Initially built for the1998 FIFA World Cup and the2008 Summer Olympics failed bid the stadium's name was recommended byMichel Platini, head of the organizing committee. On 12 July 1998, France beatBrazil 3–0 in the1998 FIFA World Cup Final held at the stadium. The Stadium was a key player in the success of the city's bid to host the2024 Summer Olympic Games and also theParalympics and in addition to hosting athletics and the closing ceremonies of both events. The stadium was rugby sevens venue during the Olympic Games.
Stade de France visible from central Paris behind the basilica ofSacré-Cœur
The discussion about a newnational stadium in France was asked during the bid process for the1998 FIFA World Cup, when this issue was noted as one of the weaknesses of the Paris bid for the1992 Summer Olympics. And despite the existing infrastructure, if the process won, there was a guarantee that the French government and theFrench Football Federation would build a stadium for more than 80 thousand people and that it would become the main stage of the event. With the confirmation of France's choice announced on July 2, 1992, this new all-seater covered stadium was guaranteed and thus broke the country's tradition of not building any new specific structure for a sporting event, as the last one was theStade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir. Due to the magnitude and importance of the facility, theCouncil of State was allowed a first-hand approach to how the stadium would be constructed and paid for. The Council sought for the stadium to be built as close as possible to Paris and their metropolitan area, and that the constructor and operator of the facility would receive significant financial contributions for 30 months following the stadium's completion. The architects Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal, and Claude Constantini, who were associated with CR SCAU Architecture, handled the stadium's design.[citation needed]
The stadium was officially ready for construction following the government's selection of manufacturers,Bouygues,Dumez, andSGE, and the signing of building permits on 30 April 1995.[4][5] With only 31 months to complete the stadium, construction commenced on 2 May 1995. The first cornerstone was laid five months later, on 6 September. After over a year of construction, over 800,000 m2 (200 acres) ofearthworks had been created, and as much as 180,000 m3 (6,400,000 cu ft) of concrete had been poured. The roof installation cost €45 million, and the mobile platform took over a year to complete.
During the developmental phase, the stadium was referred to in French as theGrand Stade ("large stadium"). On 4 December 1995, theMinistry of Sport launched a design competition to decide on a name for the stadium. The stadium was officially named Stade de France (France's Stadium) after the Ministry heard a proposal from Frenchfootball legendMichel Platini, who recommended the name. The total cost of the stadium was €364 million.[6][7]
The stadium was inaugurated on 28 January 1998, with a friendly football match between France andSpain. The match was played in front of 78,368 spectators, which includedPresidentJacques Chirac, with France winning the match 1–0 withZinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal, and the first-ever at Stade de France, in the 20th minute.[8] Six months later, France returned to the stadium and defeatedBrazil in the1998 FIFA World Cup Final to earn their first World Cup title. Stade de France has hosted group, quarter-final, semi-final and the final match of 1998 FIFA World Cup.[9] The national rugby team's first match in the facility was held five days after its opening, on 2 February, with France earning a 24–17 win overEngland in front of 77,567 spectators.[10]Philippe Bernat-Salles converted the first ever try at the stadium scoring it in the 11th minute of play.[11]
On 24 May 2000, Stade de France hosted the2000 UEFA Champions League Final. In the match, which saw 78,759 spectators attend, Spanish clubReal Madrid defeated fellow Spanish clubValencia 3–0. In 2003, Stade de France was the primary site of the2003 World Championships in Athletics. Three years later, event returned to the stadium with another Spanish clubBarcelona defeating England'sArsenal 2–1. On 9 May 2009, Stade de France set the national attendance record for a sporting match played in France with 80,832 showing up to watchGuingamp upsetBrittany rivalsRennes 2–1 in the2009 Coupe de France Final. On 22 May 2010, Stade de France hosted the2010 Heineken Cup Final.[12] On 11 February 2012, a Six Nations international rugby game between France and Ireland had to be cancelled just before kick-off due to the pitch freezing as the stadium lacks under-soil heating.[13]
On 13 November 2015, in one ofa series of coordinated shootings and bombings across Paris, Stade de France was targeted. Two small proportion explosions occurred outside the stadium during an international friendly between France and Germany, with French PresidentFrançois Hollande in attendance. The terrorists, however, were unable to enter the stadium stands.[14] The explosion was heard inside the stadium, and many thought it was a firework going off inside the stadium. The attacker wanted to infiltrate the stadium, but was scared away when he saw security and was forced to detonate outside the park. The authorities, aware of what had occurred outside the stadium, chose to continue the match out of concerns that cancelling it would have caused a panic. The stadium has since improved its counter-attack training and strengthened its security.[15] There have since been new guidelines issued by the French police, with mixed reactions.[16]
In 2016, Stade de France was used as the main stadium for theUEFA Euro 2016, hosting seven matches.[17] The stadium was used for the opening ceremony of the tournament which saw French DJDavid Guetta perform at the stadium. At the end of his set, Guetta invited Swedish singerZara Larsson on stage to perform the tournament's official song "This One's for You".[18][19] Following the ceremony the stadium was used for the tournament's opening game which saw France beat Romania 2–1.[20] Across the next month, the stadium was used for six other tournament matches including theUEFA Euro 2016 Final between France and Portugal. The match followed the closing ceremony which again sawDavid Guetta perform.[21] Portugal defeated France, 1–0 in extra time, winning the tournament for the first time.[22]
For the third time in its history, the2022 UEFA Champions League Final was held at the venue. This game betweenLiverpool F.C. andReal Madrid CF, was delayed because of difficulties admitting fans. The conclusions of the independent review, commissioned by UEFA, found that the early justification from UEFA—that the delay was due to late arriving supporters—was "objectively untrue". The review found that two overarching organisational problems were responsible: the UEFA model for such matches which allowed for an absence of overall control, and the approach to policing the match which inappropriately assumed Liverpool FC supporters posed a public order risk.[23]
Stade de France has amovable stand which can be retracted to uncover part of theathletics track.[24] The stadium was notably designed with the assistance of a software simulation of crowd in order to get an accurate observation of how it would look fully developed. The facility was also intended to draw interest in and develop the area of the Plaine Saint-Denis, which straddle the communes ofSaint-Denis,Aubervilliers, andSaint-Ouen. The primary goal was to renovate the area by building new residential and tertiary sites.
