Key facts

Club: Guangzhou Evergrande | Opening: 1987 | Capacity: 60,000 seats

History and description

Tianhe Stadium got built by the the city of Guangzhou and province of Guangdong to serve as the principal venue of the 6th National Games.

Construction of the stadium began in 1984 and it opened three years later in 1987.

Tianhe Stadium was the host of the final of the first women’s World Cup in 1991. It furthermore served as the principal venue of the 2010 Asian Games.

In 2020, Guangzhou Evergrande started the construction of a new stadium in the south of the city with a capacity of 100,000 seats. The stadium is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

How to get to Tianhe Stadium

Tianhe Stadium is located in the Tianhe area in the east of Guangzhou. The Tianhe area is also where Guangzhou’s financial and commercial district is located.

The stadium is easily reached by public transport as there are various metro stops in the vicinity of the stadium.

The first option is taking metro line 1 to station Tianhe Sports Center. Metro line 1 crosses right through Guangzhou’s city centre and runs along most touristic sites.

Alternatively, catch metro line 3 to either Linhexi or Tiyu Xilu station. Line 3 connects, for example, with the airport and the coach terminal.

Finally, you can take the APM train to station South Sports Center, though the APM is solely useful for local transport around the business district.

Tianhe Stadium furthermore lies at short walking distance of Guangzhou East Railway Station, which has direct service to Hong Kong. Guangzhou’s other main railway stations, the Main and South rail stations, lie further away – 8 and 22 kilometres respectively.

Address: 267号-307号, Tianhe Zhijie, Guangzhou

Photos of Tianhe Stadium

Relevant Internet links

Gzevergrandefc.com – Official website of Guangzhou Evergrande FC.
Qzmtr.com – Information on the Guangzhou metro system.

Tianhe Stadium

Key facts

Club: Clube Athlético Paranaense | Opening: 1999 | Capacity: 41,456 seats

History and description

The Arena da Baixada, officially known as Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães, got built in the late 1990s in place of Athlético’s old Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães. It officially opened on 20 June 1999 and was considered one of the most modern stadiums of Latin America at that time.

The stadium could initially hold about 30,000 spectators and was temporarily renamed Kyocera Arena in the mid 2000s following a naming rights deal.

In 2009, the Arena da Baixada got selected as one of the playing venues of the 2014 World Cup, and despite having been opened only a decade earlier, had to undergo a thorough redevelopment to comply with FIFA requirements.

Building works started late 2011, but delays meant that the expected reopening in the summer of 2013 had to get postponed until May 2014, only a month before the start of the World Cup. 

During the 2014 World Cup, the Arena da Baixada hosted four matches in the first group stage.

How to get to the Arena da Baixada

The Arena da Baixada is located rather centrally in the city of Curitiba just south of the city centre. The walk from the principal Praça Tiradentes takes about half an hour. The stadium lies just 5-10 minutes walking south of the Avenida Sete de Setembro, one of Curitiba’s principal avenues.

Curitiba’s main bus terminal (and train station), with frequent connections to Sao Paulo, is located about 2.5 kilometres east of the stadium just south-east of the city centre.

Bus 203, which runs along the Avenida Sete de Setembro, can be useful to get to the stadium from the centre, but overall you will save little time in comparison with walking. Taking a taxi is, of course, even quicker.

Address: Rua Buenos Aires 1260, Água Verde, Curitiba 80250-070

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Arena da Baixada

The Arena da Baixada is located in a reasonably well-off residential area consisting of low-rise housing, though the Avenida Sete de Setembro with its high-rise flats is just a short walk from the stadium.

There are plenty of restaurants and fast-food outlets around the Avenida Sete de Setembro. Nightlife can be found in the Batel area a 20-minute walk north-west of the stadium, or in the city centre (Centro).

There is a good number of hotels at close distance of the Arena da Baixada, though most come in the higher price ranges. The Mercure Curitiba Batel, Harbor Hotel Batel, Four Points by Sheraton, and Slaviero Hotel are all within 15 minute walking and get very good reviews. Click here for an overview of hotels near the Arena da Baixada.

You can find some cheaper alternatives closer to Curitiba’s city centre, which you can explore here.

