Estádio Cidade de Coimbra

The Estádio Cidade de Coimbra (Template:Langx) is a stadium in Coimbra, Portugal. This stadium belongs to the Municipality of Coimbra and is mainly used by the Académica de Coimbra's football team.

The stadium was rebuilt, expanded, and modernized to host some UEFA Euro 2004 matches. Far beyond the sports stadium itself, all the project, called Euro Stadium Project, included the possibility of organizing sports, culture, and commercial events, by the modernization of the entire Calhabé area in Coimbra.

The stadium was officially inaugurated with a concert by The Rolling Stones on 27 September 2003, attended by around 50,000 people.<ref name=":0" /> The first official match in the remodeled stadium took place on 29 October 2003, with Académica de Coimbra hosting Benfica.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Features

Its design does not involve any historical or traditional references, as the idea was to create a new, contemporary image with glass façades and an aesthetic roof supported by elegant stands. The existing athletics track has been preserved for possible use as a multi-purpose facility in the future. The stadium was designed by the Portuguese architectural firm Plarq in association with KSS Design Group of London. The Plarq team was led by the architect António Monteiro.

The stadium has 29,622 seats, two-thirds of which are covered. The complex boasts a large press centre, a bar, kitchens, and a restaurant with a panoramic view of the pitch. The project of the stadium took advantage of old seats: of close to 15,000 (all seated), involved the planned remodelling of the tier which extends around the entire perimeter of the previous stands, and a second tier above that, in the form of a "U", opening onto the slopes of the city at the North end.

A multi-purpose pavilion, olympic swimming pools, healthclub, gym, offices and studio apartment residences were built in the surrounding area. The Alma Shopping, a shopping and leisure center built near the stadium, includes cinemas, underground car parking, restaurants, and several retail outlets.

Major events

UEFA Euro 2004

The stadium hosted two UEFA Euro 2004 Group B matches: England 3–0 Switzerland and Switzerland 1–3 France.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Curiously in both matches, the record for the European Championship's youngest goalscorer was broken, first by Wayne Rooney, then by Johan Vonlanthen.

Date		Result		Round	Attendance
17 June 2004	Template:Fb	3–0	Template:Fb	Group B	28,214
21 June 2004	Template:Fb	1–3	Template:Fb		28,111

Portugal national football team

The following national team matches were held in the stadium, both in its old and renovated shape.

#	Date	Score	Opponent	Competition
1.	13 April 1983	0–0	Template:Fb	Friendly
2.	8 June 1983	0–4	Template:Fb	Friendly
3.	9 June 1999	8–0	Template:Fb	Euro 2000 qualifying
4.	28 April 2004	2–2	Template:Fb	Friendly
5.	12 November 2005	2–0	Template:Fb	Friendly
6.	15 November 2006	3–0	Template:Fb	Euro 2008 qualifying
7.	3 March 2010	2–0	Template:Fb	Friendly
8.	15 October 2013	3–0	Template:Fb	2014 World Cup qualification

Taça de Portugal final

The stadium also hosted the 2020 Taça de Portugal Final between both O Clássico rivals Benfica vs Porto also replacing Estádio Nacional that was supposed to be held but the original final match venue was unable to host the match due to security reasons and avoid the crowds of spectators to break the COVID-19 pandemic chain.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Taça de Portugal finals

Season	Winners	Result	Runners-up	Date
2019–20	Porto	2–1	Benfica	1 August 2020
2020–21	Braga	2–0	Benfica	23 May 2021

Taça da Liga final

Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Date
2010–11	Benfica	2–1	Paços de Ferreira	23 April 2011
2011–12	Benfica	2–1	Gil Vicente	14 April 2012
2012–13	Braga	1–0	Porto	13 April 2013
2014–15	Benfica	2–1	Marítimo	29 May 2015
2015–16	Benfica	6–2	Marítimo	20 May 2016

Concerts

In addition to football, the stadium is often used for concerts of international artists with capacity up to 50,000 people.

The stadium was inaugurated with a Rolling Stones concert on 27 September 2003, attended by over 50,000 people.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

George Michael played there in 2007 during the 25 Live, with 39,639 spectators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2010, U2 played two sold-out shows in the stadium during their U2 360° Tour. Approximately 109,985 people attended the event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On June 24, 2012, Madonna performed in front of 33,597 people as part of her MDNA Tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coldplay performed at the stadium on 17, 18, 20, & 21 May 2023 as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Date	Country	Artist	Tour	Opening Act	Attendance	Revenue
27 September 2003	Template:Flagicon UK	The Rolling Stones	Licks Tour	—	50,000	—
12 May 2007	Template:Flagicon UK	George Michael	25 Live	—	39,639	$4,439,568
2 October 2010	Template:Flagicon Ireland	U2	U2 360° Tour	Interpol	109,985	$9,925,611
3 October 2010
24 June 2012	Template:Flagicon USA	Madonna	The MDNA Tour	Martin Solveig	33,597	$3,156,022
17 May 2023	Template:Flagicon UK	Coldplay	Music of the Spheres World Tour	Griff Bárbara Bandeira	208,284 / 208,284	$21,473,885
18 May 2023
20 May 2023
21 May 2023
6 June 2025	Template:Flagicon USA	Guns N' Roses	Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour	Rival Sons

External links

• Académica de Coimbra's official website Template:Webarchive
• Estádio Cidade de Coimbra at Stadiumguide.com