| Arena Națională | |
|---|---|
| National Arena | |
UEFA Category 4 Stadium |
|
| Location | Bucharest, Romania |
| Broke ground | 20 February 2008 |
| Opened | 6 September 2011 |
| Owner | Municipality of Bucharest |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | € 168 million[1] |
| Architect | Max Bögl[2] – Astaldi |
| Capacity | 55,200 Football[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Romania national football team (2011–) Steaua București (2011–) Oțelul Galați (UCL matches) (2011) Rapid București (UEL matches) (2011) |
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The National Arena (Romanian: Arena Națională) is a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, in the Lia Manoliu Sports Complex. The stadium will host the games of Romania's national football team, as well as the Romanian Cup Final and the Romanian Supercup. The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final will be held at the new stadium. This will be the first final of a European football club competition hosted by Romania.[4]
The stadium is built on the site of the former National Stadium, which was completed in 1953. It is a UEFA Category 4 stadium.
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The old stadium was demolished between December 18, 2007 and February 20, 2008, although a symbolic removal of seats took place on November 21, 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.[5] On October 8, 2009, it was decided that the stadium should also include a retractable roof worth €20,000,000.[6]
Construction was temporarily halted in December 2009 due to unfavorable weather conditions.[7]
The venue holds 55,200 people but has expansion capabilities to seat 63,000 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.[8] It is also endowed with a floodlight system and 2100 parking spaces.
The National Stadium is a Category 4 venue and will host the UEFA Europa League 2011–12 final, as announced by UEFA at Nyon on January 29, 2009.[9][10] 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.[8]
The official inauguration was initially scheduled for August 10, 2011, and was to feature a football match between Romania and Argentina.[11] However on 26 July, Argentina officially cancelled the friendly match after their coach was fired, so the stadium was inaugurated on September 6, 2011, with a UEFA Euro 2012 Group D qualifier match between Romania and France.[12] During this game, the grass on the playing field got completely damaged in less than 10 minutes of play time, a great embarrassment considering the overall costs of the stadium.[13] The game ended 0–0 in front of a crowd of 49,137.
| Concerts at Arena Națională | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| 31 August 2012 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm with You | — |
The stadium is served by public transport with Bus, trams, trolleybuses and metro.
| Transport means | Stadium entrance | Routes |
|---|---|---|
| Transport in Bucharest | Strada Pierre de Coubertin / Peluza I NORD | Trolleybuses routes → 86, 90 – 100 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 104 – 300 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 46, 55 – 500 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 101, 335, N102 – 550 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 14, 36 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance Trolleybuses routes → 69, 85 – 1400 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 143, 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, 335 – 750 metre walk to stadium entrance Trolleybuses routes → 70, 79, 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 |
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| 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 → 86, 90 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance Bus routes → 104 – 600 metre walk to stadium entrance Trams routes → 1 – 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, 92 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance |
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| Strada Socului / Tribuna II EST | Trams routes → 36 – 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, 92 – 1500 metre walk to stadium entrance |
| Preceded by Aviva Stadium Dublin |
UEFA Europa League Final Venue 2012 |
Succeeded by Amsterdam Arena Amsterdam |
| Preceded by Stade de France Paris |
UEFA Euro 2020 Final Venue bid 2020 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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