Athletico Paranaense Tickets

Athletico Paranaense tickets can be bought online, or at the ticket windows of Arena da Baixada.

Tickets tend to go on sale from a day before the match. Tickets are also available before the start of the match at the stadium.

Expect to pay R$100 to R$150 for a ticket.

Photos of Arena da Baixada

Useful Internet links

Atleticoparanaense.com – Official website of Clube Atlético Paranaense.
Urbs.curitiba.pr.gov.br – Curitiba public transport information.

Arena da Baixada

Photo credits: San Jose Earthquakes – Facebook official

It has been a while since we published an update on the works of some new stadiums under construction, but we will take you once more along the construction sites of some of the football stadiums of the future.

The photo on the top is of the new San Jose Earthquakes stadium, where were works have only recently started and there is therefore not much to see yet. That said, the stadium is scheduled to be finished within one year from now, so we’ll soon be able to show something more substantial.

Next up is a Brazilian stadium, but not a World Cup one, though it could easily have featured in it. The Allianz Parque – yes, another in the portfolio of insurance firm Allianz – is a completely private initiative of Palmeiras in partnership with entertainment group AEG. It is scheduled to be ready later this year, and apart from serving as Palmeiras’ new home, will also become one of Sao Paulo’s principal concert venues. The boys of One Direction have already been booked for two shows next May.

Photo credits: Allianzparque.com.br

Next up, we do have a World Cup stadium, though one that will feature in the 2018 edition. Spartak Moscow has long desired an own home, and will finally have one next year when the Otkritie Arena opens.

Photo credits: Otkritie Arena – Twitter official

It will take a little longer before Bordeaux can move into their new home, but right now they will most of all be relieved that works are in progress at all. After several long delays, these finally started earlier this year, and the new stadium is about to rise up from the ground.

Photo credits: nouveau-stade-bordeaux.com

Works aren’t progressing exactly according to plan either in Zabrze, Poland, but there is already much more finished of Górnik Zabrze’s new Stadion w Zabrzu. The expectation is that one of these days the first seats are going to be installed.

Photo credits: Stadion w Zabrzu – Facebook official

The excitement is also building up in Israel, where Haifa’s Sammy Ofer Stadium is nearing completion. The below photo was taken a few months ago, and right now there are only a few last touches left. No official opening has been planned yet though, which may just make it before the end of the year or otherwise early next year.

Photo credit: Wikimedia user Oyoyo

Finally, we return to Brazil to have a look at one of the World Cup stadiums that is still under construction. Good news has been coming in from São Paulo, where the Arena Corinthians (or Arena de Itaquera) is on schedule to be completed well in advance of the World Cup. It will host the opening match featuring Brazil and one of the two semi-finals.

Photo credits: Copa2014.gov.br

Construction update – October 2013

In less than a week time, two brand new arenas opened in Europe. On Monday, Athletic inaugurated their new San Mamés with a match versus Celta de Vigo, and today it was the turn to OGC Nice to unveil their new Allianz Riviera in a match against Valenciennes.

However, if we compare both situations, there are few similarities. The case of Bilbao is one that makes many football fans bemoan modern day football as the old Estadio San Mamés was one of Europe’s most iconic stadiums. The oldest top-flight stadium of Spain made great fame with its patched-together stands, the arch over the main stand, and the fanatic home crowd right on the pitch. It got demolished just before it turned 100 years old.

Modern day football is not for the nostalgic though, and the case for a new stadium was easy to make. There is also not much wrong with the new San Mamés. Its exterior is outright stunning and makes for a splendid sight towering over the river Nervión. The interior ticks all boxes of what a modern stadium should look like with great sightlines, modern facilities, and the small middle tier that caters exclusively for the hospitality crowd. There are clear resemblances with the Emirates Stadium and Estádio da Luz, both examples of best practices in modern stadium design, not least because of the waving top line of the upper tier.

That said, apart from its exterior, there is little that distinguishes it from your average modern arena, and one remains with the feeling that Athletic’s fans deserved something a little more unique. 

One thousand kilometres east in the south of France, Nice fans will have no such feelings. The Allianz Riviera is a magnificent new arena: an impressive exterior and roof formed of one part, excellent facilities and stands right on the pitch, and a distinctive small upper tier just to give it something of a different touch. Compared to the old, mostly uncovered, and dilapidated Stade du Ray, this is a massive leap forward.

