Presenting the Nice stadium for Euro 2016

Nice - Allianz Riviera 01.07.2016: The Allianz Group allied its name with yet another football stadium. There is the Allianz Arena in Munich, and now the new stadium in Nice has also been named in this fashion – since 2013 it has been called the Allianz Riviera stadium. However, the new home ground of OGC Nice, a Ligue 1 club, is not the last one. In 2016 the Allianz Stadion was newly built in Vienna, to become the new home ground of Rapid Vienna. Which European city will get the next Allianz stadium?

Well, for now let’s go back to the new stadium in Nice, which was built, among other things, to provide venue for the 2016 European Championship matches. The construction of the Nice stadium, which cost 245 million EUR, was completed in quite a short time. It began in August 2011 and in September 2013 the first match was played there – it was a Ligue 1 match between Nice and Valenciennes (4-0). The stadium can hold 35,624 spectators, which is twice as many as the old stadium Municipal du Ray, built in 1927, could hold. A larger capacity would certainly be more suitable for Euro matches; however, it is more than enough for Ligue 1 matches. That is why it is possible to decrease the capacity by removing the uppermost tier from all stands.

According to initial plans the construction of the stadium should have been completed by 2007; however the project was suspended due to some uncertainties as to the cost of construction. It was resumed only after France had been chosen to host the 2016 European Championship and it had been decided that Nice would be one of the host cities. Apart from OGC Nice matches, the stadium also sometimes provides venue for rugby matches of RC Toulon. Euro 2016 will be the first major event taking place at the stadium – it will provide venue for three group matches and a round-of-16 match.

Allianz Riviera, Opended: 2013, Capacity: 35,624