The 2022/23 Bundesliga stadiums
Football fans will flock to Bundesliga stadiums this season as the German top-flight continues to assert itself as one of the most well-supported leagues in world football.
But where will these fans be making their weekly pilgrimages in 2022/23 and what makes Bundesliga stadia so special? bundesliga.com has the inside track...
Bayern Munich: Allianz Arena
Capacity: 75,024
Opened: 30 May 2005
The stunning Allianz Arena has been the home of the record German champions since Bayern moved from the Munich Olympic Stadium to its current home in time for the start of the 2005/06 Bundesliga season. Bayern shared the stadium with city rivals 1860 Munich until 2017, but have since had the architectural masterpiece all to themselves. In fact, 1860 played the first game at the Allianz Arena, beating Nuremberg 3-2 on 30 May 2005. Bayern debuted at the ground the following day as they took on the Germany national team who now regularly use the Allianz Arena as their home. Six 2006 FIFA World Cup matches, and four UEFA Euro 2020 games were played at the venue, while the Allianz Arena will welcome five Euro 2024 fixtures, including the semi-final on 7 July. With an overall capacity of 75, 024 for domestic matches and 70,000 for internationals, it is the second-largest stadium in the country.
Borussia Dortmund: Signal Iduna Park
Capacity: 81,365
Opened: 2 April 1974
Germany's largest stadium can be found in Dortmund, where the Signal Iduna Park acts as the Mecca of German football and attracts fans from all over the world every week. Known colloquially as Westfalenstadion, Dortmund's home can house 81,365 fans when the Black and Yellows play, and 66,099 when Die Mannschaft come to town. At its heart is the iconic Yellow Wall which is the largest terrace in European football and holds 24,451 fans on its own. Its unique atmosphere - full of high-art tifos and the pre-match waltz of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' - makes matches at the Signal Iduna Park more like a religious experience than your usual trip to the football. The ground was opened in 1974 as a result of Dortmund needing a stadium fit to host the 1974 World Cup after the city replaced Cologne. It wasn't until Dortmund's top-flight promotion in 1976 that Bundesliga football was played at the stadium, while six matches of the 2006 World Cup were held at the Signal Iduna Park, including Germany's 2-0 defeat to Italy in the semis.
Watch: Take a drone tour around the Signal Iduna Park
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Bayer Leverkusen: Bay Arena
Capacity: 30,210
Opened: 2 August 1958
The BayArena has been the club’s home since 1958 and was known as the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion until 1998. At the same time a hotel was built on site, which now forms the north stand and allows guests pitch-side seating. The BayArena hosted its first Germany international on 18 December 1991 as the four-time world champions routed Luxembourg 4-0 and, although it did not host a FIFA World Cup match in 2006, it was initially used by Germany as their base and hosted the national team's warm-up match against Japan. Between 2007 and 2009 the ground was expanded to accommodate 30,000 spectators, after which it welcomed four FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in 2011. The BayArena was the venue for the first live coverage of a Bundesliga match in 3D when Leverkusen played Hamburg on 14 March 2010.
RB Leipzig: Red Bull Arena
Capacity: 47,069
Opened: 17 November 2004
Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena has stood in its current form since 2004, when it was reconstructed within the city’s old Zentralstadion in a manner similar to Chicago’s Soldier Field. Having provided the backdrop to three FIFA Confederations Cup matches in 2005, the stadium was the only ground in the former East Germany to host 2006 World Cup games, with five played there. RB took over the stadium in 2010 and the name was changed to the Red Bull Arena, which currently holds 47,069 spectators for domestic football matches and 41,122 for internationals, but can have up to 50,000 people inside for concerts and other events. Recent renovations have included stripping out the old "swimming pool" blue seats to turn them red to reflect the club's colours, while Leipzig are also planning further expansions as well as making surrounding access to the stadium even easier.
Union Berlin: Stadion An der Alten Försterei
Capacity: 22,012
Opened: 7 August 1920
The Stadion An der Alten Försterei (stadium at the old forester’s house) has been the home of Union and its predecessor clubs since 1920. It is located in the southeast of Berlin in the district of Köpenick and currently holds 22,012 spectators. It also plays host to an annual Christmas carol event on 23 December for fans and friends of the club which sees almost 30,000 in attendance. The homely feel at the Försterei was taken to another level during the 2014 World Cup as the club set up 750 sofas on the pitch in front of a big screen so that fans could watch matches from their very own living room in the house of Union. The stadium is now seen as an important part of the club’s - and wider community's - very identity.
