Euro 2012: The Stadiums

The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, more commonly known as Euro 2012, will be played in the summer of that year. The top 16 soccer nations in Europe – Spain, Italy, Germany, and England, to name a few – will travel to the host nations of Poland and the Ukraine for the tournament. After winning the bid in 2007, a massive overhaul of the infrastructure began in the two countries. The nations also committed to building or renovating stadiums for the event. The venues are listed below.

Poland:

National Stadium – Located in Poland’s capital city of Warsaw, the 55,000 stadium is being built this year in time for the tournament. The opening match of the tournament along with other group matches will be held at the stadium. After the group stage is completed, Stadion Narodowy will host both a quaterfinal and semifinal match.

Municipal Stadium – First constructed in 1968, the Stadion Miejski is being renovated through 2010 in Poznań. The stadium will now hold over 40,000 people and all seats will be covered. The ground is home to Polish side Lech Poznań and will host matches from the group stages.

Stadium in Maślice – The stadium has not yet been formally named. Construction began in 2008 and should be completed by 2010. This 44,000 stadium is located in Wrocław and will host group matches.

Baltic Arena – Yet another stadium that Poland is building expressly for Euro 2012, construction began on the Arena Bałtycka in 2008. Construction should be completed by 2010 at the 44,000 stadium. Along with group matches, the Gdańsk stadium will host a quaterfinal.

Ukraine:

Olympic Stadium – Kiev’s premier venue hosted components of the 1980 Summer Olympics. Major renovations are in store for the stadium with plans for a roof to be constructed and other amenities to be added. Over 83,000 supporters will pack the stadium for group matches, a quaterfinal, and the Euro 2012 final match.

Donbass Arena – Scheduled to open in the summer of 2009, the arena will hold 50,000 spectators. The world-class stadium has even wowed UEFA committee members. The organization’s David Taylor remarked, “Everything is perfectly designed – both technical details and other elements,” when he toured the stadium in the fall of 2008. The arena, which sits in the center of Donetsk surrounded by a recreational park, will host group matches, a quaterfinal, and a semifinal.

Ukraina Stadium – Located in Lviv, the stadium is undergoing major renovations by adding seating capacity and expanding the press and luxury boxes, as it will host group matches. With room for roughly 33,000, the 46-year-old structure is the second smallest venue in the tournament.

Dnipro Stadium – Built in 2005 for Ukrainian club FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, the stadium opened September of 2008. The venue will hold a capacity crowd of a little over 31,000 spectators, making it the smallest venue in the tournaments. Located in the city of Dnipropetrovsk, it is slated to host group matches.