Euro 2012 Stadiums

UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland will start June 8th. Championship will be taking place in main cities of Poland: Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań and Gdańsk. Excited Poles have been awaiting football fans for months. Take a peek of our Euro stadiums on the pictures below. We are ready to begin the great Euro adventure!

National Stadium in Warsaw / Wojciech Surdziel / Agencja Gazeta

National Stadium in Warsaw

The idea to build a National Stadium in Warsaw came about in the 1990s and immediately arguments arose as to its location. There were various suggestions including Białołęka, Wawer and Wesoła. Finally, though, the winning location was the terrain of the decrepit old  Stadion Dziesięciolecia (10^th Anniversary Stadium) in the Praga-Południe district. The decision to hold the 2012 European Football Championships in Poland and Ukraine served as a  catalyst in the decision-making process.

In April 2007,  Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, President of Warsaw, made the final decision. The JSK Consortium of Architects presented their concept of the stadium in February 2008 and work started on-site 3 months later. To a large extent, the 10^th Anniversary Stadium had been built on the post-war rubble from the east bank of the river, so the first job was to assess whether there were any unexploded bombs, human remains or other 'leftovers' of the Warsaw Uprising buried in the embankments. It was also necessary to check whether the terrain was strong enough to support the new, much larger, stadium. The results were deemed satisfactory and so building work began on 7^th October 2008.

The pitch will be 8 metres higher than that of the old stadium and underneath there will be a car park for about 2000 cars. The outer facade, which you would associate with the Polish flag or maybe a kind of folk-style woven basket, is a matter of controversy among Varsovians.

The Stadium will have 2 rings of stands, seating 57 000 fans. There will be extra seating between the 2 rings as well as VIP and press boxes. Below the stands there will be conference halls, shops and an entertainment centre. The highest point is 41 metres above the level of the old 10^th Anniversary pitch. The whole building is covered by a roof - the central part of which is mobile.

At the European Championships, 3 group phase matches will be played here, including the opening match, as well as 1 quarter-final and 1 semi-final. The opening ceremony will also be held here. The National Stadium will be the biggest stadium in Poland and the building work should be finished in November 2011.