Arena Națională

Arena Națională (Romanian pronunciation: [aˈrena natsi.oˈnalə]) is a retractable roof football stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It opened in 2011 on the site of the original National Stadium, which was demolished between 2007 and 2008. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the Romania national football team, and usually Romanian Cup Final. With 55,634 seats, it is the largest stadium in Romania.

Arena Națională
UEFA
Location37 Basarabia Blvd., Sector 2, Bucharest, Romania
Coordinates44°26′13.95″N 26°09′09.03″E
OwnerMunicipality of Bucharest
Executive suites42
Capacity55,634 (football)[1]
Record attendance53,329 (Romania vs Netherlands,
16 October 2012)
Field size105 x 68 m[2]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground20 February 2008
OpenedSeptember 6, 2011
Construction cost€234 million[3]
(€338 million in 2021 euros)[4]
ArchitectGerkan, Marg and Partners
Main contractorsMax Bögl
Astaldi
Tenants
Romania national football team (2011–present)
FCSB (2015–present)
Rapid București (2021–2022)

Designed by Gerkan, Marg and Partners, the stadium was built by German firm Max Bögl and Italian firm Astaldi. 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-opening Supercupa României. A UEFA category four stadium, Arena Națională hosted the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final,[5] and four games at UEFA 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 for The International 2021, the annual Dota 2 world championship esports tournament. Arena Națională has hosted concerts by Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, and Ed Sheeran.

It is currently the home ground of FCSB and was also temporarily used by FC Rapid București between 2021 and 2022 as its traditional ground was being rebuilt. FC Dinamo București also plays some select matches here.

Construction

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 defeated Albania 6–1 in a qualifying match for Euro 2008.

The construction phase generated some controversy over costs and delays, with Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu claiming that the works were 20 weeks behind schedule in May 2009.[7] On 8 October 2009, it was decided that the stadium should also include a retractable roof worth €20,000,000.[8]

Construction was temporarily halted in December 2009 due to unfavorable weather conditions.[9]

Facilities

The venue holds 55,634 people. 3,600 VIP 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.[10] The stadium is also very similar to the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland, in terms of age, capacity and the roof.[11]

A panoramic view of the stadium

Usage

The National Stadium is a Category 4 venue and as such, it hosted the UEFA Europa League 2011–12 final, as announced by UEFA at Nyon on 29 January 2009.[12] 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.[10]

The stadium also hosted The International 2021, the annual world championship for the video game Dota 2, in October 2021. This came after the original hosts, Sweden, did not classify esports as a sporting event, making it more difficult for players to procure visas to the country.[13]

History
Romania-France opening match
2012 UEFA Europa League Final

The official inauguration was initially scheduled for 10 August 2011, and was to feature a football match between Romania and Argentina.[14]However, on 26 July, Argentina officially cancelled the friendly match after their manager Sergio Batista departed the team.

The stadium was inaugurated on 6 September 2011, with a UEFA Euro 2012 Group D qualifier match between Romania and France.[15] 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 neighbours Ukraine and Poland.

Notable attendances

The highest audience for a football game was achieved at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Romania and Netherlands, hosted on 16 October 2012, which brought 53,329 people to the stadium.[15][16]

The second largest audience was hosted at the UEFA Europa League Final on 9 May 2012. The game between the two Spanish teams, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, brought 52,347 people to the stadium.[17]

Association football
Notes
  1. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to punishment by UEFA.
  2. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Romania national football team matches

On 6 September 2011, the Romania national football team, played the opening match against the French team which ended with a goalless draw, after Argentina cancelled the official inauguration, a friendly match between Romania and Argentina on 10 August 2011.

