Full name | Veltins-Arena |
---|---|
Former names | Arena AufSchalke FIFA World Cup Stadium, Gelsenkirchen (2006 FIFA World Cup) |
Location | Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
Owner | Schalke 04 |
Operator | Schalke 04 |
Executive suites | 90 |
Capacity | 62,271 (League Matches), 54,740 (International Matches) |
Record attendance |
Ice hockey: 77,803 7 May 2010 2010 IIHF World Championship Opening Game |
Field size | 105 × 68 m |
Construction | |
Built | 1998–2001 |
Opened | 2001 |
Construction cost | € 191 million |
Architect | Hentrich, Petschnigg und Partner |
Tenants | |
Schalke 04 |
Veltins-Arena (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛltɪnsʔaˌʁeːnaː]; originally Arena AufSchalke [ʔaˌʁeːnaː ʔaʊfˈʃalkə]) is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04.
It hosted the 2004 UEFA Champions League final and 5 matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including a quarter-final. It has a league capacity of 62,271 (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 54,740 (seated only). The stadium has a retractable roof and a retractable pitch. The naming rights to the stadium were sold on 1 July 2005 to the German brewery Veltins.