Bundesliga Stadiums: 2019/20
From the Signal Iduna Park to the PreZero Arena, these are all 18 stadiums in the Bundesliga in 2019/20 including one never-before-seen ground making its very first appearance in the top flight.
Signal Iduna Park
Home team: Borussia Dortmund
Capacity: 81,365
Opened: 1978
The Signal Iduna Park is a monster of a stadium. Borussia Dortmund’s 81,365-capacity home is one of the world’s most iconic grounds, boasting the highest average attendance in Europe and providing an atmosphere envied across sports.
The largest of its kind in Europe, this imposing sight of almost 25,000 standing fans all wearing Dortmund colours has given rise to the famed Gelbe Wand – the Yellow Wall. Through a combination of sitting and standing, the maximum number of spectators for domestic games now totals 81,365, of which an average of 99.4 per cent of tickets were sold in the 2018/19 season.
Schwarzwald-Stadion
Home team: Freiburg
Capacity: 24,000
Opened: 1953
Freiburg's stunning Schwarzwald-Stadion is in its final season, with the club set to move into a brand new stadium for the start of the 2020/21 campaign. With its beautiful Black Forest backdrop, the Schwarzwald-Stadion is one of the Bundesliga's sweetest sights and a must-see before it's too late.
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Allianz Arena
Home team: Bayern Munich
Capacity: 75,000
Opened: 2005
The Allianz Arena - Bayern Munich's stately home - is one of European football's most modern and innovative stadiums. In two-and-a-half years from October 2002 until April 2005, it was raised from the ground to the 75,000 capacity (70,000 all-seater) venue it is today. It may be Germany's second-largest stadium after Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, but it can lay claim to being the Bundesliga's and one of the world's most unique thanks to the thousands of inflated plastic 'cushions' that make up its instantly recognisable facade.
Veltins-Arena
Home team: Schalke
Capacity: 62,271
Opened: 2001
The fourth-biggest stadium in the Bundesliga, Schalke’s Veltins-Arena is home to some of the world’s most passionate fans. One of the most high-tech grounds around – with a retractable roof and a pitch that can be slid outside the stadium if necessary – it also pays homage to the coal miners that helped make Gelsenkirchen an industrial heartland.
Stadion An der Alten Försterei
Home team: Union Berlin
Capacity: 22,012
Opened: 1920 (expanded in 2013)
Fans of top-flight clubs have finally got the chance to experience the remarkable atmosphere at one of Germany’s quirkiest grounds – although everyone connected with Borussia Dortmund will have some bad memories of their first visit there. The very existence of the venue in the eastern neighbourhood of Köpenick is testament to Union’s loyal fan base. In 2004, supporters gave blood under the slogan “Bleed for Union” in order to help the club avoid bankruptcy. Four years later, 1,600 volunteers toiled for an estimated 90,000 hours’ to help the club rebuild and modernise the ground. Supporters also visit the stadium to sing Christmas carols every year, and this season ‘Iron Union’ fans will hope to roar their team to safety.
Commerzbank-Arena
Home team: Eintracht Frankfurt
Capacity: 51,500
Opened: 2005
The Commerzbank-Arena was built at on the site of Frankfurt's previous ground, the Waldstadion, which had stood since 1925. Built in time for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Eagles’ home features a retractable roof, a 30-tonne video cube hanging over the centre circle, and a rain-water recycling system that covers almost 100 per cent of water usage in the stadium's toilets and restrooms. The stadium sets the scene for fans to create a memorable atmosphere that is intimidating for the opposition – as evidenced by Eintracht’s run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in 2018/19.
Olympiastadion
Home team: Hertha Berlin
Capacity: 74,475
Opened: 1936
Hertha have played at the Olympiastadion since their maiden Bundesliga season in 1963. The stadium, which was built for the 1936 Olympic Games in the city, is where the DFB Cup final takes place each May. It also hosted the 2015 UEFA Champions League decider between Barcelona and Juventus, but Hertha plan to move to their own ground - focused solely on football and minus the athletics track. They hope a new 55,000-capacity venue will be ready by 2025, either inside the Olympic Park or elsewhere in the capital.
Borussia-Park
Home team: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Capacity: 54,022
Opened: 2004
Borussia-Park replaced the storied, much-loved, yet outdated Bökelberg Stadium. Although the arena has a maximum capacity of over 59,000 spectators, there is a lower limit for the Bundesliga due to a redesign of the South Stand.
In any case, Borussia-Park is a thoroughly modern stadium, with top-class views from all angles and an impressive green-white-black lighting system. The facilities inside are as swish as anywhere in Germany, while standing tickets start at under €20. While all of that makes it well worth a visit, the centrepiece is the noise. Gladbach fans are as passionate as any in the land, with the famed Nordkurve (North Stand) whipping up a quite a din every other week.
