Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium formerly known as the Estadi de

Montjuïc Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Montjuïc or Montjuich, meaning "Jewish Mountain" in medieval Latin and Catalan, is a broad, shallow hill in Barcelona with a rich history. It was the birthplace of the city, and its st ...

and Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and also known in English as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, is a

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's failed bid for the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

, which were awarded to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

), it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

and

1992 Summer Paralympics The 1992 Summer Paralympics (; ) were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. In addition, the 1992 Paralympic Games for Persons with mental handicap were held immediately after the regular Paralymp ...

. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of

since the 2023–24 season, due to the renovation of their regular ground, the

Camp Nou Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...

. The stadium is named after Lluís Companys, a president of the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; ; ), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia is self-governed as an autonomous community of Spain. It is made up of the Parliament of Catalonia, the President of the Govern ...

(Government of Catalonia) executed by

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

. With its current capacity of 55,926 seats (67,007 during the 1992 Olympics), it is the sixth-largest stadium in Spain and the second largest in Catalonia. The stadium is located in kir the

Anella Olímpica Anella Olímpica (; ) is an Olympic Park located on the hill of Montjuïc, Barcelona, that was the main site for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Facilities The major facilities consist of the Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi sports hall, the ...

, on

, a hill to the southwest of the city that overlooks the harbor.

History

Designed by architect for the 1929 Expo, the stadium was officially opened on 20 May 1929. The opening ceremonies included

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's first official rugby international game against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and a friendly football match between the Catalan national team and

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

, which the Catalan team won by a shocking score of 4–0 with goals from Josep Samitier (2), Martí Ventolrà and Manuel Parera. It was meant to host the People's Olympiad in 1936, a protest event against the

, but the event had to be canceled due to the outbreak of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. In the fifties, the stadium was the centerpiece of the 1955 Mediterranean Games, and in 1957 it hosted the only national football cup final between

and Espanyol, the two local clubs. In the seventies, the stadium was disused and the stands deteriorated. When the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1 race was nearly boycotted by drivers. During Barcelona's bid for the

, the stadium was totally renovated with the involvement of Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. The stadium was gutted, preserving parts of the original facades, and new grandstands were built. In 1989, the venue was re-inaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and all the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games and also the same functions during the Paralympics. The stadium served as the home of Espanyol from 1997 until 2009. It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team from 1991 until 2002. Because the size of the playing surface was slightly shorter than the regulation

length, the stadium only had seven-yard end zones, three yards shorter than regulation NFL size in 1991 and 1992. They were later lengthened to the standard ten yards. The stadium also played host to the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

's American Bowl in 1993 and in 1994. The

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

played the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

on 1 August 1993. The second game was played on 31 July 1994 between the Los Angeles Raiders and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. In 2001, the stadium was renamed after the former president of the

Lluís Companys, who was executed at the nearby Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime. In 2010, the stadium hosted the 20th European Athletics Championships. Since the 2023–24 season, the stadium has served as the home ground for

during the redevelopment of the

. The club plans to continue playing at the Estadi Olímpic until the redevelopment of the Camp Nou is completed by the 2025–26 season.

Events

Sports

*1929:

hosted its first ever event,

's first official rugby international game against

.Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ); Chapter 6, ''Gathering Storms'', p129 Spain won 9–0. *1935: Boxing match

Paolino Uzcudun Paulino Uzcudun Eizmendi (3 May 1899 – 5 July 1985) was a Basques, Basque Spanish people, Spanish heavyweight boxer, who is considered to be the greatest heavyweight from Spain. Uzkudun is the Basque language, Basque spelling of his last name. ...

vs.

Max Schmeling Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxing, boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cul ...

*1955: II Mediterranean Games. *1989: IAAF World Cup. *1992: Games of the XXV Olympiad and IX Paralympic Games. *1993: Rugby League European Cup Final, XIII Catalans 22–23 Huddersfield RLFC *1997:

World Bowl '97 World Bowl '97 (also referred to as World Bowl V) was the final game of the 1997 WLAF season in American football. It was the fifth championship game of the World League of American Football (WLAF), and the third since the WLAF adopted a six-team ...

between Barcelona Dragons and

Rhein Fire Rhein Fire may refer to either of two American football franchises: * Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Düsseldorf, Germany ...

. *2003: World Police and Fire Games. *2009: On Saturday 20 June the

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

-based

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

team,

Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons (French language, French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan language, Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. Despite being based in France the ...

lost 12–24 to

Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league. Warringto ...

in the first

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

match to be played in Spain, drawing a crowd of over 18,500. *2010: 20th European Athletics Championships. *2011: 2010–11 Heineken Cup quarter-final match between

and

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

with a crowd of 55,000. *2012: 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics.

Football

*1930: National football cup final between

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

and

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. *1933: National football cup final between

and

. *1934: National football cup final between

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and

. *1939: National football cup final between

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

and

Racing de Ferrol Racing Club de Ferrol, commonly known as Racing de Ferrol, is a Spanish football team based in Ferrol, Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded in 1919, the club currently plays in , holding home games at '' E ...

. *1944: National football cup final between

and

. *1945: National football cup final between

and

. *1946: National football cup final between

and

. *1957: National football cup final between

and Espanyol. *1997–2009: Espanyol home fixtures in all competitions until the construction of the RCDE Stadium. *2004: National football cup final between

and

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system. Zarag ...

. *2023–:

home fixtures in all competitions due to the renovations of the

. ;Spain national team matches ;Andorra national team matches ;Catalonia national rugby league team matches

Music

Notes

References

External links

*
Estadios de España
{{Authority control Sports venues in Barcelona Football venues in Barcelona Rugby union stadiums in Spain Olympic stadiums RCD Espanyol Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic athletics venues Athletics in Barcelona Athletics (track and field) venues in Spain Sants-Montjuïc American Bowl venues Rugby league stadiums in Spain World's fair architecture in Barcelona 1929 Barcelona International Exposition Catalans Dragons American football venues in Spain 1929 establishments in Spain Sports venues completed in 1929 Montjuïc