Stade de Bordeaux
The brand new Stade de Bordeaux was constructed ahead of Euro 2016 and opened its doors for the first time in May 2015.
It took just 26 months from inception to completion and came in at a cost of €184m. It features a “floating roof” based on Landes-pine posts that are associated with the region. The city’s mayor Alain Juppe described it as “a piece of art which will enrich our cultural heritage” on the occasion of the official opening.
It has replaced the city’s Stade Chaban-Delmas, which was a host venue when France held the 1938 and 1998 World Cups.
The stadium will host five Euro 2016 games, including a quarter-final on July 2.
Sights to see:
Bordeaux is a city rich in unspoiled architecture and it came as little surprise therefore that their brand new stadium was declared a work of art.
In the heart of the city is the Stade Chaban-Delmas, the first stadium in the world to have fully-covered stands that allowed for non-obstructed spectator viewing at games.
The Old Town, resplendent with bleached stone buildings and cobbled streets, offers a fabulous range of cafes, restaurants and bistros.
The completely pedestrianised areas of Les Quais exemplify the splendour of this city, with the Place de la Bourse a must-see.
Seeing this beautiful city is enhanced by the presence of 160km of tasteful cycle paths traversing the four corners of Bordeaux.
Famous Events:
The inauguration of the new stadium in Bordeaux took place on Monday May 18, 2015. There was a real fanfare as the city celebrated the opening of a venue described as “one of the stand-out examples” of the new venues being built to stage Euro 2016.
Conceived by Herzog and De Meuron, who designed the home of Bayern Munich as well as Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ National stadium, the new stadium boasted a forest of steel columns that cluster around the seating area and proclaim it as an architectural success.
The city is rightly proud of its new sporting theatre.
Memorable Match:
On May 23, 2015 this new stadium opened its doors to fans for the first time as Bordeaux beat Montpellier 2-1.
A light and sound show documented the history of the football club before Diego Rolan wrote his name into the history books as the first goalscorer in the new stadium – just as he had scored the final goal in the Stade Chaban-Delmas.
An eruption of noise greeted the arrival of French legend Zinedine Zidane onto the field post-match.
Group Stage Standout:
Wales v Slovakia
After a 58-year absence, Wales return to the major tournament stage on June 11 against Slovakia. The Welsh will travel in large numbers for the big day as Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale takes centre stage on Bordeaux’s big opening night for Euro 2016.
Winger Bale inspired Chris Coleman’s team during qualifying, scoring seven times in 10 games as they finished runners-up behind Belgium.