Allianz Arena

For other uses, see Allianz Stadium.
Allianz Arena
"Schlauchboot" ("dinghy")[1][2]
Munich Football Arena (UEFA competitions)[3]
UEFA
Map
AddressWerner-Heisenberg-Allee 25, 80939[4]
LocationMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Public transit at Fröttmaning
OwnerAllianz Arena München Stadion GmbH[citation needed]
OperatorAllianz Arena München Stadion GmbH[citation needed]
Executive suites106[6]
Capacity
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)[6]
SurfaceHybrid grass[5]
Construction
Broke ground21 October 2002;
22 years ago (2002-10-21)
Built2003–2005
Opened30 May 2005; 19 years ago (2005-05-30)
Construction cost€340 million[6]
Architect
Structural engineerOve Arup & Partners
Tenants
Website
allianz-arena.com/en

Allianz Arena (German: [aˈli̯ants ʔaˌʁeːna]; known as Munich Football Arena for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ETFE plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior. Located at Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 25 at the northern edge of Munich's Schwabing-Freimann borough on the Fröttmaning Heath, it is the second-largest stadium in Germany behind the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.

Bayern Munich have played their home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The club had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50 per cent share in the stadium, but, in 2006, sold this to Bayern for €11m to help resolve a serious financial crisis that saw 1860 facing bankruptcy. The arrangement allowed 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025.[7] However, in July 2017 Bayern terminated the rental contract with 1860, making themselves the sole tenants of the stadium.[8]

The large locally based financial services provider Allianz purchased the naming rights to the stadium for 30 years. However, this name cannot be used when hosting FIFA and UEFA events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was referred to as FIFA WM-Stadion München (FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich). In UEFA club, Nations League and international matches, it is known as the Fußball Arena München [ˈfuːsbal ʔaˌʁeːna ˈmʏnçn̩] (Football Arena Munich), and it hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final[9] and will host the upcoming 2025 final, moved from 2023 as well as matches during UEFA Euro 2024.[10] Since 2012, the museum of Bayern Munich, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, has been located inside the Allianz Arena.

In 2022, it hosted a first regular season National Football League (NFL) American football game played in Germany as part of the NFL International Series.[11]

  1. ^ "Allianz Arena". destination-munich.com. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Allianz Arena". worldfootballtravel.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Munich Football Arena". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Imprint". allianz-arena.com. FC Bayern Munich. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Neuer Hybrid-Rasen in der Allianz Arena verlegt". allianz-arena.com (in German). 7 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Facts, figures & information about the Allianz Arena". allianz-arena.com. FC Bayern Munich. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  7. ^ "A brief history of the Allianz Arena". FC Bayern Munich. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Mietvertrag mit TSV 1860 München aufgelöst" [Rental contract with TSV 1860 Munich terminated]. fcbayern.com (in German). Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Wembley to host 2011 Euro final". BBC Sport. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Venues appointed for club competition finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Munich to host first-ever regular-season NFL game in Germany during 2022 season; Frankfurt also to host future games". NFL.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022.