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 Interactive map of Arena Națională | |
| Location | Bucharest, Romania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°26′14″N26°09′09″E / 44.43722°N 26.15250°E /44.43722; 26.15250 |
| Owner | Municipality of Bucharest |
| Executive suites | 42 |
| Capacity | 55,634 (football)[4] |
| Record attendance | 57,444 (Ed Sheeran, 24 August 2024) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m[1] |
| Roof | Retractable |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 20 February 2008 |
| Opened | 6 September 2011 |
| Construction cost | €234 million[2] (€338 million in 2021 euros)[3] |
| Architect | Gerkan, Marg and Partners |
| Main contractors | Max Bögl Astaldi |
| Tenants | |
| Romania National Team (2011–present) FCSB (2015–present) | |
TheNational Arena (Romanian:Arena Națională) is aretractable roof football stadium inBucharest, Romania. It opened in 2011 on the site of theoriginal National Stadium, which was demolished between 2007 and 2008. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of theRomania National Football Team, and usuallyRomanian Cup Final. With 55,634 seats, it is thelargest stadium in Romania.
Designed byGerkan, Marg and Partners, the stadium was built byMax Bögl andAstaldi firms. 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-openingSupercupa României. AUEFA category four stadium, the National Arena hosted the2012 UEFA Europa League final,[5] and four games atUEFA 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 forThe International 2021, the annualDota 2world championship event that still holds theGuinness World Records for the largestEsports prize pool for a single tournament ($40,018,195). Arena Națională has hosted concerts byMetallica,Guns N' Roses,Red Hot Chili Peppers,Depeche Mode, andEd Sheeran.
The Arena Națională is currently the home ground ofFCSB, the biggest brand in Romanian football.[7]FC Dinamo București also plays some selected matches at the Arena Națională.
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 defeatedAlbania 6–1 in aqualifying match for Euro 2008.
The construction phase generated some controversy over costs and delays, with BucharestmayorSorin Oprescu claiming that the works were 20 weeks behind schedule in May 2009.[8]On 8 October 2009, it was decided that the stadium should also include a retractable roof worth €20,000,000.[9]
Construction was temporarily halted in December 2009 due to unfavorable weather conditions.[10]
The venue holds 55,634 people. 3,600VIP 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.[11] The stadium is also very similar to theKazimierz Górski National Stadium inWarsaw, Poland, in terms of age, capacity and the roof.[12]
The National Stadium is aCategory 4 venue and as such, it hosted theUEFA Europa League 2011–12 final, as announced byUEFA atNyon on 29 January 2009.[13] 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.[11]
The stadium also hostedThe International 2021, the annual world championship for thevideo gameDota 2, in October 2021. This came after the original hosts, Sweden, did not classifyesports as a sporting event, making it more difficult for players to procure visas to the country.[14]
The official inauguration was initially scheduled for 10 August 2011, and was to feature a football match betweenRomania andArgentina.[15] However, on 26 July, Argentina officially cancelled the friendly match after their managerSergio Batista departed the team.
The stadium was inaugurated on 6 September 2011, with aUEFA Euro 2012Group D qualifier match between Romania andFrance.[16] 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 neighboursUkraine andPoland.
The highest audience for a football match was achieved at an exhibition game between Romania's "Golden Generation" and the "World Stars" team, ended with a 3–2 score, which brought 54.967 spectators at the stadium. It was the retirement match of arguably the best Romanian national team ever.[17]
The second highest audience for a football game was achieved at the Liga 1 football match between FCSB and CFR Cluj hosted on 11 May 2024, which brought 54,673 people to the stadium.[18]
Another large audience was hosted at theUEFA Europa League final on 9 May 2012. The game between the two Spanish teams,Atlético Madrid andAthletic Bilbao, brought 52,347 people to the stadium.[19]
Another match with a notable audience was betweenRomania andSwitzerland on 21 November 2023, in thequalifying stage of theUEFA Euro 2024 final tournament. With 50,224 people in the stands, Romania won 1–0, thus making it the winner ofGroup I and giving it a place in Pot 2 for the final tournament inGermany.[20]
On 6 September 2011, theRomania national football team, played the opening match against theFrench team which ended with a goalless draw, afterArgentina cancelled the official inauguration, a friendly match betweenRomania andArgentina on 10 August 2011.
Arena Națională was one of the stadiums that hosted matches for theUEFA 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[21] |
| 17 June 2021 | 16:00 |  Ukraine | 2–1 | 10,001[22] | ||
| 21 June 2021 | 19:00 | 0–1 | Austria | 10,472[23] | ||
| 28 June 2021 | 22:00 |  France | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–5p) |  Switzerland | Round of 16 | 22,642[24] |
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2012 |  Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm with You World Tour | 34,729 |
| 15 May 2013 |  Depeche Mode | Delta Machine Tour | 44,729 |
| 17 June 2017 | Kings of Leon | Walls Tour | 16,000 |
| 3 July 2019 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 48,044 |
| 14 August 2019 | Metallica | WorldWired Tour | 50,319 |
| 16 July 2023 | Guns N' Roses | We're F'N' Back! Tour | 42,000 |
| 26 July 2023 | Depeche Mode | Memento Mori World Tour | 46,634 |
| 12 June 2024 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 105,420[25] |
| 13 June 2024 | |||
| 24 August 2024 | Ed Sheeran | +-=÷x Tour | 57,444 |
| 13 May 2026 | Metallica | M72 World Tour | TBD |
| 28 May 2026 | Iron Maiden | Run for Your Lives World Tour | TBD |
The stadium is served by public transport withbuses, 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 → 75, 80, 86, 87, 90 –100 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 104 –300 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 5, 14, 46, 55 –500 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 101, 143, 335, N102 –550 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 14, 36 –600 metre walk to stadium entrance Trolleybuses routes → 69, 82, 85 –1400 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 143, 382, 383, 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, 253, 335 –750 metre walk to stadium entrance Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 80, 92 –800 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → N104 –800 metre walk to stadium entrance Metro routes → M1:Piața Muncii –1400 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 Georgian –1500 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 → 75, 80, 86, 87, 90 –600 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 104, 143 –600 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 1, 10, 34 –1100 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 135, 311, 330 –1100 metre walk to stadium entrance Metro routes → M1:Piața Muncii –1500 metre walk to stadium entrance Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 80, 92 –1500 metre walk to stadium entrance | |
| Strada Socului / Tribuna II EST | Trams routes → 36, 46 –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, 80, 92 –1500 metre walk to stadium entrance |
| Preceded by | UEFA Europa League Final venue 2012 | Succeeded by |
