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| Address | Jalgpalli 21 |
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| Location | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Coordinates | 59°25′17″N24°43′55″E / 59.42139°N 24.73194°E /59.42139; 24.73194 |
| Owner | Estonian Football Association |
| Operator | Estonian Football Association |
| Capacity | 14,336[1] |
| Field size | 105 by 68 metres (344 by 223 ft)[2] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2000 |
| Opened | 2 June 2001; 23 years ago (2001-06-02) |
| Expanded | 2016–2018 |
| Construction cost | 131 millionEEK (2002) |
| Architect | Haldo Oravas |
| Tenants | |
| FC Flora (2001–present) FCI Levadia (2019–present) Estonia national football team (2001–present)
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TheLilleküla Stadium, known asA. Le Coq Arena for sponsorship reasons, is afootball stadium inTallinn,Estonia. It is the home ground of football clubsFlora andLevadia, and theEstonia national football team. With a capacity of 14,336, it is the largest stadium in Estonia.
Opened in 2001 and expanded in 2018, Lilleküla Stadium has hosted the2018 UEFA Super Cup and the2012 UEFA European U-19 Championship.
The matter of building a national football stadium rose to Estonia's agenda in the second half of the 1990s, when it became evident thatKadriorg Stadium was not able to continue complying with international football standards. The stadium project was led byFC Flora and in July 1998, the club submitted a planning application to Tallinn City Council, requesting permission to build a new stadium on wasteland between railway lines inKitseküla, close to the border with neighbouringLilleküla.[3] Receiving the council's approval, Flora signed a 99-year lease on the estate and construction began in October 2000.[4] The stadium was designed by Estonian architect Haldo Oravas.
The construction of the Lilleküla Stadium was seen as a grand race against time, as the stadium had to be completed by June 2001 in order to avoid Estonia having to play its World Cup qualification home matches either inFinland orLatvia.[5] The media covered the state of the construction almost daily and the stadium received its permit on the day of Estonia's World Cup qualifying match against the Netherlands, with final seats being installed only hours before the kick-off.[5]
The stadium was officially opened on 2 June 2001, with a2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match betweenEstonia and theNetherlands. The match saw Estonia'sAndres Oper become the first player to score at the new stadium when he scored in the 65th minute, with the full-time result being a 4–2 victory for the Netherlands.
In January 2002,A. Le Coq bought the naming rights of the stadium. During the2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, the stadium hosted six out of 15 tournament matches, including the final, which sawSpain defeatGreece 1–0.
In 2012, Flora completed the transfer ownership of the Lilleküla Football Complex, including Lilleküla Stadium, to theEstonian Football Association. The deal was later revealed to have been worth over €12 million.[6]
In September 2016, it was announced that the stadium would host the2018 UEFA Super Cup.[7][8] In preparation for the match, the stadium's capacity was increased from 10,340 to 14,336, with the total expansion cost of around €7 million.[9] The 2018 UEFA Super Cup match between the2017–18 UEFA Champions League winnersReal Madrid and the2017–18 UEFA Europa League winnersAtlético Madrid was held on 15 August 2018, with Atlético Madrid winning 4–2 in extra time.[10]
Lilleküla Stadium is part of the Lilleküla Football Complex, which also includes two grass surface pitches, twoartificial turf pitches of which one is the 1,198-seatSportland Arena, and an indoor football hall named EJL Jalgpallihall.[1]
Aside from football and other sporting events, several concerts have been held at Lilleküla Stadium.Lenny Kravitz performed in 2005 andAerosmith in 2007.[1] In 2023, the stadium hosted the concert ofNOËP and in 2024, the concert ofMax Korzh.
| Tenants | League season | Home games | Average attendance[11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Flora | 2024 | 18 | 694 |
| FCI Levadia Tallinn | 2024 | 18 | 713 |
| FC Flora | 2023 | 18 | 518 |
| FCI Levadia Tallinn | 2023 | 18 | 763 |
| FC Flora | 2022 | 18 | 509 |
| FCI Levadia Tallinn | 2022 | 18 | 489 |
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| Preceded by | UEFA Super Cup Match venue 2018 | Succeeded by |
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