The stadium was built without any undersoil heating as noted when Ireland were due to play France in theSix Nations Tournament rugby union match of 2012, when the game had to be canceled.
In 2002, theInternational Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) awarded a prize recognizing the unique structure of the stadium, commenting that Stade de France exhibited "a construction of an attractive open architecture of the city, with an elegance and natural lightness".
The last part of the metallic construction of the roof, 1997
Construction of the stadium's roof cost over €45 million. Its elliptical shape symbolizes the universality ofsport in France. Its area of six hectares and weight, 13,000 tons, is considered a technical marvel by many. It was designed to easily protect the 80,000 spectators without covering the playing field. All lighting and sound, which include 550 lights and 36 blocks of 5 speakers, are housed inside to avoid obstructing visibility. The tinted glass in the center reduces the contrast and distributes natural light. It filters out red andinfraredradiation, however, it allows blue and green lights, due to their necessity involving the health of the turf.
Stade de France is the biggest modular stadium in the world. With a three modules structure, the first module has 25,000 seats. It is reached by level 1. It is partially retractable. To reveal the running track and jumping pits, the rear sections are lowered 7.1 m, then the inner sections retract 15 m into the space created,[25] carried by ten distinct elements of 700 tons each. The tier then retains 22,000 seats. The transition takes 40 people and lasts 80 hours.
Access to the middle tier is through 22 bridges and can be found at level 3 with a concentration of restaurants, entertainment areas, shops and central station security.
Eighteen staircases lead viewers to the upper tier located at Level 6.
The evacuation procedures at the Stade de France are initiated about fifteen minutes prior to closing time. However, the actual time it takes to fully evacuate the stadium can vary depending on the number of attendees and the specific circumstances.
Located at 11 meters below the court, the playing area measures 9,000 square meters (120 meters long and 75 meters wide) to a grassed area of 11,000 square meters. Nearly one billion seeds were sown to produce the first pitch in 1997. Today, the grass comes in rolls of 1.20 m x 8 m. Changing the pitch calls for three days of preparation and five days of installation. The change takes place several times a year, depending on the programming stage.Unlike many other stadiums, Stade de France was built without under pitch heating, as the stadium was constructed on the site of an old gasworks,[26] and there were concerns[by whom?] it could cause an explosion.
Stade de France on August 5, 2024, during the Olympic Games
As part of its policy of renewing its infrastructure, Stade de France added two new big screens in September 2006. The new displays have a surface 58% greater than the previous screens installed in 1998. The newer giant screens are each composed of 4,423,680light emitting diodes. They have faster response time and are brighter than the previous screens.[citation needed]
The performance ofStockholm Syndrome was recorded for the group's live EPSummer Stadiums 2010 EP. It was also filmed and released on the band's officialYouTube channel.