While it is always hard to say goodbye to a stadium that has been a home for many years, few Nice fans will find it difficult to make the move. If one must find any gripes, then it is that it will take a little longer to get to the out-of-town Allianz Riviera in comparison with the central Stade du Ray. The rather odd name Allianz Riviera is something to get used to as well, but simply the result of all logical combinations with sponsor name Allianz already being taken (Brazilian Palmeiras had to resort to Allianz Parque). 

The big challenge for Nice lies in getting the Allianz Riviera to fill up. Their attendances at Stade du Ray were among the lowest of the league, but the Allianz Riviera had to have a capacity of 35,000 to be able to serve as a venue for the 2016 European Championships. Nice is a large city with a considerable amount of football tradition though, and that a new stadium can do wonders for attendances proved Lille when they moved into their new Stade Pierre Mauroy a year ago.

Athletic, on the other hand, will have no problems to pack their new San Mamés. The stadium is currently only two-thirds finished, which means a limited capacity of 35,000 for this season – about their average attendance at the old San Mamés. The new stadium will be a guaranteed sell-out in its first season and no tickets will go on public sale. In its second season, capacity will rise to 54,000, which will prove more challenging, but far from unattainable. 

Both teams got off to a good start at their new home with a 3-2 home win for Athletic and Nice beating Valenciennes with a convincing 4-0.

(Photo credits: San Mamés – Flickr user antxoa | Allianz Riviera – @villedenice)

Bilbao and Nice move into new modern homes

Key facts

Clubs: FC Khimki | Opening: 2008 | Capacity: 18,636 seats

History and description

The Arena Khimki was built to provide FC Khimki with a new home in place of their old stadium that had stood at the same site.

Construction works started in 2005, and plans got more ambitious while the works developed. The Arena Khimki officially opened on 20 September 2008 with a match between FC Khimki and FC Saturn.

Soon after, Dynamo Moscow started renting the arena as it offered better facilities than their dilapidated home ground.

In 2010, CSKA Moscow also decided to play most of their home matches at the Arena Khimki while their Arena CSKA was under construction.

FC Khimki’s fortunes however in the meantime dwindled, and they played many of their home games at a smaller local ground.

In 2009, the Arena Khimki hosted the Russia Cup final: CSKA Moscow beat Rubin Kazan 1-0.

In 2016, CSKA moved back out again when the Arena CSKA was completed. A few years later, Dynamo also moved back to their original home when the newly built VTB Arena opened. These days FC Khimki occasionally uses the arena for higher profile matches.

How to get to the Arena Khimki

The Arena Khimki is located in the city of Khimki, which is located on the north-western edge of Moscow on the MKAD Ring Road at just under 20 kilometres from central Moscow.

The stadium can be reached by taking metro line 2 to station Rechnoy Vokzal (Речной вокзал), which is the last on the line. Line 2 can be boarded at several stops in central Moscow. From Rechnoy Station take bus 345 to stop Arena Khimki.

Alternatively, one can catch a train from Москва Ленинградская station, which lies right next to Комсомольская metro station (north-east of central Moscow). Take a train to  Химки (Khimki), from where it is a 10-minute walk to the stadium.

Address: Московская область, Химки, улица Кирова 24

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Arena Khimki

The Arena Khimki is located in a quiet and leafy residential area with little around in terms of eating and drinking, which is better done in central Moscow. If you are in need of a quick bite, it is best to try your luck around Khimki rail station.

There are neither any hotels near the Arena Khimki. If you do wish to stay reasonable close, then Okhotnik Hotel near metro station Водный Cтадион and Iris Congress Hotel are decent option. Soyuz Hotel is located closest to the arena, but inconveniently separated from it by the river and the ring road.

Click here for an overview of hotels in the Khimki area, and here for some of the many options in other parts of Moscow.

FC Khimki Tickets

Tickets for FC Khimki games can be bought online through Kassir.ru.

Photos of the Arena Khimki

Useful Internet links

Pfc-cska.com – Official website of CSKA Moscow.
Dynamo.ru – Official website of Dynamo Moscow.
Arena-khimki.ru – Official website of the Arena Khimki.
Moscow.ru – Moscow international portal.
Mosmetro.ru – Official site of the Moscow metro.

