Arena Națională

Football stadium in Bucharest

44°26′14″N 26°09′09″E / 44.43722°N 26.15250°E / 44.43722; 26.15250OwnerMunicipality of BucharestExecutive suites42Capacity55,634 (football)[4]Record attendance53,329 (Romania vs Netherlands,
16 October 2012)Field size105 x 68 m[1]SurfaceGrassConstructionBroke ground20 February 2008OpenedSeptember 6, 2011Construction cost€234 million[2]
(€338 million in 2021 euros)[3]ArchitectGerkan, Marg and PartnersMain contractorsMax Bögl
AstaldiTenantsRomania National Football Team (2011–present)
FCSB (2015–present)
Rapid București (2021–2022)

The National Arena (Romanian: Arena Națională) is a retractable roof football stadium in Bucharest, 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, and usually Romanian Cup Final. With 55,634 seats, it is the largest stadium in Romania.

Designed by Gerkan, Marg and Partners, the stadium was built by German firm Max Bögl and Italian firm Astaldi. 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. A UEFA category four stadium, the National Arena hosted the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final,[5] and four games at UEFA Euro 2020 (including the Round of 16 match between France and Switzerland, ended in a 3–3 draw, with Switzerland defeating France 5–4 at penalties).[6] The stadium has also been used as the venue for The International 2021, the annual Dota 2 world championship esports tournament. Arena Națională has hosted concerts by Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, and Ed Sheeran.

It is currently the home ground of FCSB and was also temporarily used by FC Rapid București between 2021 and 2022 as its traditional ground was being rebuilt. FC Dinamo București also plays some select matches here.

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 6–1 in a qualifying match for Euro 2008.

The construction phase generated some controversy over costs and delays, with Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu claiming that the works were 20 weeks behind schedule in May 2009.[7] On 8 October 2009, it was decided that the stadium should also include a retractable roof worth €20,000,000.[8]

Construction was temporarily halted in December 2009 due to unfavorable weather conditions.[9]

Facilities

The venue holds 55,634 people. 3,600 VIP 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.[10] The stadium is also very similar to the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland, in terms of age, capacity and the roof.[11]

A panoramic view of the stadium

Usage

The National Stadium is a Category 4 venue and as such, it hosted the UEFA Europa League 2011–12 final, as announced by UEFA at Nyon on 29 January 2009.[12] 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.[10]

The stadium also hosted The International 2021, the annual world championship for the video game Dota 2, in October 2021. This came after the original hosts, Sweden, did not classify esports as a sporting event, making it more difficult for players to procure visas to the country.[13]

History

Romania-France opening match
2012 UEFA Europa League Final

The official inauguration was initially scheduled for 10 August 2011, and was to feature a football match between Romania and Argentina.[14] However, on 26 July, Argentina officially cancelled the friendly match after their manager Sergio Batista departed the team.

The stadium was inaugurated on 6 September 2011, with a UEFA Euro 2012 Group D qualifier match between Romania and France.[15] In the front of 49,137 fans, Romania and France drew 0–0. The result meant that Romania lost any chance of qualifying for the tournament, hosted by neighbours Ukraine and Poland.

Notable attendances

The highest audience for a football game was achieved at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Romania and Netherlands, hosted on 16 October 2012, which brought 53,329 people to the stadium.[15][16]

The second largest audience was hosted at the UEFA Europa League Final on 9 May 2012. The game between the two Spanish teams, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, brought 52,347 people to the stadium.[17]

Another match with a notable audience was between Romania and Switzerland on November 21, 2023, in the qualifying stage of the UEFA Euro 2024 final tournament. With 50,224 people in the stands, Romania won 1–0, thus making it the winner of Group I and giving it a place in Pot 2 for the final tournament in Germany.[18]

