National Stadium of Luxembourg


The National Stadium of Luxembourg is the future national stadium of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, located in the Luxembourg City quarter of Gasperich. The stadium will host Luxembourg's national football and rugby teams and is to be listed as a Category 4 stadium by UEFA allowing it to host international matches. The stadium's original October 2019 target date for completion has been delayed due to slow construction progress, with its inaugural match not expected until 2022. Upon opening, it will replace the outdated Josy Barthel stadium, due for demolition.

Design and construction

The stadium's design was drawn up by local architectural firm Beng Architectes Associés in conjunction with the Hamburg based Gerkan, Marg and Partners, and selected from a total of 25 submissions by Luxembourg's Minister of Sport and the Mayor of Luxembourg City in September 2014. The final design and construction plans were approved by a unanimous vote of Luxembourg City councillors on 5 December 2016.
Initial ground works on the stadium began in March 2017, with construction work commencing on 21 August 2017, and an official ground breaking ceremony in the presence of Mayor Lydie Polfer held on 18 September 2017. Works were due to be completed by October 2019, with an estimated cost, at the beginning of construction, of 61.1 million euros, with 40 million euros to be covered by the Ministry of Sport, and the rest by the Luxembourg City municipality. However, due to construction delays blamed on bad weather, the stadium's completion was put back until 2020. Construction costs were revised up to approximately 80 million euros, with the Luxembourg City administration paying for the overrun. In December 2019, Luxembourg City authorities said that work on the parking infrastructure for the stadium would only be able to commence in September 2020, and the stadium's inaugural match has been further delayed until 2022.

Specifications

Due to its location alongside the A6 motorway, the stadium is situated along an east-west axis, in place of the more traditional north-south axis used for stadia. The stadium is designed to hold a capacity of 9,386 spectators with fully covered seating for sporting events, and can hold up to 15,000 spectators for concerts. The main grandstand is situated along the south side of the field. To cope with its dual purpose as a football and rugby venue, as well as hosting occasional concerts, the stadium will be equipped with a hybrid grass playing surface.

Public transit

Upon the completion of Luxembourg City's new tramline at the end of 2021, the stadium will be served by the future Cloche d'Or tram terminus.