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| Location | Gothenburg,Sweden |
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| Coordinates | 57°42′21″N11°59′14″E / 57.70583°N 11.98722°E /57.70583; 11.98722 |
| Owner | Higab |
| Operator | Got Event |
| Capacity | 43,000 75,000 for concerts |
| Field size | 105 × 66 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 29 May 1958 (1958-5-29) |
| Architect | Sten Samuelsson and Fritz Jaenecke |
Ullevi, sometimes known asNya Ullevi (Swedish:[(ˈnŷːa)ˈɵ̂lːɛˌviː],New Ullevi), is a multi-purpose stadium inGothenburg,Sweden. It was built for the1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted theWorld Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the1995 World Championships in Athletics and the2006 European Athletics Championships; theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in1983 and1990; theUEFA Euro 1992 final, theUEFA Cup final in2004; and annually hosted the opening ceremony of theGothia Cup, the world's largest football tournament in terms of the number of participants.IFK Göteborg has also played two UEFA Cup finals at the stadium, in1982 and1987, but then as "home game" in a home and away final. The stadium has hosted several events, including football, ice hockey, boxing, racing, athletics and concerts.
The stadium is one of the biggest in theNordic countries, with aseating capacity of 43,000 and a total capacity of 75,000 for concerts.
The ground opened for the1958 FIFA World Cup held across Sweden. It hosted four matches in Group D, including a play-off.[1] It also held a quarter-final, a semi-final and the third-place match. The stadium's record attendance for football is 52,194, set on 3 June 1959 whenÖrgryte IS played againstIFK Göteborg. The stadium hosted the1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, which saw Scotland'sAberdeen defeat Spanish giantsReal Madrid 2–1 after extra time. It also hosted the first leg of the1987 UEFA Cup Final between IFK Göteborg andDundee United of Scotland. The hosts won the game 1-0 thanks to a goal fromStefan Pettersson. The Swedish side would go on to lift the trophy for the second time in their history after a 1–1 draw atTannadice Park,Dundee in the second leg.
It was also the venue for the first game betweenNational Football League teams to be played on the European continent, organised by Swedish motor companyVolvo. In a pre-season game on 14 August 1988, theMinnesota Vikings won 28–21 against theChicago Bears.[2] The1990 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was also held at the stadium. It sawSampdoria of Italy defeatAnderlecht of Belgium 2-0 after extra-time.[3]
Ullevi held three Group B matches atUEFA Euro 1992[4] as well as a semi-final, and the final itself on 26 June in whichDenmark won the trophy againstGermany. The2004 UEFA Cup Final was held at the stadium on 19 May of that year.Valencia of Spain defeatedMarseille of France, 2–0.[5] The annualVärldsungdomsspelen (translation: World Youth Games)track and field competition is held at the stadium and the mass event has around 3000 athletes competing each year.[6]
Ullevi nearly collapsed during aBruce Springsteen concert on 8 June 1985 due to the rhythmic movement of tens of thousands of people in the audience and the clay soil on which the stadium is built.[7] The concert also caused nearly £3 million in damages, whileDavid Bowie'sGlass Spider Tour in June 1987 was relocated from Ullevi to Eriksberg because of fears about the safety of the structure.[8] Since then, the concrete pillars supporting the stadium have been extended down to the bedrock. Springsteen has performed at the stadium on subsequent tours in 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2023.[7]
Pink Floyd performed at Ullevi on 27 August 1994 as part of theirThe Division Bell Tour.[citation needed]Michael Jackson came to Ullevi on 16 August 1997, as part of hisHIStory World Tour, performing for a crowd of 50,000 people.[citation needed]Elton John hosted a sell-out concert in 1998.[citation needed] It was part of the Face-To-Face Tour withBilly Joel, although Joel was unable to perform because of illness. John played for over three hours.[citation needed]Tina Turner came to Ullevi on 0 August 1996, as part of herWildest Dreams Tour and 5 August 2000, as part of herTwenty Four Seven Tour with a sold-out crowd of 55,180.[citation needed]
The "big four" ofthrash metal (Slayer,Anthrax,Megadeth andMetallica) played in the stadium on 3 July 2011.[citation needed]U2 have performed at the stadium four times: the first occasion was on 2 August 1997 during theirPopMart Tour, in front of a crowd of 46,658 people. The second was on 29 July 2005 during theirVertigo Tour, in front of a sold-out crowd of 58,478 people. The third and the fourth were on 31 July and 1 August 2009 during theirU2 360° Tour, in front of a total sold-out crowd of 119,297 people. The performance of "The Unforgettable Fire" from the first 2009 show was recorded for the group's live albumU22.[citation needed]
Foo Fighters performed at the venue on 12 June 2015 on theSonic Highways World Tour. However,Dave Grohl fell off stage during the second song of the concert, breaking his leg. He was treated in the stadium before returning to the stage to continue the rest of the concert sitting down in a chair while a medic applied a cast. Despite Grohl's injuries, the band was able to complete the concert.
Iron Maiden performed at the stadium five times. The first was on 9 July 2005 during theirEddie Rips Up the World Tour. The second time was on 26 July 2008 during theirSomewhere Back in Time World Tour. The third time was on 1 July 2011 duringThe Final Frontier World Tour. The fourth time was on 17 June 2016 duringThe Book of Souls World Tour. The fifth time was on 22 July 2022 as a part ofLegacy of the Beast Tour before more than 60,000 fans.
The Swedish artistHåkan Hellström has in 2014, 2016 and 2022 broken the attendance record thanks to a small stage which gave room for more spectators.
