The Commerzbank-Arena (also historically known as Waldstadion) is a 52,000 seat stadium in Frankfurt, Germany that is primarily used for football and American football. It is the home of the Eintracht Frankfurt and Frankfurt Galaxy. The Waldstadion was first opened in 1925 and during World War II it was also used for political events.
It has been named "Commerzbank-Arena" since July 2005. During the
, the stadium will be called "FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt" (in English, "FIFA World Cup Stadium Frankfurt"). Large modifications have been made for the tournament with the stadium being nearly completely rebuilt and modernized. Now it is one of Germany's biggest stadiums and there have already been some important events in last year, such as the finale of the Confederations Cup.
One modification involved suspending a large four-sided structure over the stadium with large screens on each side for the crowds to see. On sunny days this creates a large shadow on the pitch, making it more difficult to watch matches via television because the cameras have to adjust between the light dark areas of the pitch. During the Korea Republic vs Togo match the roof was closed over the stadium, despite the weather being dry and sunny, presumably to shade the whole pitch and avoid the effects of the shadow. This decision was criticised by some because it meant the stadium became very hot and humid on an already hot and humid day.
2006 FIFA World Cup
The stadium is one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, due to sponsorship contracts, the arena will be called FIFA World Cup Stadium Frankfurt during the World Cup.
The following games will be played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006:
| Date | Time(CET) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-06-10 | 15.00 | England | 1-0 | Paraguay | Group B | 48,000 |
| 2006-06-13 | 15.00 | South Korea | 2-1 | Togo | Group G | 48,000 |
| 2006-06-17 | 15.00 | Portugal | 2-0 | Iran | Group D | 48,000 |
| 2006-06-21 | 21.00 | Netherlands | 0-0 | Argentina | Group C | 48,000 |
| 2006-07-01 | 21.00 | Winner Game 55 | – | Winner Game 56 | Quarterfinals |
External links
Template:Geolinks-Europe-buildingscale Template:Euro-stadium-stub