Johan Cruijff ArenA

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Lore & Background

Amsterdam was one of six cities that bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1986, a new Olympic stadium was designed, with a football field and an athletics track. After Amsterdam lost the bid to Barcelona in October 1986, the plans were abandoned. In 1987, the Stichting Amsterdam Sportstad was established, making new plans for a sports stadium with an all-seated capacity of 55,000. In 1990, a new design was made with a football field, an athletics track, and completely covered by a roof. The design was later altered: the athletics track was removed, capacity reduced to 50,000 seats, and the fixed roof replaced by a retractable roof. In 1992, the Government of Amsterdam authorised the plans. The first pile was placed on 26 November 1993. Construction took almost three years. The stadium was officially opened on 14 August 1996 by Queen Beatrix. At the opening, the queen made a curtain fall revealing the world's largest painting De Zee. An eight-day torch relay reached the stadium; the first runner was Johan Cruyff starting in the old stadium De Meer, and the last runner was Frank Rijkaard. An inaugural football friendly was played between Ajax and Milan, which Ajax lost 0–3. Tina Turner opened the stadium with three concerts with 160,000 people.

In Their Own Story

On August 14, 1996, Queen Beatrix officially opened the stadium by dropping a curtain that revealed 'De Zee,' an 80 by 126-meter painting representing Eredivisie clubs as ships. The ceremony featured a torch relay starting with Johan Cruyff at De Meer and ending with Frank Rijkaard at the new arena. Although Ajax lost their inaugural friendly 0–3 against AC Milan, the venue immediately made history when Tina Turner performed three concerts during her Wildest Dreams Tour, drawing 160,000 people. The stadium later hosted the 1998 UEFA Champions League final where Real Madrid defeated Juventus with a goal by Predrag Mijatović. It also staged the 2013 Europa League final and matches for Euro 2000 and Euro 2020. In April 2017, it was announced that the name would change to Johan Cruijff Arena, which took effect on August 5, 2018, using the Dutch spelling 'Cruijff' to stay close to his heritage.

Reader's Guide

The stadium has a retractable roof and a grass surface. Since 2022, the stadium has a capacity of 55,865 during football matches, increased from 54,990. The stadium has a capacity of 71,000 during music concerts if a center-stage setup is used; for end-stage music concerts, the capacity is 50,000; and for music concerts for which the stage is located in the east side of the stadium, the capacity is 35,000. It held UEFA five-star stadium status, which was superseded by a new system of classification. The stadium hosted the 1998 UEFA Champions League final, was one of the stadiums used during UEFA Euro 2000 including the semi-final, hosted three group stage matches and one match in the round of 16 of UEFA Euro 2020, and also hosted the 2013 UEFA Europa League final. Both international and Dutch artists have given concerts in the stadium, including Tina Turner, Coldplay, U2, Take That, Celine Dion, Madonna, Michael Jackson, André Hazes, David Bowie, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, One Direction, the Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Armin van Buuren. The dance event Sensation was held in the stadium every year up until the final edition in 2017. The Ajax Museum is located in the stadium. The nearest train and subway station is Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena.

Did You Know?

• The stadium's grass surface was replaced 45 times in the first ten years due to problems with growth in the shade of the open roof.
• The stadium's original architect is the Dutchman Rob Schuurman.
• The stadium is one of two in the Netherlands rated as Category 4 by UEFA, the other being Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam.

Origins and Architectural Evolution

The concept for the stadium originated from Amsterdam's bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, which was lost to Barcelona in October 1986. Despite this loss, the Stichting Amsterdam Sportstad established new plans in 1987 for a 55,000-seat all-seated venue. By 1990, designs incorporated a football field, athletics track, and a fixed roof. However, as Ajax needed to replace their small De Meer stadium, the design shifted again: the track was removed, capacity dropped to 50,000, and the roof became retractable. In 1992, the Government of Amsterdam authorized the plans including a Transferium for public transport. Construction started on November 26, 1993, and took nearly three years. The fly-over was opened in March 1996, and the stadium hosted 180,000 visitors during construction before closing on July 1, 1996, for final preparations.

Grand Opening and Cultural Debut

The official opening ceremony took place on August 14, 1996. Queen Beatrix presided over the event, which included a curtain drop revealing 'De Zee,' an 80 by 126-meter painting of Eredivisie clubs as ships. An eight-day torch relay involving 375 runners covered 1,400 km, starting with Johan Cruyff at De Meer and ending with Frank Rijkaard at the new stadium. After revealing the grass and opening the roof, Ajax played an inaugural friendly against Milan, losing 0–3 with Dejan Savićević scoring the first goal of the match. The first competition goal for Ajax was scored by Kiki Musampa on August 21, 1996, against NAC Breda. Tina Turner followed immediately with three concerts drawing 160,000 fans.

Prestige in European Football

The stadium has hosted significant UEFA events since its inception. It was the venue for the 1998 UEFA Champions League final and served as a host for UEFA Euro 2000, including three group games, a quarter-final, and a semi-final. In 2013, it staged the UEFA Europa League final where Chelsea defeated Benfica 2–1. More recently, during the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in 2021, the stadium hosted three group stage matches and one round of 16 match. The venue previously held UEFA five-star status before the classification system was updated.

Renaming Legacy and Modern Capacity

On April 25, 2017, it was announced that the Amsterdam Arena would be renamed Johan Cruijff Arena to honor the legend who died in 2016. The name change was originally scheduled for October 25, 2017, but postponed due to logistical issues regarding compensation and share transfers between the municipality and Ajax. It officially took effect at the start of the 2018–19 season. The new logo was revealed on April 25, 2018, Cruyff's birthday, using the Dutch spelling 'Cruijff.' Exterior renovations began in June 2017 to improve visitor flow and change the facade shape; the east side was completed by April 2018. The football capacity increased from 54,990 to 55,865 after the 2019–20 season.