RheinEnergieStadion

Former names	Müngersdorfer Stadion (1923–2001)
Address	Aachener Straße 999 50933 Cologne, Germany
Location	Aachener Straße 999, Sportpark Müngersdorf, Lindenthal
Public transit	RheinEnergieStadion
Owner	Kölner Sportstätten GmbH
Capacity	50,000 (Regular matches) [1] 45,965 (International matches)
Field size	105 m x 68 m
Construction
Broke ground	12 October 1921 (1921-10-12)
Opened	16 September 1923 (1923-09-16)
Renovated	1972–1975, 2004
Closed	2001
Demolished	2001–2003
Construction cost	DEM 47.4 million (DEM 22.9 million in 2021 Deutschmarks[2])
Tenants
Kölner BC 01 (1923–1947) SpVgg Sülz 07 (1923–1947) 1. FC Köln (1948–present) Cologne Centurions (2004–2007) Viktoria Koln (selected matches) Germany national football team (selected matches)
Website
https://www.rheinenergiestadion.de/
Building details
General information
Renovated	31 January 2004 (2004-01-31)
Renovation cost	€117.4 million
Renovating team
Architect(s)	Gerkan, Marg und Partner
Structural engineer	Schlaich Bergermann & Partner
Services engineer	HL-Technik
Main contractor	Max Bögl

RheinEnergieStadion, formerly Müngersdorfer Stadion (German pronunciation: [ˌʁaɪnʔenɛʁˈɡiːˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn] ^ⓘ) or Müngersdorfer Stadium, is a German football stadium in Cologne. It was built on the site of the two previous Müngersdorfer stadiums. It is the home of the local Bundesliga team, 1. FC Köln. The stadium was one of five stadiums hosting both the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, and hosted the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final behind closed doors. Local energy company RheinEnergie AG currently holds the naming rights to the stadium, hence it was known as the Stadion Köln for the final.

History

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the fortifications of Cologne were removed, thus allowing for the building of a new structure in the surrounding area. The new construction enabled the city to create 15,000 jobs. The new stadium was called the Müngersdorfer Stadion. This allowed Cologne not only to help stabilize the country but also to gain prestige and economic benefits for the city. The cost was tallied at 47.4 million Deutsche Mark.

Following the completion of the stadium, the city began to gain prominence in the domestic sports world. Many major football matches were held at the stadium in front of huge crowds. The first international match was held on 20 November 1927, when the Germany national team drew 2–2 with the Netherlands. Since then, the German team has played 19 times at the stadium, and only one of those matches resulted in a loss. Another notable match was the first post-war game, which saw 1. FC Nürnberg beat 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–1, in front of a crowd of 75,000.

One of the specialties of the Müngersdorfer Stadion was the track meets for non-professional sportsmen. In 1929 there were over 38,000 participants. However, in 1933 Jews were no longer allowed to take part. After the war the stadium has only hosted professional level sports.

Recent matches of importance

In 2005, the stadium was a venue for three first-round games of the FIFA Confederations Cup, including the opening match between Argentina and Tunisia. The game was won by Argentina 2–1.

The Müngersdorfer has been host to many important UEFA Cup matches. Bayer Leverkusen played against Barcelona, and Galatasaray against Monaco in the 1988–89 European Cup. Borussia Mönchengladbach played both Arsenal and Monaco in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. The stadium also functioned as the home ground to second-tier Alemannia Aachen in their 2004–05 UEFA Cup campaign.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final was moved from the Stadion Energa Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland to the RheinEnergieStadion, to be played behind closed doors. Sevilla won the match, defeating Inter Milan 3–2.

Awards

In July 2004, the RheinEnergieStadion was awarded a bronze medal for distinguished sporting and leisure facilities by the International Olympic Committee.

Renovation

The stadium in 1997

There have been two renovations, from 1972 to 1975 and from 2002 to 2004.

In 1974, the World Cup was held in West Germany, and Cologne had wanted to be a host city. The city's bid was approved and it soon began work on a new stadium that was to replace the now outdated Müngersdorfer Stadion. However, the city was unable to raise the money needed for a stadium of the desired size. The original plan was for an 80,000-seat arena, which was planned to have cost 23.5 million Deutsche Mark. But the total kept growing. In the end, if the stadium had been completed, the cost would have amounted to 93.5 million. At the time, the city was able to provide only an extra 6 million Deutsche Mark.

Following the World Cup, Cologne still wanted the stadium completed. Hence, on 12 November 1975, a 61,000-seat arena was inaugurated with a match between 1. FC Köln and SC Fortuna Köln, 1. FC Köln winning 1–0. In this configuration the stadium hosted the UEFA Euro 1988.

With the news of the prospect of bringing the World Cup back to Germany, the city reacted and started renovation of the stadium, which was completed in 2003. Unlike previous configurations, there are no track-and-field facilities, allowing spectators to be much closer to the pitch than they might have been in a traditional continental multi-purpose stadium.

Facilities

The capacity is about 50,000 people during club matches and 45,965 for international games, when terracing is not allowed. The entire field is lit with a floodlight system. In the north grandstand there is a museum dedicated to 1. FC Köln.

External dimensions

2006 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena was called "FIFA World Cup Stadium Cologne" during the World Cup.

The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:

Date	Time (CET)	Team #	Res.	Team #2	Round	Attendance
11 June 2006	21:00	Angola	0–1	Portugal	Group D	45,000
17 June 2006	17:00	Czech Republic	0–2	Ghana	Group E	45,000
20 June 2006	18:00	Sweden	2–2	England	Group B	45,000
23 June 2006	21:00	Togo	0–2	France	Group G	45,000
26 June 2006	21:00	Switzerland	0–0 (0–3p)	Ukraine	Round of 16	45,000

Panoramic view of the stadium

UEFA Euro 2024

The stadium will be one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2024. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena will be called "Cologne Stadium" during the tournament.

The following games will be played at the stadium during the tournament:

Date	Time (CEST)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
15 June 2024	15:00	Hungary	–	Switzerland	Group A
19 June 2024	21:00	Scotland	–
22 June 2024	21:00	Belgium	–	Romania	Group E
25 June 2024	21:00	England	–	Slovenia	Group C
30 June 2024	21:00	Winner Group B	–	3rd Group A/D/E/F	Round of 16

Transportation

The stadium is part of Sportpark Müngersdorf, adjacent to Aachener Straße. It is accessible by car via the Cologne Beltway, only some 1200 m off the Bundesautobahn 1. The Cologne Stadtbahn provides service at RheinEnergieStadion.

References

External links

Media related to RheinEnergieStadion at Wikimedia Commons

• A 3-D model of the stadium
• baukunst-nrw about the stadium's architecture with additional photos

50°56′1″N 6°52′30″E / 50.93361°N 6.87500°E / 50.93361; 6.87500