Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena (German: [aˈli̯ants ʔaˌʁeːna]; known as Fußball Arena München for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ETFE plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior. Located at 25 Werner-Heisenberg-Allee at the northern edge of Munich's Schwabing-Freimann borough on the Fröttmaning Heath, it is the second-largest stadium in Germany behind Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
| Full name | Allianz Arena |
|---|---|
| Address | Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 25, 80939 |
| Location | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Public transit | at Fröttmaning |
| Owner | Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH |
| Operator | Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH |
| Executive suites | 106 |
| Capacity |
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| Field size | 105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd) |
| Surface | hybrid grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 21 October 2002 |
| Built | 2003–2005 |
| Opened | 30 May 2005 |
| Construction cost | €340 million |
| Architect | |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| allianz-arena | |
FC Bayern Munich has played its home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The club had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50 per cent share in the stadium, but Bayern Munich purchased their shares for €11 million in April 2006 due to 1860 Munich suffering from financial issues. The arrangement allowed 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025. However, in July 2017 Bayern terminated the rental contract with 1860, making themselves the sole tenants of the stadium.
The large locally based financial services provider Allianz purchased the naming rights to the stadium for 30 years. However, this name cannot be used when hosting FIFA and UEFA events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was referred to as FIFA WM-Stadion München (FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich). In UEFA club and Nations League matches, it is known as the Fußball Arena München [ˈfuːsbal ʔaˌʁeːna ˈmʏnçn̩] (Football Arena Munich), and it hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final and will host the upcoming 2025 final, moved from 2023. Since 2012, the museum of Bayern Munich, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, has been located inside the Allianz Arena.
In 2022, it hosted a first-ever regular season National Football League (NFL) American football game played in Germany as part of the NFL International Series.