Nr Competition Date Opponent Attendance Result Scorers for Romania
1 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying 6 September 2011  France 49,137 0–0 –
2 7 October 2011  Belarus 29,846 2–2 2 x Adrian Mutu
3 Friendly 29 January 2012  Uruguay 15,000 1–1 Bogdan Stancu
4 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 September 2012  Andorra 24,630 4–0 Gabriel Torje, Costin Lazăr, Valerică Găman, Alexandru Maxim
5 16 October 2012  Netherlands 53,329 1–4 Ciprian Marica
6 Friendly 14 November 2012  Belgium 5,000 2–1 Alexandru Maxim, Gabriel Torje
7 Friendly 4 June 2013  Trinidad and Tobago 10,128 4–0 3 x Ciprian Marica
8 Friendly 14 August 2013  Slovakia 6,738 1–1 Bogdan Stancu
9 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 September 2013  Hungary 41,405 3–0 Ciprian Marica, Mihai Pintilii, Cristian Tănase
10 10 September 2013  Turkey 44,357 0–2 –
11 15 October 2013  Estonia 18,852 2–0 2 x Ciprian Marica
12 19 November 2013  Greece 49,793 1–1 –
13 Friendly 5 March 2014  Argentina 45,034 0–0 –
14 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 11 October 2014  Hungary 50,085 1–1 Raul Rusescu
15 14 November 2014  Northern Ireland 28,892 2–0 2 x Paul Papp
16 Friendly 18 November 2014  Denmark 10,000 2–0 2 x Claudiu Keșerü
17 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 7 September 2015  Greece 38,153 0–0 –
18 8 October 2015  Finland 47,987 1–1 Ovidiu Hoban
19 Friendly 3 June 2016  Georgia 27,937 5–1 Adrian Popa, Nicolae Stanciu, Gabriel Torje, Claudiu Keșerü
20 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 November 2016  Poland 48,531 0–3 –
21 1 September 2017  Armenia 27,178 1–0 Alexandru Maxim
22 Friendly 14 November 2017  Netherlands 26,000 0–3 –
23 2018–19 UEFA Nations League 14 October 2018  Serbia 48,513 0–0 –
24 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 5 September 2019  Spain 50,024 1–2 Florin Andone
25 15 October 2019  Norway 29,854 1–1 Alexandru Mitriță
26 15 November 2019  Sweden 49,678 0–2 –
27 2020–21 UEFA Nations League 4 September 2020  Northern Ireland 0[A] 1–1 George Pușcaș
28 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 25 March 2021  North Macedonia 0[A] 3–2 Florin Tănase, Valentin Mihăilă, Ianis Hagi
29 28 March 2021  Germany 0[A] 0–1 –
30 5 September 2021  Liechtenstein 9,404 2–0 Alin Toșca, Cristian Manea
31 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying 28 March 2023  Belarus 27,837 2–1 Andrei Burcă, Nicolae Stanciu
32 9 September 2023  Israel 49,123 1–1 Denis Alibec
Notes
  1. ^
    The match was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Euro 2020 matches

Arena Națională was one of the stadiums that hosted matches for the UEFA Euro 2020. Three Group C matches and a Round of 16 game were played there.

DateTime (EEST)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundAttendance
13 June 202119:00 Austria3–1 North MacedoniaGroup C9,082[18]
17 June 202116:00 Ukraine2–110,001[19]
21 June 202119:000–1 Austria10,472[20]
28 June 202122:00 France3–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)		  SwitzerlandRound of 1622,642[21]

Concerts
List of concerts at Arena Națională, showing date, artist, tour and attendance
Date Artist Tour Attendance
31 August 2012 United States Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm with You World Tour 37,000
15 May 2013 United Kingdom Depeche Mode Delta Machine Tour 44,729
17 June 2017 United States Kings of Leon Walls Tour 16,000
3 July 2019 United Kingdom Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 48,044
14 August 2019 United States Metallica WorldWired Tour 50,319
16 July 2023 United States Guns N' Roses We're F'N' Back! Tour 42,000
26 July 2023 United Kingdom Depeche Mode Memento Mori World Tour 45,000
18 October 2023 Romania Fecal Matter TMR7 Tour —
31 October 2023
1 November 2023
12 June 2024 United Kingdom Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour —
13 June 2024

Transport

The stadium is served by public transport with buses, trolleybuses, trams and the subway system. The nearest subway station (Piata Muncii) is about 1.7 km away (a 22 minute walk).

See also

References
  1. Am cucerit Europa şi-n tribune! – Steaua – Chelsea a fost urmărit de cei mai mulţi suporteri dintre meciurile din optimile Europa League
  2. Finalizarea Arenei Naționale Archived 22 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Național Arena costa 119 milioane de euro și a ajuns la 234!
  4. Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices: All Items for Romania
  5. "UEFA Europa League trophy handed to Bucharest". UEFA. 11 April 2012.
  6. "Welcome to Bucharest". UEFA. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  7. "Oprescu atacă: "Lucrările la stadionul 'Național' sunt în întârziere cu 20 de săptămâni"" (in Romanian). Prosport. 22 May 2009.
  8. "Stadionul Național va avea acoperiș retractabil de 20 milioane euro" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 14 October 2009.
  9. "Oprescu: "Stadionul Național va fi gata în decembrie 2010!"" (in Romanian). 15 December 2009.
  10. "TRIMIŞI AI FORULUI DE LA NYON AU FOST ACUM DOUĂ SĂPTĂMÎNI LA BUCUREŞTI – Ultimatum UEFA" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 14 January 2010.
  11. "Stadiony Euro 2020: National Arena Bucharest". Weszlo.com (in Polish).
  12. "2012 final: National Stadium, Bucharest". UEFA.
  13. Bailey, Dustin (7 July 2021). "Dota 2's The International gets new dates after Sweden says no to esports". PCGamesN. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  14. "De acum e sigur, România – Argentina se va juca pe 11 august 2011" (in Romanian). GSP TV. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  15. "Mircea Sandu: "Facem inaugurarea stadionului Național cu Franța"" (in Romanian). Evenimentul Zilei. 30 July 2011.
  16. "Romania vs Netherlands – 16 octombrie 2012 – Soccerway". Ro.soccerway.com. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  17. Atlético Madrid-Athletic Bilbao
  18. "Full Time Summary – Austria v North Macedonia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  19. "Full Time Summary – Ukraine v North Macedonia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. "Full Time Summary – Ukraine v Austria" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  21. "Full Time Summary – France v Switzerland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
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