Saitama Stadium 2002

Saitama Stadium 2002 (埼玉スタジアム2002, Saitama Sutajiamu Nimarumaruni), often called Saitama Stadium (埼玉スタジアム, Saitama Sutajiamu) or simply Saisuta (埼スタ), is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

Currently J1 League football club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest football specific stadiums in Asia. It has hosted the semi-finals of both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the football tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

History

Built by Azusa Sekkei to host matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-host Japan's first match against Belgium.

Between 2005 and 2007, the Urawa Red Diamonds' local derby rival Omiya Ardija hosted matches here along with Urawa Komaba due to expansion of its home Omiya Park Soccer Stadium.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Сайтама 2002 Стадион (russian)