The Red Bull Arena, formerly known as Zentralstadion, is the largest football stadium in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, with a capacity of 47,069 seats. It serves as the home ground for RB Leipzig.
Capacity
47.069
Opened in
November 2004
About the Building
Original Stadium (1956)
The original Zentralstadion was built between 1955 and 1956 under architect Karl Souradny’s supervision. The stands were constructed using 1.5 million cubic meters of debris from war ruins. The stadium, inaugurated on August 4, 1956, during the second edition of the Deutschen Turn- und Sportfestes, could accommodate 100,000 spectators, making it the second largest in Europe after Strahov Stadium. It featured facilities for various sports, including a football field and an athletics track.
From 1992 to 1995, VfB Leipzig played their home games at the Zentralstadion due to the poor condition of the Bruno-Plache-Stadion, with the stadium’s capacity limited to 37,000 at that time. Despite this, around 38,000 spectators attended the promotion match to the first division against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on June 6, 1993.
Over the years, the stadium fell into disrepair and became too costly for the city to maintain.
Current Stadium
As the new millennium approached, Leipzig decided to construct a new stadium on the site of the old one. The reconstruction took place from December 2000 to March 2004.
During construction, the Deutsches Turnfest, a gymnastics competition, was held in spring 2002, with two events taking place in the partially built stadium. The first match in the completed stadium was on March 7, 2004, with FC Sachsen Leipzig facing Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team in front of 28,595 spectators. An international football tournament featuring Red Star Belgrade, Werder Bremen, and Club Brugge KV was held on July 17, 2004. The new Zentralstadion hosted its first German national team match on November 17, 2004, where Germany defeated Cameroon 3-0 in a friendly.
The largest football stadium in former East Germany, it also hosts concerts. Bridges connect the old stadium structure with the new one, and the roof, equipped with a sprinkler system, is designed for superior acoustics. The field measures 80 × 120 meters, with a playing area of 68 × 105 meters.
On June 18, 2006, after receiving a yellow card in the World Cup match between France and South Korea (1-1), Zinedine Zidane allegedly kicked a door inside the stadium, damaging it. Initially, the stadium director considered asking the French Football Federation for reimbursement but later decided to keep the door as a memento of “one of the greatest footballers in history.”
Since July 1, 2010, the stadium has been named Red Bull Arena. A friendly match between RB Leipzig and FC Schalke 04 was held on July 24, 2010, to mark the occasion.
Renovations in 2015 reduced the stadium’s capacity from 44,345 to 42,959 to expand press and VIP areas. In August 2021, the capacity was increased to 47,069.
The largest football stadium in former East Germany