The Gothenburg-raised artistLaleh became the first Swedish female to headline Ullevi, with a concert held on her 40th birthday on 10 June 2022.[9] When the tickets were released, 15,000 were sold in the first hour.[9] The concert, which featured orchestration from theGothenburg Symphony Orchestra, was broadcast onSVT1 on 2 January 2023 and made available onSVT Play on 28 December 2022.[10][11] An accompanying documentary directed by Sara Aren going behind the scenes of the concert preparations was also broadcast onSVT2 on 30 December 2022 under the titleLaleh – välkommen hem.[12] She played a second concert at Ullevi on 26 August 2023 as part of a national summer tour.[13]
In March 2007, Ullevi installed what whas then one of Sweden's largest solar power plants, consisting of 600m² of photovoltaic panels situated on the roof of the luxury boxes section. The peak power is 86.4 kW and the yield is supposed to cover the total power used by the artificial lighting for events, with a surplus.[14]
Ullevi has also hostedMotorcycle speedway and hosted theSpeedway World Championship on no less than eight occasions, second only to the oldWembley Stadium in London, England which hosted the World Final a record 26 times.[15] The track is a dirt surface laid out over the athletics track and is officially 404 metres (442 yards) long with a track record of 69.4 seconds (4 laps clutch start).[16]
The first Championship World Final to be held at Ullevi was the inauguralSpeedway World Team Cup competition in1960. Led by reigning world championOve Fundin and his teammatesOlle Nygren,Rune Sörmander andBjörn Knutson,Sweden swept to victory overEngland,Czechoslovakia andPoland. Ullevi would have to wait 26 years before World Team Cup competition returned with the stadium hosting the first round of the three round1986 Final.[17]
The first ever Individual World Final staged at Ullevi was in1964 when New Zealand'sBarry Briggs won with a 15-point maximum.[18] The largest attendance for a World Final at Ullevi occurred in1974 when 38,390 turned out to see Sweden's ownAnders Michanek win his only World Championship with an unbeaten 15 point maximum.[19] No World Championship winners at Ullevi dropped more than one point in their five rides with five of the seven World Finals being won with a 15-point maximum. The stadium also hosted other qualifying rounds for the Individual World Final including the inaugural running of theIntercontinental Final in1975 won by New Zealand legendIvan Mauger.[20]
Since the World Championship was changed in 1995 from a single meeting Final to theSpeedway Grand Prix (SGP), Ullevi has hosted a round of the series in2002,2003,2004 (Grand Prix of Scandinavia),2008,2009,2010 and2011 (Grand Prix of Sweden).
Ullevi hosted its onlyWorld Pairs Championship Final in1983 whenPeter Collins andKenny Carter won England's 6th Pairs crown.[21]
Barry Briggs - 15ptsIvan Mauger - 15pts
Ole Olsen - 15pts
Anders Michanek - 15ptsIvan Mauger - 14pts
Michael Lee - 14ptsErik Gundersen - 14ptsJan O. Pedersen - 15ptsEngland (Peter Collins /Kenny Carter) - 25ptsSweden (Ove Fundin /Olle Nygren /Rune Sörmander /Björn Knutson) - 44ptsDenmark (Hans Nielsen /Erik Gundersen /Tommy Knudsen /Jan O. Pedersen /John Jørgensen) - 130pts* Ullevi hosted the first of 3 rounds in the Final.
Leigh AdamsRyan SullivanHans N. Andersen
Rune Holta
Emil SayfutdinovKenneth BjerreChris HolderFredrik LindgrenEmil Sayfutdinov
| # | Event | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ingemar Johansson –Eddie Machen Boxing | 53,614 | 14 September 1958 |
| 2 | IFK Göteborg –Örgryte IS Football | 52,194 | 4 June 1959 |
| 3 | Sweden –Denmark Football | 51,062 | 23 October 1960 |
| 4 | Sweden – Göteborgsalliansen Football | 50,989 | 29 May 1958 |
| 5 | Brazil –Soviet Union Football | 50,928 | 15 June 1958 |
| # | Event | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World Athletics Championships Athletics | 592,240 | 4–13 August 1995 |
| 2 | European Athletics Championships Athletics | 269,038 | 6–13 August 2006 |
| 3 | World Speed Skating Championships Speed Skating | 69,599 | 13–14 February 1971 |
| 4 | Finnkampen Athletics | 51,567 | 4–5 September 2004 |
| 5 | Finnkampen Athletics | 49,366 | 28–29 August 1971 |
Ullevi is located on the eastern edge of Gothenburg's city centre and is one of the centre pieces of the event districtEvenemangsstråket, withScandinavium,Liseberg,Universeum, theMuseum of World Culture andBergakungen nearby. Public transport is easily accessible. There are two tram stops named after the stadium; Ullevi Norra (North) and Ullevi Södra (South). Both tram stops serve lines 6 (orange) and 8 (purple). Ullevi Södra also serves lines 2 (yellow) and 13 (beige), while Ullevi Norra also serves lines 1 (white) and 3 (blue). Approximately 700 metres west of Ullevi lies theGothenburg Central Station andNils Ericson Terminal. 900 metres south of Ullevi liesKorsvägen, a major public transport hub which serves more than fifteen different bus lines and several tram lines, and theLiseberg station serving theGothenburg commuter rail.
The stadium has 650 parking spaces located in a garage underneath the pitch. Additionally visitors are guided to eighteen nearby parking lots and parking garages—with a total of 7,000 parking spaces—by the event districts parking guidance and information system.[26] The system has a total of 130 digital signs, located on motorways with information about which exit to use, and on streets in the city with more detailed information about directions and number of available parking spaces.[26]
| Preceded by | European Cup Winners' Cup Final venue 1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Winners' Cup Final venue 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA European Championship Final venue 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IAAF World Championships in Athletics Main venue 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA Cup Final venue 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Athletics Championships Main venue 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Geographic | |
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