Esprit Arena
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Exterior view of Esprit Arena and Stadtbahnwagen B
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| Former names | LTU Arena |
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| Location | Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Coordinates | 51°15′42″N 6°43′59″E / 51.26167°N 6.73306°E |
| Owner | City of Düsseldorf |
| Executive suites | 27 8 (event suites) |
| Capacity | 54,600 (9,917 standing) 66,500 (concerts) |
| Field size | 100 m × 70 m (330 ft × 230 ft) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2002–2004 |
| Opened | 10 September 2004 |
| Construction cost | €240 million |
| Architect | JSK Architekten |
| Tenants | |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | |
| Website | |
| espritarena.de | |
Esprit Arena (stylized as ESPRIT arena), known previously as the "LTU Arena" (until June 2009), and as the "Düsseldorf Arena" (during the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest), is a multi-functional football stadium in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium holds 54,600 and has a closable roof. Its special heating system allows the stadium to host comfortable events at the height of winter.
Construction of the stadium began in 2002 and was completed in 2004. It was built to replace the former Rheinstadion at the same site near the river Rhine. The structure's initial seating capacity of 51,500 was expanded in summer 2010 when some seating areas were converted into standing terraces. The arena currently hosts association football team Fortuna Düsseldorf (currently in the second division, the 2. Bundesliga).
While the Arena was not one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, it has hosted several international matches since it opened.
The first international match in the Arena was an international friendly between Germany and Argentina on 9 February 2005, ending in a 2-2 draw. On 7 February 2007, Germany played their second international friendly in the Arena, beating Switzerland 3-1. In their third international friendly in the Arena, on 11 February 2009, Germany suffered a 1-0 defeat to Norway.
The Arena also hosted two international friendlies of the Portugal national football team. In Portugal's first international friendly in the Arena, on 1 March 2006, they recorded a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia. On 26 March 2008, Portugal played their second international friendly in the Arena, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Greece national football team.
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