Arena Khimki

Key facts

Club: UD Almería | Opening: 2004 | Capacity: 15,000 seats

History and description

Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos was built to serve as the principal venue for the 2005 Mediterranean Games.

The stadium came at a cost of €22 million and officially opened one year before the games on 31 July 2004. It subsequently became the new home of Almería, replacing their old Estadio Juan Rojas.

Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos could initially hold 15,000 spectators, but was later expanded to 22,000 seats by adding additional rows of seat in front and at the back of the stands.

In 2012, temporary makeshift stands were constructed on top of the athletics tracks behind the goals to bring the fans closer to the pitch. This reduced capacity back to 15,000.

How to get to Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos

Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos is located on the eastern edge of the city of Almería at just over 2 kilometres from the main railway station and a little more from Almería’s city centre.

While you can about just walk from the station to the stadium, an alternative is catching bus 7. You can take the bus from the central Avenida Federico García Lorca avenue, which runs just east of the centre. Take the bus in the direction of La Goleta. They run every 20 to 40 minutes and pass right in front of the stadium.

If arriving by car from the east (including the airport), take the Autovía N-344 into town. The stadium lies directly on the left of the N-344 at entering the city.

If arriving from the west, take the N-340 into Almería’s centre. Keep going straight on the same road, passing the railway station and continuing on the N-344. After about 2 kilometres the stadium will be clearly visible on the right side of the road.

Address: Calle Belladona 5, 04007 Almería

Almeria Tickets

Tickets for Almería games can be bought at the Almería club office at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, which is generally opened in the morning and evening hours.

Tickets can also be bought at the ticket windows of the stadium on the day of the match.

Tickets typically range in price from €10.00 for a seat behind the goal to €30.00 for one at the main stand.

Useful Internet links

Udalmeriasad.com – Official website of UD Almería.
Almeriaturismo.org – Almería tourist information.
Surbus.com – Almería public transport information.

Photo credits: Magicloren

Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos

The federal government of Belgium, the government of Flanders, and the city of Brussels have come to an agreement which should lead to the construction of a new football stadium in Brussels, which is to replace the present King Baudouin Stadium.

King Baudouin Stadium, formerly known as Heysel Stadium, got extensively redeveloped in the 1990s, but lacks the modern facilities of the newly built stadiums of these days.

However, decisions on building new national stadiums are not taken quickly, and things get even more difficult in Belgium with multiple governments involved.

The present plans aim to built a complete new stadium with a capacity of 60,000 seats at the site of a car park close to King Baudouin Stadium, though just outside the Brussels city limits, which meant that the government of Flanders had to get involved. As the site directly borders the Brussels city limits and is dependent on the city in terms of mobility and safety, no stadium could get built without the city giving the go ahead either.

In the end, the debate got most intense on whether the new stadium should include an athletics track. King Baudouin Stadium is the proud host of the Memorial Van Damme athletics games, which count as one of the world’s most prestigious athletics events. 

Different plans were considered involving a new stadium with either retractable stands over the track or with a retractable roof. Having both features would be too expensive. In the end was chosen for the retractable stands, which won over most opposition of the critics.

There is, however, one small problem, which is that nobody wants to pay for the new stadium. No governments, and not the national football federation, who do not deem it worth for the 6 matches a year they make use of the stadium.

The money will therefore have to come from private investors, and attracting a football club seems like a necessity. The only real candidate to move in seems Belgian champion Anderlecht, who have long sought to expand their Constant Vanden Stock Stadion, however with  little success. While doubling their capacity may be a bit too ambitious, it may just be the best there is for them. Whether that means they think it is worth breaking the bank for, however still remains to be seen.

At the same time, the Belgian football federation also submitted the new stadium as a candidate for the 2020 European Championships, which will get played in venues all across Europe.

If the new arena gets built, this spells the end for King Baudouin Stadium. The iconic stadium is one of the European stadiums that has hosted most European Cup finals, but will most of all be remembered by the last of all: the one between Juventus and Liverpool that was the stage of the Heysel disaster that cost the lives of 39 fans. 

