Stadio San Paolo

Lore & Background

Napoli was in need of a new stadium to replace the Stadio Partenopeo following its destruction in 1942 during the bombing of Naples. They were playing at an undersized venue nearby, which had a capacity of only about 12,000. Fuorigrotta, a rapidly developing suburb to the west, was chosen as the site for the new stadium. Construction began on 27 April 1952 on what would become an open-air stadium made of reinforced concrete, designed to hold approximately 90,000 spectators — most of them standing.

The laying of the first cornerstone was attended by then-Prime Minister, Alcide De Gasperi. Construction was prolonged, lasting seven years. It opened as Stadio San Paolo on 6 December 1959, with Napoli defeating rivals Juventus 2–1. The stadium was named for Paul the Apostle, who arrived in the area by sea some 2,000 years ago.

It held this name for 61 years before its renaming to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2020, and many fans still call it some form of San Paolo to this day. On 15 December 1974, Napoli set the stadium's overall attendance record with a disputed figure of 90,735 or 90,736 spectators. The stadium's first renovations were done in the early 1980s, which saw the addition of modern technology such as an electronic scoreboard and a new floodlight system.

About a decade later, the stadium then underwent a slight transformation for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when it was fully converted to an all-seater stadium. This brought the seating capacity down to about 76,000 people. Underground parking was also added during this time, but logistical issues prevented it from ever opening. After the World Cup, a decline of over two decades struck the stadium.

The structure showed signs of age, as the concrete began to peel and the roof started to leak. Fans complained of broken seats, which led to the closure of entire sections and more reductions in seating capacity. Furthermore, the overall lack of modern accommodations for players, fans, and press alike was enough for FIFA to rank the stadium poorly during this time. The city of Naples actually owned the stadium, and so politics and funding issues were sometimes to blame for upgrades being delayed or cancelled.

Napoli, who paid rent to the city, found themselves in a financial crisis prior to going bankrupt in 2004. The stadium continued to decay in the following years.

Reader's Guide

The stadium hosted five matches during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, one of which being a semi-final between Italy and Argentina. The atmosphere was emotionally charged, as Diego Maradona, the superstar of Argentina's national team, also played for Napoli. He was an icon to Naples for bringing the club their first two Serie A titles, among other trophies. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, with Maradona scoring one of Argentina's goals in the ensuing penalty shoot-out to help his country earn the victory.

The matches spanned between 13 June and 3 July, with the first two contests coming from the Group B stage. The other three were a Round of 16 match, a quarter-final, and a semi-final match. Cameroon, who had just shocked the world after beating defending champions Argentina in their opening match, lost a thrilling 3–2 quarter-final to England, after striker Gary Lineker scored a penalty goal in the 105th minute of extra time. The XXX Summer Universiade, the 30th installment of the FISU World University Games, took place between 3 and 14 July 2019.

The opening ceremony featured an appearance by President Sergio Mattarella, Olympic gold-medalist Massimiliano Rosolino, and a performance by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The stadium hosted the football preliminaries for the 1960 Summer Olympics. The IV Mediterranean Games were held from 21 to 29 September 1963. Italy won the 'coin-toss semifinal' against the Soviet Union in the 1968 UEFA European Football Championship here, in front of 68,582 spectators.

The stadium hosted four matches during the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship. On 2 September 2006, Italy's Euro 2008 qualifier against Lithuania was played here. The stadium has hosted many well-known acts in its lifetime. Italian pop band Pooh held a celebration concert in 1979 to honor their 1,000th live show.

In 1982, The Rolling Stones played to a sold-out crowd during their European Tour 1982. Zucchero and U2 performed within a month of each other in 1993, and in 1998, Neapolitan artist Pino Daniele performed in front of a sold-out crowd in what some fans consider a top concert of his career. In 2023, Coldplay played two sold-out shows, during their Music of the Spheres World Tour.