Saint Étienne Stadium modernized prior to EURO 2016

St. Étienne - Geoffroy Guichard 20.06.2016: Two years prior to the 2016 European Championship the modernization of the stadium in Saint Étienne, one of the ten venues for the championship, was completed. Renovation works took three years, from June 2011 to July 2014, and resulted in a completely new look of the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. On the occasion, indoor facilities and all stands were renovated – the stands were expanded and new seats were installed there. As planned, there are 6,000 seats more, bringing the stadium capacity up to 41,148.

The capacity was increased principally thanks to the overall renovation and expansion of the North and the South stands, behind the goals. It was obvious that the columns supporting the roof would have to be removed, as they blocked the view of the pitch. On a long-term basis, the better view will be appreciated especially by fans of the local club, AS Saint-Étienne. The cost of the renovation went up to 58 million EUR (about 1.5 billion CZK). However, the “rejuvenation” of the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard was certainly worth it. The last renovation, prior to this one, had been carried out in 1998, also on the occasion of a football tournament. The stadium had a capacity of 30,600 for the 1998 World Cup.

The present Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, with a capacity of 41,000, will provide venue for four EURO matches – three group matches and a round-of-16 match.

Stade Geoffroy Guichard after medirnization (2011 - 2014), Capacity: 41 148