, also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is an athletic and football stadium in the town of
Rifu
is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 36,014, and a population density of 800 persons per km2 in 13,568 households. The total area of the town is . Rifu is known for its nashi pears. Recently, ...
in
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...
, Japan. The stadium's capacity is 49,133. The crescent-shaped roof extending past the edge of the stadium is meant to evoke images of
Date Masamune, a ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' of
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture.
Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...
, which included the present-day Miyagi Prefecture. From 1 April 2014, the stadium was known as the , named after the main variety of rice produced in the prefecture, as the
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
were acquired by the Miyagi Prefecture headquarters of
Zen-Noh
The , in short , is a federation of agricultural cooperatives in Japan. ZEN-NOH was formed in 1972 with the joining of the ZENHANREN group (National Marketing Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations) and the ZENKOREN group (National Pu ...
. The stadium adopted its current name on 1 April 2020 due to a sponsorship agreement with the Q&A Corporation.
Miyagi Stadium hosted three matches in the
2002 World Cup, and also hosted the 56th
National Sports Festival of Japan
The is the national premier sports event of Japan. It consists of three stages. The skating and ice hockey stage takes place in January, the skiing stage takes place in February, and the main Autumn tournament takes place in September and Octob ...
in 2001. It is one of the planned
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
venues for the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
.
In addition, Miyagi Stadium also hosted six matches at the
2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and it would become the first stadium (and to date the only stadium) to have hosted matches at both a men's FIFA World Cup and a women's FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Vegalta,
Mynavi
The is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played at the ABC Golf Club in Katō, Hyōgo, usually in October or November. It was founded in 1971 as a Japan vs. United States team match (there was also individual prize mone ...
and
Sony Sendai only use where occasionally.
The football field is surrounded by a nine-lane track. A large video screen and scoreboard is installed in the northern end.
2002 FIFA World Cup matches
2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup matches
Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Women's
Men's
Other notable events
Besides the game against
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, Miyagi Stadium has hosted three
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
es involving the
Japan national team: A 1–1 draw against
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
on 11 June 2000, a 5–4 victory against
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
on 7 September 2005, and a 2–4 loss against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
on 14 August 2013, a 2–0 victory against
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
on 9 June 2019.
J. League
The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most succe ...
club
Vegalta Sendai
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
History
Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...
has held home games at Miyagi Stadium, and pop-music group
SMAP
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-pi ...
has held two outdoor concerts at the venue as well.
Access
Rifu Station
is a railway station on the Tōhoku Main Line in the town of Rifu, Miyagi, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Rifu Station is the terminus of the 4.3-kilometer Rifu Branch of the Tōhoku Main Line from Iwakiri Stati ...
is the closest train station, although it is nearly 3.5 kilometers from the stadium. For major events, bus transportation is usually available from
Izumi-Chūō and
Sendai Stations. Before the World Cup, a spur from the
Sanriku Expressway
The is an incomplete expressway that exists in multiple segments in Miyagi Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The expressway connects Sendai, the capital and largest city in Miyagi Prefecture, to Miyako in Iwate Prefecture. It follows the c ...
was built, which provided easier access for travellers by car from Tokyo and other locales.
See also
*
Yurtec Stadium Sendai
is a football stadium in the Nanakita Park, Izumi-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Built in 1997, it is home to Vegalta Sendai, Mynavi Sendai Ladies and Sony Sendai. The stadium was specifically designed for football, and the stands ...
*
Sekisui Heim Super Arena
(formerly Grande 21 General Gymnasium and Hot House Super Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Grande 21 Complex in Rifu, Miyagi, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asi ...
*
List of stadiums in Japan
The following is a list of stadiums in Japan, ordered by capacity. Currently all stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more are included.
See also
*List of Asian stadiums by capacity
References
{{Asia topic, List of stadiums in
Lists of ...
*
2002 FIFA World Cup shock defeat (
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
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 ...
)
*
Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...
&
Diego Forlán
Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi ...
(Match against Japan in 2013)
References
External links
Stadium information
2002 FIFA World Cup stadiums in Japan
Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics
Football venues in Japan
Sports venues in Miyagi Prefecture
Athletics (track and field) venues in Japan
Sports venues completed in 2000
Rifu, Miyagi
Olympic football venues
2000 establishments in Japan
{{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub