Estádio do Algarve
A versatile stadium in the Algarve, built for Euro 2004 and home to international football and events.
Estádio Algarve (English: Algarve Stadium) is an association football stadium located between Faro and Loulé municipalities, in the Algarve region of Portugal. It has a total capacity of 30,305 spectators and was purposely built for the UEFA Euro 2004 championship. Since 2023, only 22,000 seats are made available for football matches due to security concerns.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Faro, Algarve, Portugal
- Built for
- UEFA Euro 2004
- Capacity
- Approximately 30,000
- Primary use
- Association football (soccer)
- National team role
- Portugal home venue for qualifiers and friendlies
- Notable tournament
- UEFA Euro 2004 (group-stage matches)
Lore & Background
The Estádio Algarve was designed in the summer of 2000 in accordance with UEFA and FIFA standards by Populous for the UEFA Euro 2004 championship. The design team included WS Atkins engineers and local partners including Marobal. The design alludes to the maritime traditions of Portugal and harmonizes with the local landscape. From 2004 to 2013, Louletano shared the stadium with Sporting Clube Farense. Since 2004, it has hosted several matches of the Portugal national football team. It also hosted the inaugural Algarve Challenge Cup tournament in July 2008, won by Cardiff City. The stadium was the temporary home ground of the Gibraltar national football team around the mid-2010s and will host Gibraltar again from March 2023. It has hosted music festivals, concerts, and was temporarily converted into a super special stage during the Rally de Portugal in 2007 and 2010.
Reader's Guide
The stadium hosts the final match of the Algarve Cup, a major annual international tournament for women's football national teams, and the Algarve Football Cup, a pre-season friendly tournament for men's football clubs. It is considered a model small/regional flexible use stadium for football and other sports and cultural events, being one of the most used stadiums in Portugal.
More in Stadiums & Fan Culture
Elsewhere in Portugal National Team
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