Political agreement on new Brussels football stadium

Cardiff City have announced plans for the gradual expansion of Cardiff City Stadium to a final capacity of 38,000 seats. The newly promoted club of ambitious owner Tan Sri Vincent Tan hope that the increase will guarantee their long-term survival in England’s top division.

The plans are as follows:

Phase one development proposes to add a second tier to the club’s Ninian Stand and increase the capacity of Cardiff City Stadium to approximately 33,000.

The structure is set to incorporate over 5,000 extra general admission seats with the expansion also offering numerous commercial and hospitality opportunities to the football club. 

The club have already applied for planning permission and hope to get preliminary works underway in October of this year, with scheduled completion in July 2014. The first phase will then be followed by the addition of another 2,500 to 3,000 seats at each of the ends, raising capacity to a total of 38,000 seats.

The works will have no impact on capacity during the current season. Cardiff City Stadium is scheduled to host the UEFA Super Cup in September 2014.

Cardiff City announce stadium expansion plans

Key facts

Club: FC Astana & FC Bayterek | Opening: 2009 | Capacity: 30,000 seats

History and description

The Astana Arena was built to provide the city of Astana with a world-class modern stadium as part of the redevelopment of the city following it becoming capital of Kazakhstan in 1997.

The Astana Arena officially opened on 3 July 2009 with a match between FC Astana and a youth team composed of Kazakhstan players.

The stadium has a sliding roof and an artificial pitch. It is also the standard playing venue of the Kazakhstan national team.

How to get to the Astana Arena

The Astana Arena is located in the south of Astana at about 3 kilometres from central Astana with its axis of the Presidential Palace, the Bayterek Tower, and the Khan Shatyr entertainment centre.

The stadium is located in between Turan Avenue and Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, which are two of the city’s principal avenues running south from the centre.

Take a taxi or one of the buses running south along one of the before mentioned avenues to get to the stadium. Buses include line 10, 12, and 27.

Address: Astana Arena, Astana

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Astana Arena

The Astana Arena is part of a sports complex including an ice rink and indoors hall. The area around the stadium is mainly residential and there is little around in terms of eating and drinking.

There are various hotels close to the arena, including JJ Hotel, Maxx Hotel, and, a little further away, Royal Park Hotel. There are also various apartment rentals in the vicinity, or many more hotels in the centre of Astana.

Click here for an overview of hotels near the Astana Arena.

FC Astana Tickets

Tickets for FC Astana matches can be bought online at the official website or at the box office of the stadium. Tickets typically cost about KZT 200.00.

Photos of the Astana Arena

Photo credits: ChelseaFunNumberOne

Useful Internet links

Fca.kz – Official website of FC Kastana.
Zaproezd.kz – Astana public transport information.

Astana Arena

They have had to wait for it for many years, but DC United finally seem to be getting closer to building their own soccer-specific stadium.

The club has long tried to follow the string of MLS clubs that built new homes and subsequently saw attendances jump up, but they came never close to reaching a deal with the city of Washington DC about a location. Instead, they have had to keep playing their home matches at the much-too-large and ill-suited RFK Stadium.

Now, however, they have finally come to an agreement with the city over building a new stadium at Buzzard Point in the south of DC. The club will pay for building the stadium and the city for the land and infrastructure.

“This is an exciting plan that moves the District forward in two areas about which I’m passionate — economic development, particularly in the East End of the District, and sports,” said Mayor Gray. “The new soccer stadium is the final piece in the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative puzzle that, when complete will create the most vibrant and sustainable sports-and-retail district in America.”

DC United aim for a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 t0 25,000 seats, which is pretty much in line with what has been built elsewhere in the US. They also released a few renderings of the design, though specifically stated that these were still preliminary and subject to change.

The club, of course, showed delight in having reached a deal:

“We are proud to say that D.C. United has achieved a major milestone towards establishing a permanent, state-of-the-art home in Washington, D.C.,” said United managing partner Jason Levien. “This is a significant step forward, and we are going to continue to work diligently and collaboratively with the Mayor’s office and the D.C. Council to expedite this process and make this stadium a reality.”

That said, there is still a long legal road ahead before spades can go into the ground and United fans will be holding their breath and hope that this time luck will be on their side.

DC United edging closer to new stadium