Red Bull Arena
Home team: RB Leipzig
Capacity: 42,959
Opened: 2004
Leipzig’s home has stood in its current form since November 2004, when it was reconstructed within the city’s old Zentralstadion in a manner similar to Chicago’s Soldier Field. The rebuild was done for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where Leipzig hosted five games. In 2010 RB took over the stadium, before they rose through the ranks to become a top-flight club. The venue can hold up to 50,000 for concerts.
RheinEnergieStadion
Home team: Cologne
Capacity: 49,698
Opened: 1923
This impressive stadium in the west of the city most recently underwent renovations in preparation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It hosted five games in that tournament, as well as three in the FIFA Confederations Cup the previous year. Recognisable by its four illuminated towers in the corners, the ground is known for its vibrant atmosphere as the stands and fans are very close to the pitch.
Wohninvest Weserstadion
Home team: Werder Bremen
Capacity: 43,500
Opened: 1947
The Weserstadion has undergone a number of renovations since originally opening. In 2002 the capacity was increased to its current level, while the most recent upgrades took place prior to the 2012/13 season. The roof was completely reconstructed, with solar panels integrated to reduce the club's carbon footprint.
It is situated in one of the most picturesque locations of all Bundesliga stadiums, sitting right on the bank of the city's Weser river. As such fans can even arrive by boat, a service unique to Bremen in all of Germany.
OPEL Arena
Home team: Mainz
Capacity: 34,000
Opened: 2011
Originally known as the Coface Arena, Mainz’s home since 2011 was built to replace the ageing Stadion am Bruchweg. Constructed with four steep stands and open corners, it offers 13,700 standing tickets for Bundesliga matches.
The ground hosted its first international match in June 2014, when Germany hammered Armenia 6-1 in their final warm-up game before winning the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Joachim Löw’s side returned to Mainz in June 2019 and beat Estonia 8-0 in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier at the venue.
Merkurspiel Arena
Home team: Fortuna Düsseldorf
Capacity: 54,600
Opened: 2004
Although it did not host group games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup as was originally hoped, this stadium will be a venue at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. Previously known as the LTU Arena and Esprit Arena, it has also hosted several Wladimir Klitschko fights, countless music concerts, the Eurovision, and the 2010 Race of Champions, which included Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
WWK Arena
Home team: Augsburg
Capacity: 30,660
Opened: 2009
Completed after a 20-month construction project, this ground can be expanded to 50,000 if a second phase of building is desired. A complex system that harnesses the earth's natural geothermal energy provides the stadium's power, making it the first CO2-neutral arena in the world. This saves approximately 750 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
The steep stands give the venue a compact feel and 8,000 standing tickets also help create an impressive scene on matchdays, with the noise echoing around the ground. German broadsheet newspaper the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung even once labelled the stadium "The Anfield of the B17 highway" due to its special atmosphere.
PreZero Arena
Home team: Hoffenheim
Capacity: 30,150
Opened: 2009
This stadium in Sinsheim is one of the most modern in Germany. Tech geeks will be delighted to discover that the roof is covered in solar panels that produce enough energy to power 270 family households each year, while the giant screens at either end of the pitch span a surface area of 52 square metres.
Although it is relatively small compared to other grounds around the country, making space for 23,400 seated fans and 6,750 standing, it can still become an intimidating cauldron for visitors once the home fans get into full voice. In September 2018 it hosted its first ever Germany match, when the home side beat Peru 2-1 in a friendly. Nico Schulz – then a Hoffenheim player – scored the winner on his senior debut for his country.
BayArena
Home team: Bayer Leverkusen
Capacity: 30, 210
Opened: 1958
Originally known as the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, this venue changed its name in 1998. At the same time a hotel was built on site, which now forms the north stand and allows guests pitch-side seating. The stadium did not host a FIFA World Cup match in 2006 but was used by Germany as their base. Between 2007 and 2009 the ground was expanded, after which it hosted four FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in 2011. The BayArena hosted the first live coverage of a Bundesliga match in 3D when Leverkusen played Hamburg on 14 March 2010.
Volkswagen Arena
Home team: Wolfsburg
Capacity: 30,000
Opened: 2002
Having well and truly established themselves in the Bundesliga at the end of the 1990s, Wolfsburg commissioned construction of the Volkswagen Arena in 2001. It was officially opened a year later and included 22,000 seats as well as room for 8,000 fans to stand.
No detail was overlooked in its design, with the home changing room including massage rooms, saunas, showers and a revitalisation pool. For greater sustainability, the stadium has 216 energy-efficient LED floodlights and a hybrid grass pitch, while there are places for 650 bicycles outside for environmentally friendly fans.
Benteler-Arena
Home team: Paderborn
Capacity: 15,000
Opened: 2008
Newly promoted Paderborn's home is the smallest in the Bundesliga for the 2019/20 season, with almost two-thirds of the fans standing on the terraces rather than being seated. The stadium was officially opened with a match against Borussia Dortmund in July 2008 and was rebranded under its current moniker in June 2012.
Like the majority of German clubs, Paderborn like to do their bit for the environment and encourage supporters to arrive by bicycle. They offer 2,000 stations for bikes to be locked at – more than any other club in the Bundesliga.
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