Stade de Lyon

Lore & Background

On 1 September 2008, Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas announced plans to create a new 60,000-seat stadium, tentatively called OL Land, to be built on 50 hectares of land in Décines-Charpieu. The project was agreed upon on 13 October 2008 by the French government, the General Council of Rhône, the Grand Lyon, SYTRAL, and the commune of Décines, with approximately €180 million of public money and between €60–80 million from the Urban Community of Lyon. Construction started in summer 2013 after landscaping in 2012. Olympique Lyonnais played their first game on 9 January 2016, winning 4–1 against Troyes; Alexandre Lacazette scored the first goal. The stadium hosted UEFA Euro 2016, the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue Final, the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, and football at the 2024 Summer Olympics. It also hosted rugby union and ice hockey matches, as well as musical concerts.

In Their Own Story

The bus pulls into the service road at 17:40, and the sound hits before the sight does — a low, rolling murmur that swells as the doors open and the first players step onto the tarmac. A child in a too-large France jersey presses her face to the barrier, mouth open, eyes tracking the captain's armband. The tunnel is cool and smells of fresh-cut grass and deep-heater oil. Above, the roof panels are closed against a late-September drizzle, and the floodlights paint the pitch in a flat, clinical white that makes the blue of the away kit look almost electric. A steward in a high-vis vest taps the glass of the dugout, points to the clock. Ninety minutes. The crowd inhales as one. Then the ball drops, and the stadium forgets it has a name.

Reader's Guide

The stadium is located in Décines-Charpieu, Metropolis of Lyon. It has a capacity of 59,186. The record league attendance is 58,257, set on 9 November 2025 during a Ligue 1 match against Paris Saint-Germain. The record European attendance is 58,018, set on 10 April 2025 during a Europa League match against Manchester United. The stadium hosted six matches at UEFA Euro 2016, including the semi-final between Portugal and Wales. It hosted the semi-finals and final of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. It hosted 11 matches (5 men's, 6 women's) during the 2024 Summer Olympics. It also hosted the 2016 European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals, and was a venue for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. An outdoor Ligue Magnus ice hockey game on 30 December 2016 set a French attendance record of 25,142.

Did You Know?

• The stadium replaced Stade de Gerland, which became the home of Lyon OU Rugby.
• The first goal at the stadium was scored by Alexandre Lacazette on 9 January 2016.
• The 2017 Coupe de la Ligue Final was the first time that final was hosted outside the Paris area.
• The ice hockey game on 30 December 2016 set the all-time French attendance record for ice hockey at 25,142.