Coldplay hold four records at the venue, including fastest ticket sales ever in France (over 200,000 units in a morning);[38] first act to sell over 300,000 tickets on a single tour,[39] first act to perform four shows on a single tour;[40] and highest attendance of all time (318,331).[41]
Highest average gross ($13.2 million).Highest attendance for a female act (215,025).[43]First international female act to perform three shows on a single tour.[44]
Most career performances by a female act (9 shows).[45]
On 12 May 2012, the French heavy metal bandGojira performed at the stadium as the opening act forMetallica during theirEuropean Black Album Tour.[32] Gojira's concert wasmeasured at 120decibels in the corridors backstage,[32] which broke the record for the loudest sound ever recorded at Stade de France.[46]
On 11 April 2015, the crowd noise produced by the 80,000 people at Stade de France during the2015 Coupe de la Ligue Final reached 109 decibels, which set the world record for the noisiest stadium recorded during a final match of afootball tournament.[47]
Stade de France has as a regular tenant only thenational football andnational rugby teams. Repeated attempts to persuade a professional football or rugby team to move there have failed so far. Upon the construction of the stadium,Paris Saint-Germain declined to move there, choosing to remain at theParc des Princes under pressure from its then-owner (pay-TV networkCanal Plus) and the Paris city government.[citation needed]
However, the Paris rugby clubStade Français have now established themselves as a semi-regular tenant. They began by scheduling their Top 14 home fixture on 15 October 2005 againstToulouse at Stade de France. Stade Français's president,Max Guazzini, publicly said that the club would have to sell 25,000 to 30,000 tickets to break even. Three weeks before the match, 61,000 tickets had been sold, setting a French record for tickets sold to a league match for any sport, including football. The final attendance was 79,454, smashing the national attendance record for a league match in any sport by more than 20,000. Five minutes before the end of the Toulouse match, Guazzini announced to the crowd that Stade Français's scheduled home fixture againstBiarritz in March 2006 would also be held at Stade de France.[48] The Stade-Biarritz match broke the attendance record from earlier in the season, with 79,604 present.[citation needed]
Guazzini then booked Stade de France for the same two league fixtures in2006–07. The Biarritz match on 16 October 2006 drew 79,619, making this the third consecutive Stade Français fixture at Stade de France to set an all-time French attendance record. The record was broken yet again at a match against Toulouse on 27 January 2007, with 79,741 filling the stands. Stade Français went on to schedule three home matches at Stade de France in the2007–08 season. For the 2008–09 season, they booked Stade de France for threehome league matches anda Heineken Cup pool match. The number of Stade Français home matches at Stade de France increased again for 2009–10, with fiveTop 14 fixtures already announced for the stadium.[citation needed]
Even with the lack of a regular league tenant, the stadium's revenue increased greatly in 2007, as it was used extensively during the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, where it hosted numerous pool matches, a quarterfinal match, both of the semi-finals and the final.[citation needed]
TheLille OSC football team played all its "home" games in European competition during the 2005–06 season, both in theUEFA Champions League and theUEFA Cup, at Stade de France because its own stadium was then under renovation, and the only nearer alternative on French soil,Stade Félix-Bollaert, was not available as that ground's occupant, Lille's local rivalLens, was also participating in the UEFA Cup. Stade de France has hosted the Champions League final on three occasions:2000 (Real Madrid 3Valencia 0),2006 (Barcelona 2Arsenal 1), and2022 (Real Madrid 1Liverpool 0).
France's governing body for rugby union, theFrench Rugby Federation (FFR), announced in November 2010 that it would not renew its deal to use Stade de France for international rugby matches when it expired in 2013. FFR also stated that it planned to build a new stadium of its own in the Paris region.[49]
Reportedly, the FFR had become increasingly frustrated with several aspects of the deal. According to rugby journalist Ian Moriarty, "The deal with the Stade de France has been a disaster for the FFR financially over the years, forcing France's powerbrokers to look across theEnglish channel at theRFU'sTwickenham cash cow with ever increasing envy."[50] Reports vary widely as to how much the FFR must spend to rent out the stadium, but estimates range from €3 million[50] to €5 million[51] per match. Although Stade de France and Twickenham are roughly the same size, the rental expense means that the FFR reportedly makes about one-third as much from a Stade de France sellout as does the RFU from a sellout at Twickenham.[51] In addition, the national rugby team does not enjoy primacy at Stade de France; the national football team and major concerts take priority. FFR had to move two of its 2010–11 home Tests to Montpellier and Nantes due to fixture clashes with the national football team.[50] Also, former FFR presidentSerge Blanco claimed that the2009 Top 14 final had to be moved from May to June because of a conflict with aJohnny Hallyday rock concert.[49]
In June 2012, FFR announced that it had selected the site for its new ground, tentatively known as Grand Stade FFR.[52] The 82,000-seat stadium, featuring a retractable roof and slide-out pitch, was to be built on a former horse racing track inÉvry, about 25 km (16 mi) south of Paris. The new stadium, estimated to cost €600 million, was originally scheduled to open in 2017,[50] but completion was later pushed back to the 2021/2022 time frame.[53] FFR officially abandoned the stadium project in December 2016.[54]
Although located at the crossroads of auto-routes A1 and A86, it is not advisable to go there by car unless one has reserved parking. The stadium was built with a very limited number of parking spaces, which is whypublic transportation is considered the primary means of getting to the stadium. River shuttles are provided by theCanal Saint-Denis.
^"Un coût de 364 millions d'euros" [A cost of 364 million euros].Le Journal du Net. Paris: CCM Benchmark. n.d.Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved3 May 2021.
^abcBureau, Eric (12 May 2012)."Metallica embrase le Stade de France" [Metallica sets the Stade de France ablaze].Le Parisien (in French). Paris.Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved26 March 2021.{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)
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