteration of The International, an annual ''Dota 2'' world championship esports tournament. Hosted by Valve, the game's developer, the tournament followed a year-lo ...
, the annual ''
Dota 2
''Dota 2'' is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game by Valve. The game is a sequel to ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment's '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.'' ''Dota 2' ...
''
world championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
tournament. Arena Națională has hosted concerts by
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
,
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
, and
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
.
Construction
The old stadium was demolished between 18 December 2007 and 20 February 2008, although a symbolic removal of seats took place on 21 November 2007, after Romania defeated
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
6–1 in a
qualifying match for Euro 2008.
The construction phase generated some controversy over costs and delays, with Bucharest
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Sorin Oprescu
Sorin Mircea Oprescu (; born 7 November 1951) is a Romanian independent politician and medical doctor who previously served as Mayor of Bucharest between 2008 and 2015.
Political activity
Oprescu first ran for Mayor of Bucharest in 1998 backed ...
claiming that the works were 20 weeks behind schedule in May 2009.
On 8 October 2009, it was decided that the stadium should also include a retractable roof worth €20,000,000.
Construction was temporarily halted in December 2009 due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Facilities
The venue holds 55,634 people. 3,600
VIP
A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots.
Examples incl ...
seats are available, with another 126 seats allotted for the press (with a possible expansion to 548 seats). The stadium includes some 360 restrooms and a retractable roof, which can be opened or closed in 15 minutes. It is also endowed with a floodlight system and 2100 parking spaces.
The stadium is also very similar to the
Stadion Narodowy
The Stadion Narodowy im. Kazimierza Górskiego (, en, Kazimierz Górski's National Stadium), known for sponsorship reasons as the PGE Narodowy since 2015 (with patron being added in 2021), is a retractable roof football stadium located in W ...
in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Poland, in terms of age, capacity and the roof.
Usage
The National Stadium is a
Category 4 venue and as such, it hosted the
UEFA Europa League 2011–12
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
final, as announced by
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
at
Nyon
Nyon (; outdated German language, German: or ; outdated Italian language, Italian: , ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Nyon District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilomet ...
on 29 January 2009. It was required to host at least two major events beginning in July 2011, one with an attendance of 10,000 and the second with an attendance of at least 40,000.
The stadium also hosted
The International 2021
The International 2021, also known as The International 10 (TI10), was the tenth iteration of The International, an annual ''Dota 2'' world championship esports tournament. Hosted by Valve, the game's developer, the tournament followed a year-lo ...
, the annual world championship for the
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Dota 2
''Dota 2'' is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game by Valve. The game is a sequel to ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment's '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.'' ''Dota 2' ...
'', in October 2021. This came after the original hosts, Sweden, did not classify
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
as a sporting event, making it more difficult for players to procure visas to the country.
History
The official inauguration was initially scheduled for 10 August 2011, and was to feature a football match between
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
However, on 26 July, Argentina officially cancelled the friendly match after their manager
Sergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista (; born 9 November 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former international player.
As a footballer he played as a midfield for Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Nueva Chicago, Tosu Futures and All Boys. H ...
departed the team, so the stadium was instead inaugurated on 6 September 2011, with a
UEFA Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
Group D qualifier match between Romania and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The game ended 0–0 in front of a crowd of 49,137.
Notable attendances
The highest audience for a football game was achieved at the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
match between
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, hosted on 16 October 2012, which brought 53,329 people to the stadium.
The 2nd highest audience was achieved at the
UEFA Europa League Final hosted on 9 May 2012. The game between the two Spanish teams,
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
and
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
, brought 52,347 people to the stadium.
[Atlético Madrid-Athletic Bilbao](_blank)
/ref>
Association football
;Notes
Romania national football team matches
On 6 September 2011, the Romanian national football team
The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's Association football, football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Rom ...
, played the opening match against the French team which ended with a goalless draw, after Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
cancelled the official inauguration, a friendly match between Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on 10 August 2011.
;Notes
Euro 2020 matches
Arena Națională was one of the stadiums that hosted matches for the UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
. Three Group C matches and a Round of 16 game were played there.
Concerts
Transport
The stadium is served by public transport with buses, trolleybuses, trams and the subway system. The nearest subway station (Piata Muncii) is about 1.7 km away (a 22 minute walk).
See also
*Stadionul Steaua Stadionul Steaua is the name of several football stadiums. It may refer to:
* Stadionul Steaua (1974) - the original stadium, demolished in 2018
* Stadionul Steaua (2021)
The Steaua Stadium ( ro, Stadionul Steaua), informally also known as Ghenc ...
*Stadionul Arcul de Triumf
Stadionul Naţional de Rugby Arcul de Triumf (''Triumphal Arch National Rugby Stadium'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Bucharest, Romania. Being constructed on the site of the former stadium, it will host major rugby matches including home matche ...
* Stadionul Rapid
*List of football stadiums in Romania
This is a list of football stadiums in Romania, ranked in descending order of capacity. There is a large number of football stadiums and pitches in Romania, so this list is not complete.
Existing stadiums
Team in Bold: Liga I clu ...
* Waldstadion
*Stadion Narodowy
The Stadion Narodowy im. Kazimierza Górskiego (, en, Kazimierz Górski's National Stadium), known for sponsorship reasons as the PGE Narodowy since 2015 (with patron being added in 2021), is a retractable roof football stadium located in W ...
References
External links
Arena Națională official website
{{Authority control
Football venues in Romania
Sports venues in Bucharest
Concert halls in Romania
Music venues in Romania
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
FC Steaua București
Retractable-roof stadiums
Retractable-roof stadiums in Europe
Gerkan, Marg and Partners buildings
UEFA Euro 2020 stadiums
Sports venues completed in 2011
2011 establishments in Romania
Esports venues