Association football

International football clubs matches
Date Competition Home Away Score Attendance
27 September 2011 UEFA Champions League Romania Oțelul Galați Portugal Benfica 0–1 6,824
29 September 2011 UEFA Europa League Romania Rapid București Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1–3 21,320
18 October 2011 UEFA Champions League Romania Oțelul Galați England Manchester United 0–2 28,047
20 October 2011 UEFA Europa League Romania Rapid București Poland Legia Warsaw 0–1 13,726
3 November 2011 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Israel Maccabi Haifa 4–2 31,233
22 November 2011 UEFA Champions League Romania Oțelul Galați Switzerland Basel 2–3 5,797
30 November 2011 UEFA Europa League Romania Rapid București Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 1–3 4,529
14 December 2011 Romania FCSB Cyprus AEK Larnaca 3–1 50,051
16 February 2012 Netherlands Twente 0–1 49,588
9 May 2012 UEFA Europa League Final Spain Atlético Madrid Spain Athletic Bilbao 3–0 52,347
2 August 2012 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Slovakia Spartak Trnava 0–1 23,494
9 August 2012 Romania Rapid București Netherlands Heerenveen 1–0 1,928
23 August 2012 Romania Dinamo București Ukraine Metalist Kharkiv 0–2 14,800
4 October 2012 Romania FCSB Denmark Copenhagen 1–0 48,694
25 October 2012 Norway Molde 2–0 43,651
22 November 2012 Germany Stuttgart 1–5 50,445
21 February 2013 Netherlands Ajax 2–0
(4–2 p.)
35,423
7 March 2013 England Chelsea 1–0 50,016
11 July 2013 UEFA Europa League Romania Astra Giurgiu Slovenia Domžale 2–0 1,513
16 July 2013 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB North Macedonia Vardar 1–0 40,725
18 July 2013 UEFA Europa League Romania Astra Giurgiu Cyprus Omonia 1–1 2,164
6 August 2013 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 1–1 44,225
8 August 2013 UEFA Europa League Romania Astra Giurgiu Slovakia Trenčín 2–2 1,440
21 August 2013 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Poland Legia Warsaw 1–1 52,303
1 October 2013 England Chelsea 0–4 36,713
22 October 2013 Switzerland Basel 1–1 23,899
26 November 2013 Germany Schalke 04 0–0 50,633
23 July 2014 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Norway Strømsgodset 2–0 18,043
6 August 2014 Kazakhstan Aktobe 2–1 24,386
19 August 2014 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 1–0 35,342
18 September 2014 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Denmark AaB 6–0 0[A]
23 October 2014 Portugal Rio Ave 2–1 15,753
11 December 2014 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0–2 7,620
22 July 2015 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Slovakia Trenčín 2–3 0 [A]
29 July 2015 Serbia Partizan 1–1
20 August 2015 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Norway Rosenborg 0–3 21,204
3 August 2016 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Czech Republic Sparta Prague 2–0 37,127
16 August 2016 England Manchester City 0–5 45,327
15 September 2016 UEFA Europa League Romania Astra Giurgiu Austria Austria Wien 2–3 3,300
29 September 2016 Romania FCSB Spain Villarreal 1–1 13,231
20 October 2016 Switzerland Zürich 1–1 13,154
3 November 2016 Romania Astra Giurgiu Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 1–1 1,450
24 November 2016 Romania FCSB Turkey Osmanlıspor 2–1 6,020
8 December 2016 Romania Astra Giurgiu Italy Roma 0–0 7,100
25 July 2017 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 2–2 33,795
27 July 2017 UEFA Europa League Romania Dinamo București Spain Athletic Bilbao 1–1 26,783
23 August 2017 UEFA Champions League Romania FCSB Portugal Sporting CP 1–5 49,220
14 September 2017 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 3–0 20,714
2 November 2017 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1–1 27,134
7 December 2017 Switzerland Lugano 1–2 13,231
15 February 2018 Italy Lazio 1–0 33,455
2 August 2018 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Slovenia Rudar Velenje 4–0 7,030
16 August 2018 Croatia Hajduk Split 2–1 27,410
30 August 2018 Austria Rapid Wien 2–1 31,274
27 August 2020 UEFA Europa League Romania FCSB Armenia Shirak 3–0 0[B]
23 February 2021 UEFA Champions League Spain Atlético Madrid England Chelsea 0–1 0[B]
22 July 2021 UEFA Europa Conference League Romania FCSB Kazakhstan Shakhter Karagandy 1–0 5,812
28 July 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League Romania FCSB Georgia (country) Saburtalo Tbilisi 4–2 25,228
11 August 2022 Slovakia FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda 1–0 40,457
18 August 2022 Norway Viking FK 1–2 30,134
15 September 2022 Belgium Anderlecht 0–0 29,613
13 October 2022 Denmark Silkeborg 0–5 9,103
3 November 2022 England West Ham 0–3 20,172
Notes
  1. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to punishment by UEFA.
  2. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Romania national football team matches

On 6 September 2011, the Romania national football team, played the opening match against the French team which ended with a goalless draw, after Argentina cancelled the official inauguration, a friendly match between Romania and Argentina on 10 August 2011.

