MUNICH
FOOTBALL ARENA
The Munich Football Arena has long been synonymous with success. More commonly referred to as the Allianz Arena, it has been the home stadium of German behemoths Bayern Munich since 2005 and will be one of the key venues as part of the 2024 European Championships – indeed, the opening match of the tournament will be held here.
Below, we explore the history of the Allianz, its selection as a host stadium and how to travel there.
History of the Munich Football Arena
The clamour for the development of a new stadium began in 1997. After a stellar period of success for both Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich, German football legend Franz Beckenbauer was at the forefront of calls for the development of a new venue. Previously, the German giants had played at Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972, which is an awe-inspiring but tiring stadium built for multiple sports. In 2001, Munich residents voted in a referendum on whether a new stadium should be built in Fröttmaning. The results were overwhelmingly in favour. The City Council was also on board, fronting up for the entire cost of the project, which would end up amounting to €340 million.
In 2005, lead construction company, Alpine Bau GmbH, handed over official control of the building to München Stadion GmbH, the company in charge of the stadium. And the rest is history.
It was selected as the venue to host the first game of the 2006 World Cup, which ended in a 4-2 win for Germany over Costa Rica.
It’s widely renowned for being the first full colour-changing stadium in the world. With its unique, wave-like structure, vibrant atmosphere and thematic turf, it’s little wonder as to the esteem in which the Bayern Munich stadium is held by football fans around the world.
What games will be played at the Munich Football Arena?
There are some hugely important games taking place at the Munich Football Arena. Here’s the full breakdown:
- Germany vs Scotland (Group A, 14th June)
- Romania vs Ukraine (Group E, 17th June)
- Slovenia vs Serbia (Group C, 20th June)
- Denmark vs Serbia (Group C, 25th June
- Winner of Group E vs Third place in Group A/B/C/D (Round of 16, 2nd July)
- Winner Match 45 vs Winner Match 46 (Semi-finals, 9th July)
There are some exciting fixtures that take the eye, none more so than the opening fixture between the hosts Germany and Scotland.
Germany will not take Scotland lightly, with Steve Clarke’s men having notched up some incredible results of late, including a 2-0 win over Spain at Hampden Park thanks to two goals from Scott McTominay.
If they are to grab a result against the hosts here, they will need their most high-performing players to turn up. Premier League stars Andy Robertson, McTominay and John McGinn will all need to play at the top of their game.
The last time these two met was in 2015. Two goals from Thomas Müller and one from İlkay Gündoğan saw Germany home in a 3-2 thriller, with a Mats Hummels own goal and a James McArthur strike not enough for the Scots to get a result. Remarkably, Müller, Gündogan and Hummels remain involved in the German team and all three are likely to make the squad for this year’s tournament. For Scotland, only defender Hanley and midfielder Callum McGregor remain involved in the squad from that fixture the better part of a decade ago.
Location of the Munich Football Arena
The Allianz Stadium is situated in the Fröttmaning district in the northern part of the city. The address of the stadium is Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 25, 80939 München.
By Train There are several ways to reach the Allianz Stadium via public transport. The most convenient and popular option is taking the underground U6 line, which stops at Fröttmaning station just a few minutes walk from the stadium. This line runs from Munich city centre and has connections to other major transport hubs such as the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) and the airport.
Another option is to take the S-Bahn (suburban train) lines S1 and S8 to Marienplatz station and transfer to the U6 line. Alternatively, there are also bus routes that stop near the stadium, such as route 293 from Studentenstadt or route 294 from Garching-Hochbrück.
By Road For those who prefer to drive, parking is available at the stadium, although it can get quite crowded on match days. There are also several paid parking spaces in the surrounding area.
By Air If you're coming from outside of Munich or Germany, you can easily access the Allianz Stadium via public transport from Munich Airport. The S-Bahn lines S1 and S8 run directly from the airport to Marienplatz, where you can transfer to the U6 line to reach Fröttmaning station. Alternatively, you can also opt for a taxi or airport shuttle service.
Capacity of the Munich Football Arena
The Allianz Arena capacity stands at a mammoth 75,024 seats but, for international games, it’s at 70,000 due to governing body regulations.