Freiburg: Europa-Park Stadion
Capacity: 34,700
Opened: 7 October 2021
Freiburg waved goodbye to the Dreisamstadion - or Schwarzwald-Stadion in its final guise - after three home matches of the 2021/22 campaign, with the coronavirus pandemic slightly delaying the opening of their Europa-Park Stadion. Following a test-run against St. Pauli on 7 October 2021, they were finally able to cut the ribbon on their new home with its competitive debut nine days later as Woo-yeong Jeong salvaged a 1-1 draw with Leipzig. The ground has given Freiburg an increase of more than 10,000 people when teams come to visit the Wolfswinkel district's ambitious stadium which is one of the most environmentally friendly in the world. As well as producing its own energy, it offers electric car charging stations, as well as plug-in spots for e-bikes, e-scooters and smartphones, and some 3,700 parking places for push bikes. As a result, the Europa-Park Stadion is expected to eventually become climate-neutral.
Cologne: RheinEnergieStadion
Capacity: 50,000
Opened: 16 September 1923
Currently known as the RheinEnergieStadion, the 50,000-capacity stadium in the west of the city was originally opened in 1923, but most recently underwent renovations in preparation for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. It hosted five games in that tournament, as well as three in the Confederations Cup the previous year. The Billy Goats also leant their home to UEFA for the 2020 Europa League Final that was played behind closed doors due to the global pandemic. Five Euro 2024 fixtures will also take place at the RheinEnergieStadion, including four group games and one last-16 meeting. Recognisable by its four illuminated towers in the corners of the stadium, the ground is known for its vibrant atmosphere with the stands and fans very close to the pitch.
Watch: RheinEnergieStadion hosts first Innovation Game
Mainz: Mewa Arena
Capacity: 33,305
Opened: 3 July 2011
Mainz’s home since 2011 - that formerly went by the Coface Arena and the Opel Arena - is currently known as the Mewa Arena. It was built to replace the ageing Stadion am Bruchweg and, after breaking ground on 5 May 2009, it officially opened on 3 July 2011. To introduce itself to the world, the Mewa Arena hosted the 2011 Telekom Cup - then called the LIGA total! Cup - which was won by then reigning champions Dortmund and also featured Bayern and Hamburg. It was a forward-thinking build and the 05ers' new ground was previously nominated for the Stadium Business Award for innovative and new ideas in stadium construction. The ground hosted its first Germany match in June 2014 as a team coached by Joachim Löw faced Armenia in their final warm-up game for the 2014 FIFA World Cup they won. Germany have returned once since, in an 8-0 win over Estonia that maintains Mainz's 100 percent record as a national team venue.
Hoffenheim: PreZero Arena
Capacity: 30,150
Opened: 24 January 2009
TSG played their football at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion until moving to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena - which operates now as the PreZero Arena - in 2009 as the club's home had to match its soaring ambitions. Another of German football's new-builds, there are a number of innovations at the PreZero Arena, whose roof is covered in solar panels that produce enough energy to power 270 family households each year. The club and its stadium sponsor, PreZero, doubled down on its environmental commitment in 2022 by announcing plans to become the Bundesliga's first "Zero Waste Stadium". Reusable cups and turning grass cuttings into autograph cards are initiatives that already run at the stadium. In addition, TSG will sort and send 68 to 100 tonnes of waste generated at home games each year for recycling.
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Borussia-Park
Capacity: 54,057
Opened: 30 July 2004
The Borussia-Park replaced the storied, much-loved but utterly outdated Bökelbergstadion in 2004, when Borussia competitively inaugurated their new home with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Dortmund. Built on the site of former British army barracks, the arena currently holds just over 54,000 spectators for domestic matches, but could accommodate 60,000 if the south stand was used in its all-standing variant. It is a thoroughly modern stadium, with top-class views from all angles and an impressive green-white-black lighting system. The centrepiece, however, is the noise: Gladbach fans are as passionate as any in the land, with the famed Nordkurve (north stand) whipping up quite a din every other week, especially when their team score and Scooter’s “Maria (I Like It Loud)” blares out of the speakers.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Deutsche Bank Park
Capacity: 51,500
Opened: 21 May 1925
Deutsche Bank Park – as it’s been known since 2020 – was built on the site of Frankfurt's previous stadium, the Waldstadion, which had stood since 1925. Construction took place between 2002 and 2005, and the result is a modern, versatile venue that captures atmosphere like few stadiums can. It is another of German football's grounds that was renovated in time for hosting the Confederations Cup and World Cup, while its initial guise also hosted the 1974 edition of the World Cup and Euro 1988. The 2011 Women's World Cup final was played at the Deutsche Bank Park, which truly comes alive under the lights of European football when Die Adler are in continental competitions. As was the case during the club's 2021/22 Europa League run, with the home fans and their stadium a major contributing factor to their success that season.
