Widzew Łódź Stadium

History

Stadion Widzewa Łódź is the home of Widzew Łódź in central Łódź, Poland. The original venue opened on May 30, 1930, and was demolished in early 2015. The current all-seater stadium, built between 2015–2017 on the same site, reopened on March 18, 2017, at a cost of 138 million PLN. It was designed to comply with UEFA Category 3 standards and replaced the old 10,500-seat Betzenberg ground.

Description

The stadium holds 18,018 spectators, all covered seating, including around 900 places for away fans. It features a natural grass pitch (106 × 70 m), under-soil heating, and no running track, bringing fans close to the action.

Architectural Features

The west (main) stand is four-storey, clad in red brick and glass, housing 24 VIP boxes, commentary booths, TV studios, players’ gym and club headquarters. The other three stands are two-tier but simpler, with commercial spaces underneath. The north stand is removable for concerts. The stadium also has modern floodlighting, a heated pitch, HD video board, and a Category 3 UEFA recommendation.

What is Stadion Widzewa?

The name simply denotes the municipal stadium belonging to Widzew Łódź (« Widzew Stadium »). It is officially named Stadion im. Ludwika Sobolewskiego after a former club president, though most fans still refer to it by the club name.

Records

Since reopening in 2017, season tickets have consistently sold out (e.g. 15,903 in 2022, 16,010 in 2023). The first match drew 17,443 fans. Capacity tops out at 18,018, and the stadium regularly hosts Ekstraklasa matches, UEFA youth finals (U‑20s), and concerts.