The Estádio da Luz (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɨˈʃtaðju ðɐ ˈluʃ]), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club Benfica, its owner.
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| Full name | Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica |
|---|---|
| Address | Av. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, 1500-313 |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°45′10″N 9°11′05″W / 38.7527°N 9.1847°W |
| Public transit |  Azul at Alto dos Moinhos Azul at Colégio Militar/Luz |
| Owner | S.L. Benfica |
| Operator | S.L. Benfica |
| Executive suites | 156 |
| Capacity | 65,592 |
| Record attendance | Official match: 64,591[2] (13 May 2017) All-time: 65,400 (25 October 2003) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2003 |
| Opened | 25 October 2003 |
| Construction cost | €162 million[1] |
| Architect | HOK Sport (now Populous) |
| Tenants | |
| Benfica (2003–present) Benfica B (2003–2006, 2012–2013) Benfica women's (2018–present; selected matches) Portugal national football team (selected matches) | |
| Website | |
| slbenfica.pt | |
Opened on 25 October 2003 with an exhibition match between Benfica and Uruguayan club Nacional, it replaced the original Estádio da Luz, which had 120,000 seats. The seating capacity of the new stadium is currently set at 64,642.[3] The stadium was designed by HOK Sport Venue Event (now Populous) and had a construction cost of €162 million.[1]
A UEFA category four stadium and one of the biggest stadiums by capacity in Europe (the biggest in Portugal), Estádio da Luz hosted several matches of the UEFA Euro 2004, including its final, as well as the 2014 and 2020 finals of the UEFA Champions League. It was elected the most beautiful stadium of Europe in a 2014 online poll by L'Équipe.[4][5][6] By its fifteenth birthday, Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica Luz had welcomed more than 17 million spectators.[7] The stadium is one of the potential venues for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Portugal will co-host along with Morocco and Spain.
Naming
editWhile the previous Benfica stadium was also officially named "Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica", both the old and the new stadia are invariably referred to by their unofficial name, Estádio da Luz. Luz is the name of the neighborhood the stadium was built on, on the border between the parishes of Benfica and Carnide, which itself derives its name from the nearby Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz (Church of Our Lady of Light). This unofficial name caught on soon after the original stadium's construction;[8] the people of Lisbon used to simply call it a Luz ("the Light"). Therefore, the stadium's common name became "Estádio da Luz", which is usually anglicised to "Stadium of Light".[9] This translation, however, could be argued to be inaccurate, since Luz refers not to "light" but to the original address of the stadium: Estrada da Luz ("Road of Light").[10][11]
Characteristics
editArchitect Damon Lavelle,[12] from HOK Sport Venue Event (now Populous), designed the stadium to focus on light and transparency. Its polycarbonate roof allows the sunlight to penetrate the stadium in order to illuminate it. The roof, which is supported by tie-beams of four steel arches, seems to float on the underlying tribunes. The arches are 43 metres (141 feet) high and help define the look of the stadium, after having been shaped to be similar to the wavy profile of its three tiers. According to Lavelle, the seating capacity may be increased up to 80,000.[13]
International matches
editPortugal national team matches
editThe following national team matches were held in the stadium.
Euro 2004 matches
edit
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 June 2004 |  France |
2–1 |  England |
Group B | 62,487 |
| 16 June 2004 |  Russia |
0–2 |  Portugal |
Group A | 59,273 |
| 21 June 2004 |  Croatia |
2–4 | England |
Group B | 57,047 |
| 24 June 2004 | Portugal |
2–2 (6–5 on pen.) | Quarter-finals | 62,564 | |
| 4 July 2004 | 0–1 |  Greece |
Final | 62,864 |
Notable matches
editOpening match and also the one with the biggest attendance
edit| Benfica | 2–1 |  Nacional |
|---|---|---|
Nuno Gomes  7', 47' |
Report | Mello 11' |
In the opening match, Benfica beat Uruguayan side Nacional 2–1 with goals from Nuno Gomes, who became the first ever scorer at the Estádio da Luz.
UEFA Euro 2004 Final
edit| Portugal | 0–1 | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Charisteas 57' |
2014 UEFA Champions League Final
editReal Madrid  | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Ramos 90+3' Bale 110'Marcelo 118'Ronaldo 120' (pen.) |
Report | Godín 36' |
2019–20 UEFA Champions League
editQuarter-finals
| Barcelona | 2–8 |  Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Final
| Paris Saint-Germain | 0–1 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Coman 59' |
Benfica matches in UEFA competitions
edit- As of match played 2 October 2024
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- All-time statistics
- 114 matches: 71 wins, 21 draws, 22 losses
- 196 goals scored, 99 goals conceded
Concerts
edit| Date | Artist/band | Concert tour | Total audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 June 2019 | Ed Sheeran[17] | ÷ Tour | 120,000 |
| 26 June 2023 | Rammstein[18] | Rammstein Stadium Tour | 50,000 |
| 24–25 May 2024 | Taylor Swift[19] | The Eras Tour | 120,000 |
| 26 June 2025 | Imagine Dragons[20] | Loom World Tour | - |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b The match was played behind closed doors to comply with restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
edit- ^ a b "Vender jogadores para gerar receitas" [Selling players to generate revenue]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 April 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "History has been made". S.L. Benfica. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "fsd150611.pdf" (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 14 April 2016. pp. 81–82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "Estádio da Luz é o mais bonito da Europa" [Estádio da Luz is the most beautiful of Europe]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Luz considerado o estádio mais bonito" [Luz considered the most beautiful stadium]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 22 October 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ Tavares da Silva, Hugo (22 October 2014). "Estádio da Luz é o mais bonito da Europa" [Estádio da Luz is the most beautiful of Europe]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "Luz recebeu mais de 17 milhões de espectadores em 15 anos" [Da Luz welcomed more than 17 million spectators in 15 years]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ Silveira, João Pedro. "Luz: a Catedral" [Luz: the Cathedral]. zerozero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ Lutz, Tom (20 March 2012). "Benfica's Stadium of Light to host 2014 Champions League final". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Luz)". Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Site Oficial. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ Hunter, James (20 April 2017). "The Princess Diana Stadium? Sir Bob Murray reveals request to rename the Stadium of Light". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ "15 Best Football Stadiums in the World". twelfthman blog. 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Arquiteto da Luz admite alargamento para 80 mil lugares" [Da Luz' architect admits enlargement to 80 thousand seats]. Bancada (in Portuguese). 29 October 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ 6–5 after penalty shoot-out.
- ^ "Full-time report" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Full Time Summary Quarter-finals – Barcelona v Bayern Munich" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "As imagens do concerto de Ed Sheeran no estádio da Luz" [The pictures of Ed Sheeran's concert at Estádio da Luz]. Renascença (in Portuguese). 2 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Rammstein: a Luz com labaredas (as fotos)" [Rammstein: Luz with flames (the photos)]. M80 (in Portuguese). 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Taylor Swift The Eras Tour". taylorswift.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Imagine Dragons no Estádio da Luz em 2025". Blitz (in Portuguese). 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
External links
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