Nr Competition Date Opponent Attendance Result Scorers for Romania
1 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying 6 September 2011  France 49,137 0–0
2 7 October 2011  Belarus 29,846 2–2 2 x Adrian Mutu
3 Friendly 29 January 2012  Uruguay 15,000 1–1 Bogdan Stancu
4 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 September 2012  Andorra 24,630 4–0 Gabriel Torje, Costin Lazăr, Valerică Găman, Alexandru Maxim
5 16 October 2012  Netherlands 53,329 1–4 Ciprian Marica
6 Friendly 14 November 2012  Belgium 5,000 2–1 Alexandru Maxim, Gabriel Torje
7 Friendly 4 June 2013  Trinidad and Tobago 10,128 4–0 3 x Ciprian Marica
8 Friendly 14 August 2013  Slovakia 6,738 1–1 Bogdan Stancu
9 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 September 2013  Hungary 41,405 3–0 Ciprian Marica, Mihai Pintilii, Cristian Tănase
10 10 September 2013  Turkey 44,357 0–2
11 15 October 2013  Estonia 18,852 2–0 2 x Ciprian Marica
12 19 November 2013  Greece 49,793 1–1
13 Friendly 5 March 2014  Argentina 45,034 0–0
14 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 11 October 2014  Hungary 50,085 1–1 Raul Rusescu
15 14 November 2014  Northern Ireland 28,892 2–0 2 x Paul Papp
16 Friendly 18 November 2014  Denmark 10,000 2–0 2 x Claudiu Keșerü
17 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 7 September 2015  Greece 38,153 0–0
18 8 October 2015  Finland 47,987 1–1 Ovidiu Hoban
19 Friendly 3 June 2016  Georgia 27,937 5–1 Adrian Popa, Nicolae Stanciu, Gabriel Torje, Claudiu Keșerü
20 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 November 2016  Poland 48,531 0–3
21 1 September 2017  Armenia 27,178 1–0 Alexandru Maxim
22 Friendly 14 November 2017  Netherlands 26,000 0–3
23 2018–19 UEFA Nations League 14 October 2018  Serbia 48,513 0–0
24 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 5 September 2019  Spain 50,024 1–2 Florin Andone
25 15 October 2019  Norway 29,854 1–1 Alexandru Mitriță
26 15 November 2019  Sweden 49,678 0–2
27 2020–21 UEFA Nations League 4 September 2020  Northern Ireland 0[A] 1–1 George Pușcaș
28 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 25 March 2021  North Macedonia 0[A] 3–2 Florin Tănase, Valentin Mihăilă, Ianis Hagi
29 28 March 2021  Germany 0[A] 0–1
30 5 September 2021  Liechtenstein 9,404 2–0 Alin Toșca, Cristian Manea
31 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying 28 March 2023  Belarus 27,837 2–1 Andrei Burcă, Nicolae Stanciu
32 9 September 2023  Israel 49,123 1–1 Denis Alibec
33 21 November 2023   Switzerland 50,224 1–0
Notes
  1. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Euro 2020 matches

Arena Națională was one of the stadiums that hosted matches for the UEFA Euro 2020. Three Group C matches and a Round of 16 game were played there.

