Johan Cruijff ArenA

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Lore & Background

The journey to this stadium began when Amsterdam bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics. After losing the bid to Barcelona in October 1986, plans for a new Olympic stadium were abandoned. In 1987, the Stichting Amsterdam Sportstad was formed to create a new sports venue with a capacity of 55,000 seats. As Ajax outgrew their historic De Meer ground, moving important matches to the Olympisch Stadion since the late 1960s, the design evolved. The athletics track was removed, and the fixed roof became retractable. Construction began on November 26, 1993, with deep foundations laid by Ballast Nedam and Royal BAM Group. A major milestone occurred on February 24, 1995, when the roof construction reached its highest point. The stadium faced early challenges; the grass struggled to grow in the shade of the open roof and was replaced 45 times in its first ten years.

In Their Own Story

On August 14, 1996, Queen Beatrix officially opened the stadium by dropping a curtain that revealed 'De Zee,' an 80 by 126-meter painting representing Eredivisie clubs as ships. The ceremony featured a torch relay starting with Johan Cruyff at De Meer and ending with Frank Rijkaard at the new arena. Although Ajax lost their inaugural friendly 0–3 against AC Milan, the venue immediately made history when Tina Turner performed three concerts during her Wildest Dreams Tour, drawing 160,000 people. The stadium later hosted the 1998 UEFA Champions League final where Real Madrid defeated Juventus with a goal by Predrag Mijatović. It also staged the 2013 Europa League final and matches for Euro 2000 and Euro 2020. In April 2017, it was announced that the name would change to Johan Cruijff Arena, which took effect on August 5, 2018, using the Dutch spelling 'Cruijff' to stay close to his heritage.

Reader's Guide

Visitors arrive at the nearest station, Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena, served by metro lines 50 and 54. The stadium offers distinct capacities depending on the event: 55,865 for football matches since 2022, increased from 54,990 after the 2017–2021 renovation. For concerts, capacity varies significantly; a center-stage setup holds 71,000, an end-stage setup holds 50,000, and an east-side stage setup holds 35,000. The exterior underwent a major transformation starting in June 2017 to widen walkways and change the facade from concave to convex, with the east side finished by April 2018. The venue also houses the Ajax Museum, showcasing over 120 years of club history. While it held UEFA five-star status previously, this has been superseded by a new classification system. The stadium is one of only two Category 4 rated stadiums in the Netherlands.

Did You Know?

• The stadium's grass was replaced 45 times in its first ten years because it would not grow in the shade of the open roof.
• Tina Turner opened the stadium with three concerts during her Wildest Dreams Tour, drawing a total of 160,000 people.
• The official name change to Johan Cruijff Arena used the Dutch spelling 'Cruijff' to stay close to his heritage.
• A torch relay for the opening ceremony started with Johan Cruyff at the old De Meer stadium and ended with Frank Rijkaard at the new arena.
• The stadium's facade was transformed from a concave shape to a convex shape during renovations completed in 2020.

Origins and Architectural Evolution

The concept for the stadium originated from Amsterdam's bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, which was lost to Barcelona in October 1986. Despite this loss, the Stichting Amsterdam Sportstad established new plans in 1987 for a 55,000-seat all-seated venue. By 1990, designs incorporated a football field, athletics track, and a fixed roof. However, as Ajax needed to replace their small De Meer stadium, the design shifted again: the track was removed, capacity dropped to 50,000, and the roof became retractable. In 1992, the Government of Amsterdam authorized the plans including a Transferium for public transport. Construction started on November 26, 1993, and took nearly three years. The fly-over was opened in March 1996, and the stadium hosted 180,000 visitors during construction before closing on July 1, 1996, for final preparations.

Grand Opening and Cultural Debut

The official opening ceremony took place on August 14, 1996. Queen Beatrix presided over the event, which included a curtain drop revealing 'De Zee,' an 80 by 126-meter painting of Eredivisie clubs as ships. An eight-day torch relay involving 375 runners covered 1,400 km, starting with Johan Cruyff at De Meer and ending with Frank Rijkaard at the new stadium. After revealing the grass and opening the roof, Ajax played an inaugural friendly against Milan, losing 0–3 with Dejan Savićević scoring the first goal of the match. The first competition goal for Ajax was scored by Kiki Musampa on August 21, 1996, against NAC Breda. Tina Turner followed immediately with three concerts drawing 160,000 fans.

Prestige in European Football

The stadium has hosted significant UEFA events since its inception. It was the venue for the 1998 UEFA Champions League final and served as a host for UEFA Euro 2000, including three group games, a quarter-final, and a semi-final. In 2013, it staged the UEFA Europa League final where Chelsea defeated Benfica 2–1. More recently, during the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in 2021, the stadium hosted three group stage matches and one round of 16 match. The venue previously held UEFA five-star status before the classification system was updated.

Renaming Legacy and Modern Capacity

On April 25, 2017, it was announced that the Amsterdam Arena would be renamed Johan Cruijff Arena to honor the legend who died in 2016. The name change was originally scheduled for October 25, 2017, but postponed due to logistical issues regarding compensation and share transfers between the municipality and Ajax. It officially took effect at the start of the 2018–19 season. The new logo was revealed on April 25, 2018, Cruyff's birthday, using the Dutch spelling 'Cruijff.' Exterior renovations began in June 2017 to improve visitor flow and change the facade shape; the east side was completed by April 2018. The football capacity increased from 54,990 to 55,865 after the 2019–20 season.