Saitama Stadium 2002

Saitama Stadium 2002
Saisuta
Location Midori-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates 35°54′11.31″N 139°43′2.97″E / 35.9031417°N 139.7174917°ECoordinates: 35°54′11.31″N 139°43′2.97″E / 35.9031417°N 139.7174917°E
Owner Saitama Prefecture
Operator Saitama Prefectural Park Association
Capacity 63,700
Field size 105 x 68 m
Surface Grass
Opened 1 October 2001
Tenants
Urawa Red Diamonds (2001–present)

Saitama Stadium 2002 (埼玉スタジアム2002 Saitama Sutajiamu Niimarumarunii), often called Saitama Stadium (埼玉スタジアム Saitama Sutajiamu) or simply Saisuta (埼スタ), is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

Currently J. League football club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is one of the largest football specific stadiums in Asia. It is one of the planned football venues for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[1]

Location

The stadium is a 15 to 20 minute walk from Urawa-Misono Station on the Saitama Railway Line.

History

Built by Azusa Sekkei to host matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-host Japan's first match against Belgium.

Between 2005 and 2007, the Urawa Red Diamonds' local derby rival Omiya Ardija hosted matches here along with Urawa Komaba due to expansion of its home Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium.

2002 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was one of the venues of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:

Date Team 1 Res. Team 2 Round
2002-06-02 England1–1 SwedenGroup F
2002-06-04 Japan2–2 BelgiumGroup H
2002-06-06 Cameroon1–0 Saudi ArabiaGroup E
2002-06-26 Brazil1–0 TurkeySemi Finals

Features

Puzzle globe logo
Saitama Stadium 2002

References

  1. "Venue Plan". Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee. Retrieved 11 September 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saitama Stadium.