The Commerzbank Arena

The Commerzbank Arena (known until July 2005 as the Waldstadion) is situated in woodlands to the south of the the city and the River Main. Having been chosen as one of the venues for the World Cup, it was extensively remodelled and now has a capacity of c. 48,000.

The stadium was officially reopened on 15th June 2005, when Germany played Australia in the opening game of the Confederations Cup.

History
The original Waldstadion (Forest Stadium) was opened on 21st May 1925. During the pre-war years it was used for both football and athletics, and in the Nazi era for large political rallies as well. After the War it was initially taken over by American troops and renamed the ‘Victory Stadium’.

However, by July 1946 it had already been released again for German use, staging athletics, football and even boxing.

Eintracht 6-1 Rangers
In 1960, Germany’s then most up-to-date floodlights were installed and in the same year 77,000 spectators saw Eintracht Frankfurt beat Glasgow Rangers 6-1 in the semi-final of the European Cup.

With Eintracht Frankfurt being one of the founder members of the Bundesliga, the Waldstadion became a top-flight football ground in 1963, while still staging other sports, including Muhammad Ali’s bout against Karl Mildenberger in September 1966.

1974 World Cup
Major modernisation of the stadium followed in time for the 1974 World Cup. And following a mud-bath of a game in that tournament between Poland and Germany, the pitch was fully relaid and undersoil heating installed in 1978.

In the 1980s, the stadium staged several games of the 1988 European Championships, plus numerous superstar pop concerts featuring artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner.

The stadium’s soft top
As each stand was completely rebuilt one after the other, the latest conversion work was in fact more like building a new stadium on the same spot. The crowning glory is the retractable canvas roof, that folds up within the central video cube and is drawn out along steel ropes when needed.

Facts and figures:
Capacity:
52,300 (incl. 9,300 standing) – for Bundesliga games
48,500 all-seater for international fixtures