Adidas Arena
Paris, France
About this place
History
Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, originally built as the Neo Phaliron Velodrome in 1896 for the first modern Olympics, became a football ground in the early 20th century. It was renamed in 1964 in honor of independence hero Georgios Karaiskakis. Completely rebuilt in just 14 months and reopened in June 2004, it hosted football at the 2004 Olympics and has been the home of Olympiacos under a 49-year lease since.
Description
With a current capacity of 33,334 seats, the stadium is fully covered and football-specific. It features a hybrid grass pitch (105 × 68 m), LED scoreboard, 40 VIP suites, 1,000 business seats, and a shopping arcade with museum and club facilities underneath the stands.
Architectural Features
Reconstructed by DECATHLON S.A and Stelios Agiostratitis, the stadium boasts a swept roof supported by concrete arches, four covered stands, a media tower, football museum, and modern broadcast facilities. Its design ensures full coverage and rapid evacuation—able to clear within 7 minutes.
Who is Georgios Karaiskakis?
Georgios Karaiskakis was a hero of the Greek War of Independence who was mortally wounded near Piraeus in 1827. The stadium is named in his honor as a national tribute.
Records
The record attendance of 45,445 occurred in April 1965. The current attendance record under the rebuilt stadium is around 33,334, including a sell-out at the 2023 UEFA Super Cup. It also holds the Greek record for crowd noise at 131.76 dB in 2011.