Wolfsburg: Volkswagen Arena
Capacity: 30,000
Opened: 13 December 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 with a capacity of 30,000 (22,000 seating, 8,000 standing). 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. It also became the Bundesliga's first stadium to debut 5G technology as the DFL launched a number of digital firsts at the Wolves' den on Matchday 5 of the 2019/2020 season.
Bochum: Vonovia Ruhrstadion
Capacity: 27,599
Opened: 8 October 1911
Football has been played on the site of the club's Ruhrstadion since 1911, but - as you might imagine - the venue has undergone a number of facelifts and total reconstructions in the last century. With a capacity of 27,599, the ground - which has borne the name of sponsor Vonovia since 2016 - has staged a number of international matches since Germany faced Hungary there in 1922. The most notable were in women's football, with a European championship quarter-final and semi-final in 1990 and 1995 respectively being played in Bochum. It's also known for staging a David Bowie concert in 1983, as well as a series of shows by Bochum-native Herbert Grönemeyer, whose eponymous song of the city is heartily sung before each home game.
Augsburg: WWK Arena
Capacity: 30,660
Opened: 26 July 2009
The WWK Arena was completed in July 2009 after a 20-month construction project, and it soon became the world's first carbon-neutral arena thanks to a complex system that harnesses the earth's natural geothermal energy to provide the stadium its power. In total, it saves approximately 750 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. The technical aspects of Augsburg's home aside, the steep stands give the venue a compact feel and help create a spine-tingling atmosphere 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 unique atmosphere. Both the 2010 U20 Women's World Cup and the subsequent 2011 Women's World Cup had matches at the WWK Arena.
Watch: Throwback - The WWK Arena's 2015 stadium profile
VfB Stuttgart: Mercedes-Benz Arena
Capacity: 60,449
Opened: 23 July 1933
Stuttgart's abode has undergone various renovations down the years, most recently having its pioneering roof membrane revamped in 2017. There's enough space for 60,449 fans, including 11,225 standing spots, but hide-away seats can be slid into place to ensure fixtures where standing is not permitted, such as UEFA competition, can have an all-seater capacity of 54,812. It was a versatile, multi-function venue until becoming a football-only stadium in 2008 - a fitting development for an historic ground renowned as hosting Germany's first international after World War II and their first game following reunification in 1990. The Mercedes-Benz Arena is one of 10 host stadiums for UEFA Euro 2024, with five games slated to be held in Stuttgart.
Watch: The Mercedes-Benz Area erupts as VfB stay up on final day of 2021/22 campaign
Hertha Berlin: Olympiastadion
Capacity: 77,475
Opened: 26 May 1972
Hertha have played at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium – the Olympiastadion – since their maiden Bundesliga season in 1963. The ground was built for the 1936 Olympic Games in the city and currently holds 74,475 spectators. Since 1985, the stadium has hosted the DFB Cup final each May. In previous years when Hertha have not been in the Bundesliga, they have often played home games away from the Olympiastadion at smaller grounds in Berlin, such as the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, the Poststadion and previously at the “Plumpe” Stadion am Gesundbrunnen before its demolition. The club are looking to move into a newly built, 55,000 capacity Fußballstadion inside the Olympic Park by 2025, with a focus on greater sustainability for the club by moving ownership of their home ground into their own hands.
Schalke: Veltins-Arena
Capacity: 62,271
Opened: 13 August 2001
Another of Germany’s most modern stadia and one of its most atmospheric, the Veltins-Arena is another must-see venue if you find yourself in the Ruhr region with an afternoon to spare. It replaced the previous Parkstadion at the turn of the millennium, aiming to bring the club, quite literally, into the 21st century. With a total capacity of 62,271 and a design that locks in sound to optimise the noise levels, live football at the Veltins-Arena is a unique experience. Add to that the arena’s retractable pitch (it's often used for music concerts) and roof, plus four-screen video cube to ensure every fan has a fantastic view of the pitch itself and the replays, and you have a stadium that is the envy of clubs around the world. The Veltins-Arena played host to five matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2004 Champions League final.
Werder Bremen: Weserstadion
Capacity: 42,100
Opened: 11 May 1947
Construction on the Wohninvest Weserstadion - its official name as of July 2019 - was originally completed in 1947, but it has since undergone a number of renovations. In 2002 the capacity was increased to house 43,500 spectators, while its near complete rebuild between 2008 to 2012 might have seen the capacity come down to 42,100 but it modernised the stadium and repositioned it as purely a football venue. The old athletics track was ripped out, both stands at the end of the ground were rebuilt and 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.
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