Allianz Arena

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Lore & Background

Bayern Munich have played their home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The club had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50 per cent share in the stadium, but, in 2006, sold this to Bayern for €11m to help resolve a serious financial crisis that saw 1860 facing bankruptcy. The arrangement allowed 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025. However, in July 2017 Bayern terminated the rental contract with 1860, making themselves the sole tenants of the stadium. The large locally based financial services provider Allianz purchased the naming rights to the stadium for 30 years. However, this name cannot be used when hosting FIFA and UEFA events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was referred to as FIFA WM-Stadion München (FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich). In UEFA club, Nations League and international matches, it is known as the Fußball Arena München [ˈfuːsbal ʔaˌʁeːna ˈmʏnçn̩] (Football Arena Munich), and it hosted the 2012 Champions League Final as well as matches during UEFA Euro 2024. Since 2012, the museum of Bayern Munich, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, has been located inside the Allianz Arena. In 2022, it hosted a first regular season National Football League (NFL) American football game played in Germany as part of the NFL International Series.

In Their Own Story

On the second leg of the quarter-finals at the Allianz Arena, Manchester City drew 1–1 with Bayern Munich. Erling Haaland scored for City, while Joshua Kimmich equalized for the hosts. The result meant City advanced 4–1 on aggregate, qualifying for the semi-finals. The stadium, glowing red for Bayern, witnessed City's controlled performance on hostile turf, a step toward their first-ever European Cup.

Reader's Guide

The stadium is located next to the Fröttmaning U-Bahn station on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn. Patrons may park in Europe's largest parking structure, comprising four four-storey parking garages with 9,800 parking places, plus additional spaces. The arena facade is constructed of 2,760 ETFE-foil air panels that can be independently lit with white, red, or blue light. The panels are lit for each game with the colours of the respective home team—red for Bayern Munich, blue for TSV and white for the Germany national team. White is also used when the stadium is a neutral venue, like the 2012 UEFA Champions League final. The stadium offers three-day-care centres, a fan shop (the FC Bayern Munich Megastore), numerous restaurants and fast-food establishments, 550 toilets, and 190 monitors.

Did You Know?

• The Allianz Arena is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior.
• The stadium's ETFE-foil panels have a thickness of only 0.2 mm.
• On clear nights, the stadium's light can be seen from Austrian mountain tops up to 50 miles (80 km) away.
• The stadium hosted the 2012 Champions League Final.