2006 World Cup Venues

Berlin
The Olympic Stadium, the home of Hertha BSC, will be the setting for World Cup 2006 matches in Berlin including the final on 9th July.

The stadium was built in 1936 for the Summer Olympic Games but has been renovated several times since then. Additional funding has been made available to completely renovate and modernise the stadium by the provision of additional stands that will cover the running track, and mean that spectators will be sitting right at the edge of the pitch. A new roof is also being installed.

The Olympic Stadium is often called the "German Wembley" as it has been used for the national Cup Finals every year since 1985 and when Germany last hosted the World Cup in 1974, three matches were played at the stadium.

Population : 3.4 Million

The Stadium : Olympic Stadium

Seating Capacity : 77,400 seats

Frankfurt
The Wald Stadium holds a place in international and German football history.

Built as a sports park in 1925, it was renovated for the 1974 World Cup and was the venue of the Opening Ceremony first match of the competition.

The stadium was also the venue for some memorable football matches, namely the rain-soaked battle between the German team and Poland at the 1974 World Cup, and Eintracht Frankfurt's UEFA Cup victory over Borussia Munchengladbach in 1980.

Modernisation of the stadium was carried out prior to EURO 88, and a further 125 million marks has been made available by the City Council for further improvements ahead of World Cup 2006.

Population : 650,000

The Stadium : Waldstadion

Seating Capacity : 45,000 seats

Hannover
Hannover, the capital of Lower Saxony, is one of the most important international fair venues in Europe and in the year 2000 was the home of The World Exhibition, EXPO 2000

After successfully playing host to matches in both the 1974 World Cup and EURO 88, Hannover is looking forward to hosting matches during World Cup 2006.

At the beginning of 1999 the city council committed itself to providing a stadium suitable for a World Cup.

To this end in the region of 100 million marks is being spent on the modernisation of the Niedersachsen Stadium

The first phase of this work was completed in time for EXPO 2000, with work n the whole project being finished in the summer of 2002

Population : 525,000

The Stadium : Niedersachsen Stadion

Seating Capacity : 50,000 seats

Munich
Munichs Olympic stadium has hosted numerous national and international events in the past.

It was the venue for 1974 World Cup Final, the final of EURO 88, and most recently the 1997 UEFA Champions League final.

The stadium has already been nominated for the opening match of the World Cup on 9th June 2006, and it was anticipated that it would play a major part in the tournament.

However, in December 2000 it was decided that rather than modernising Munich's Olympic Stadium, a new stadium would be built for World Cup 2006.

Organisers of World Cup 2006 are hoping that local clubs Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 will help finance this new stadium

If finance cannot be found, there is a possibility that Munich will loose out on any matches in the competition

Population : 1.3 Million

The Stadium : Olympic Stadium

Seating Capacity : 68,000 seats

Cologne
Cologne is the oldest of Germany's big cities and Cologne Cathedral is Germany's most visited building.

FC Cologne, whose home is the Muengersdorfer Stadium, was a founding member of the Bundesliga.

The stadium hosted matches during EURO 88, but not during the 1974 World Cup and apart from a few minor alteration, for which funds are already available, the stadium is ready to host matches in the World Cup.

Population : 1 Million

The Stadium : Muengersdorfer Stadion

Seating Capacity : 43,400 seats

Gelsenkirchen
The present Gelsenkirchen Park Stadium, home of the legendary football club Schalke 04, was constructed for the 1974 World Cup and was subsequently a venue of EURO 88.

However, in time for World Cup 2006 the foundation stone of a brand new stadium and home for the club was laid in 1998.

The Auf Schalke Arena will be multifunctional and owned by the club. It will have a glass facade and a sliding roof and will seat 52,000 fans in one of the worlds most modern stadia.

Completion is expected during 2001 and the new stadium is set to become one of the jewels of World Cup 2006.

Population : 285,000

The Stadium : Auf Schalke

Seating Capacity : 52,000 seats

Venues Continued.