EURO 2024
Why does Allianz Arena in Munich have a different name at Euro 2024?
Bayern Munich’s home stadium will be referred to as Fußball Arena München for the duration of the European Championship.
The majority of soccer fans have become familiar with Allianz Arena in Munich over the years, whether for its iconic luminous exterior or from watching Bayern Munich home games in the Champions League or Bundesliga. The 75,000-capacity stadium has been home to the Bavarian giants since the start of the 2005/06 season, when they ended their 32-year stay at the easily identifiable Olympiastadion, built for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.
Allianz Arena: World Cup 2006, Euro 2020, Champions League
The opening of the new ground took place a year before Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, the opening game of which saw the hosts defeat Costa Rica 4-2 in Munich. Allianz Arena also hosted three more group stage games, a round of 16 fixture and a semi-final, although the tournament moved to Berlin for the showpiece finale.
Four matches (three group games, one quarter-final) at Euro 2020, which was held across Europe in 2021, were also played at the venue, which was the scene of the 2012 Champions League final, in which Chelsea stunned Bayern in a penalty shootout.
Next season, European club soccer’s biggest game will return to Munich in what will be the first UCL final after the tournament’s expansion to 36 teams.
Why is Allianz Arena called Fußball Arena München at Euro 2024?
While most fans will always refer to Allianz Arena as such, UEFA won’t be doing so at Euro 2024. The stadium in Munich will instead be officially known as Fußball Arena München (Munich Football Arena) for the duration of the tournament because of UEFA regulations on commercial sponsorships and neutrality.
Stadiums that have corporate-sponsored names have been allocated new, “neutral” names for Euro 2024 as UEFA look to avoid any potential conflicts with its own agreements with tournament sponsors.
As a result, Berlin’s Olympiastadion is the only stadium in use at the European Championship which won’t be affected by a name change, with Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park switching to BVB Stadion Dortmund and Red Bull Stadium in Leipzig becoming Leipzig Stadium.