埼玉スタジアム2002 | |
Saisuta | |
 Interactive map of Saitama Stadium 2002 | |
| Full name | Saitama Stadium 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | Midori-ku, Saitama,Saitama Prefecture, Japan |
| Public transit |  Saitama Rapid Railway Line atUrawa-Misono |
| Owner | Saitama Prefecture |
| Operator | Saitama Prefectural Park Association |
| Capacity | 63,700[1] |
| Record attendance | 63,551 (Japan vsOman, 3 June 2012) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1 October 2001 |
| Tenants | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds (2001–present) Japan national football team (select matches)
| |
Saitama Stadium 2002 (埼玉スタジアム2002,Saitama Sutajiamu Nimarumaruni),a.k.a. theSaitama Stadium (埼玉スタジアム,Saitama Sutajiamu) or simplySaisuta (埼スタ), is afootballstadium located inMidori-ku,Saitama,Japan.
Currently,J1 League clubUrawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specificstadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadiums in Asia.[2][3] It has hosted the semi-finals of both the2002 FIFA World Cup and thefootball tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[4] It is also the home stadium ofJapan national football team in almost everyFIFA World Cup qualifying matches.
Built byAzusa Sekkei to host matches of the2002 FIFA World Cup, construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-hostJapan's first match againstBelgium.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Urawa Red Diamonds'local derby rivalOmiya Ardija hosted matches here along with Urawa Komaba due to expansion of its homeŌmiya Park Soccer Stadium.The stadium was also featured in the remastered version of the animeCaptain Tsubasa where in the middle school tournament the stadium was mostly shown as the main stadium.
The ease of access of the stadium has been a problem known to the prefectural government,[5] academics[6] and the home team for years,[7] mostly concerning the congested road traffic and the fact that it is 20-minute walk from the nearest station,Urawa-Misono.[5][6][7] FromTokyo station, the stadium is 45 minutes by train plus 1.2 km walking on foot,[8] or 40 minutes drive.[8]
A survey in 2017[9] found that on an international matchday, with typically 60,000 attendance, 60.5% (36,000) arrivedby railway,[6] 25.2% (15,000) drove cars,[6] 8.7% (5,200) took intra-prefecture shuttle bus,[6] and 3,300 (5.6%) arrivedby bicycle, motorbikes or on foot.[6] On a J. League club match typically with 40,000 attendance, railway usage dropped sharply to 40.6% while usage of all other modes of transport increased.[6]
The road congestion caught international attention in the2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers,[10] scheduled to kick-off at 19:35, October 15, 2024.Australia, staying in the five-starHotel Chinzanso Tokyo in downtownBunkyō, Tokyo,[11][12] took 2 hours 9 minutes (16:37-18:46) in their chartered coach to arrive the stadium.[11] Ordinary driving time fromTokyo Station is estimated to be 40 minutes, according to the stadium.[8]
The stadium was one of the venues of the2002 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:
| Date | Time (JST) | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 June 2002 | 18:30 |  England | 1–1 |  Sweden | Group F | 52,721 |
| 4 June 2002 | 18:00 |  Japan | 2–2 |  Belgium | Group H | 55,256 |
| 6 June 2002 | 18:00 |  Cameroon | 1–0 |  Saudi Arabia | Group E | 52,328 |
| 26 June 2002 | 20:30 |  Brazil | 1–0 |  Turkey | Semi-finals | 61,058 |
| Date | Time (JST) | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2021 | 17.00 |  France | 4–3 |  South Africa | Group A | 0 |
| 25 July 2021 | 20.00 | Japan | 0–1 |  Mexico | Group A | 0 |
| 28 July 2021 | 20.00 |  Spain | 1–1 |  Argentina | Group C | 0 |
| 28 July 2021 | 17.00 | Saudi Arabia | 1–3 | Brazil | Group D | 0 |
| 31 July 2021 | 19.00 | Brazil | 1–0 |  Egypt | Quarter-finals | 0 |
| 3 August 2021 | 20.00 | Japan | 0–1 | Spain | Semi-finals | 0 |
| 6 August 2021 | 18.00 | Mexico | 3–1 | Japan | Bronze-medal match | 0 |
| Date | Time (JST) | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2021 | 17.30 | Sweden | 4–2 |  Australia | Group G | 0 |
| 24 July 2021 | 12.30 |  New Zealand | 1–6 |  United States | Group G | 0 |
| 30 July 2021 | 12.30 | Sweden | 3–1 | Japan | Quarter-finals | 0 |
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{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)By Car: Urawa interchange - 10 minutes, Iwatsuki interchange - 15 minutes, Tokyo Station - 40 minutes, Haneda Airport - 50 minutes
Socceroos team bus set out at 4:37pm from Bunkyo and arrived in Saitama 6:46pm - Two hours and nine minutes. JFA and FA requested a delay to kickoff but AFC declined— Joey Lynch
[photos of Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo]
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | All Japan High School Soccer Tournament finals venue 2014–present | Succeeded by TBD |
| Preceded by | Host of the J.League Cup finals 2014–present | Succeeded by current |
35°54′11.2″N139°43′3.0″E / 35.903111°N 139.717500°E /35.903111; 139.717500