Date Time (EEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
13 June 2021 19:00  Austria 3–1  North Macedonia Group C 9,082[19]
17 June 2021 16:00  Ukraine 2–1 10,001[20]
21 June 2021 19:00 0–1  Austria 10,472[21]
28 June 2021 22:00  France 3–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)
  Switzerland Round of 16 22,642[22]

Concerts

List of concerts at Arena Națională, showing date, artist, tour and attendance
Date Artist Tour Attendance
31 August 2012 United States Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm with You World Tour 37,000
15 May 2013 United Kingdom Depeche Mode Delta Machine Tour 44,729
17 June 2017 United States Kings of Leon Walls Tour 16,000
3 July 2019 United Kingdom Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 48,044
14 August 2019 United States Metallica WorldWired Tour 50,319
16 July 2023 United States Guns N' Roses We're F'N' Back! Tour 42,000
26 July 2023 United Kingdom Depeche Mode Memento Mori World Tour 45,000
2 November 2023 Romania Fecal Matter TMR7: 7th Anniversary World Tour
16 November 2023
12 June 2024 United Kingdom Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour
13 June 2024

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).

Transport means Stadium entrance Routes
Transport in Bucharest Strada Pierre de Coubertin / Peluza I NORD Trolleybuses routes → 86, 90 – 100 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 104 – 300 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 46, 55 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 101, 335, N102 – 550 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 14, 36 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trolleybuses routes → 69, 85 – 1400 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 143, 682 – 1400 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bulevardul Basarabia / Peluza II SUD Trams routes → 40, 56 – 250 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → N109 – 250 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 36 – 750 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 101, 102, 335 – 750 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 92 – 800 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → N104 – 800 metre walk to stadium entrance
Metro routes → M1: Piața Muncii1400 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 1 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 135, 253, 311, 330 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Metro routes → M1: Costin Georgian1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 104 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Strada Maior Ion Coravu / Tribuna I VEST Trams routes → 40, 56 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → N109 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trolleybuses routes → 86, 90 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 104 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 1 – 1100 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 135, 311, 330 – 1100 metre walk to stadium entrance
Metro routes → M1: Piața Muncii1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 92 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Strada Socului / Tribuna II EST Trams routes → 36 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 101, 335 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 14, 46, 55 – 800 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 104 – 850 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 102, N109 – 950 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trams routes → 40, 56 – 950 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → 253 – 1400 metre walk to stadium entrance
Bus routes → N104 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance
Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 92 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance

See also

References

  1. ^ Finalizarea Arenei Naționale Archived 22 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Național Arena costa 119 milioane de euro și a ajuns la 234!
  3. ^ Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices: All Items for Romania
  4. ^ Am cucerit Europa şi-n tribune! – Steaua – Chelsea a fost urmărit de cei mai mulţi suporteri dintre meciurile din optimile Europa League
  5. ^ "UEFA Europa League trophy handed to Bucharest". UEFA. 11 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Welcome to Bucharest". UEFA. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Oprescu atacă: "Lucrările la stadionul 'Național' sunt în întârziere cu 20 de săptămâni"" (in Romanian). Prosport. 22 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Stadionul Național va avea acoperiș retractabil de 20 milioane euro" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 14 October 2009.
  9. ^ "Oprescu: "Stadionul Național va fi gata în decembrie 2010!"" (in Romanian). 15 December 2009.
  10. ^ a b "TRIMIŞI AI FORULUI DE LA NYON AU FOST ACUM DOUĂ SĂPTĂMÎNI LA BUCUREŞTI – Ultimatum UEFA" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 14 January 2010.
  11. ^ "Stadiony Euro 2020: National Arena Bucharest". Weszlo.com (in Polish).
  12. ^ "2012 final: National Stadium, Bucharest". UEFA.
  13. ^ Bailey, Dustin (7 July 2021). "Dota 2's The International gets new dates after Sweden says no to esports". PCGamesN. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  14. ^ "De acum e sigur, România – Argentina se va juca pe 11 august 2011" (in Romanian). GSP TV. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Mircea Sandu: "Facem inaugurarea stadionului Național cu Franța"" (in Romanian). Evenimentul Zilei. 30 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Romania vs Netherlands – 16 octombrie 2012 – Soccerway". Ro.soccerway.com. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  17. ^ Atlético Madrid-Athletic Bilbao
  18. ^ "Romania beat Swiss 1-0 to clinch top spot in Euro 2024 qualifying group". Reuters. 22 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Full Time Summary – Austria v North Macedonia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Full Time Summary – Ukraine v North Macedonia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Full Time Summary – Ukraine v Austria" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Switzerland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

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