Estádio da Luz (1954)
| A Catedral O Inferno da Luz |
|
| Full name | Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica |
|---|---|
| Former names | Estádio de Carnide (unofficial name) |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 38°45′13″N 9°10′58″W / 38.753611°N 9.182639°W |
| Owner |
S.L. Benfica (21 January 1969) |
| Operator | S.L. Benfica |
| Capacity | 40,000 (1954–1960) 70,000 (1960–1985) 120,000 (1985–1994) 78,000 (1994–2002) |
| Record attendance | 135,000 Benfica 3–1 Porto (4 January 1987) |
| Field size | 105 x 74 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 14 June 1953 |
| Built | 1953–1959 |
| Opened | 1 December 1954 |
| Renovated | 1958, 1960, 1985, 1991, 1998 |
| Expanded | 1970 (180,000 m2) 1981 (210,000 m2) 1998 (260,000 m2) |
| Closed | 22 March 2003 |
| Demolished | 2003 |
| Construction cost | 12,037,683$65 (1956) |
| Architect | João Simões |
| Tenants | |
|
Benfica (1954–2003) Benfica B (2000–2003) 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship / Final |
|
| Website | |
| slbenfica.pt | |
Estádio da Luz (Portuguese pronunciation: [(ɨ)ˈʃtadiu dɐ ˈluʒ], Stadium of Light), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal.
It was used mostly for football matches and hosted the home matches of S.L. Benfica and the Portugal national team. The stadium was opened on 1 December 1954 and it was able to hold an official maximum of 120,000 people, making it the largest stadium in Europe and the third largest in the world in terms of capacity. Some of the biggest attendances include a game against FC Porto with 135,000 people, the 1989–90 European Cup semi-final against Olympique de Marseille and the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship final between Portugal and Brazil with 127,000 people in each game. It also hosted the second leg of the 1983 UEFA Cup Final and the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup Final.
Its demolition started in 2002 so the new Estádio da Luz could be built.
Since the club's formation, in 1904, Benfica had played mostly in rented fields, such as Terras do Desembargador (1905–1906), the Campo da Feiteira (1908–1911), the Campo de Sete Rios (1913–1917), the Campo de Benfica (1917–1922), and the Estádio do Campo Grande, built on land rented from historic rivals Sporting (1941–1954). The Estádio das Amoreiras, a 20,000-capacity football stadium, belonged to the club, but was demolished to give way to a freeway (1925–1940).
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