Poland will be hosting its first major soccer tournament next June with co-hosts Ukraine when the European Championship (Euro 2012) kicks off on June 8th and runs until July 1st. The tournament will feature the top 16 teams in the continent, with 15 of them trying to unseat Spain as the current championship holders. Poland and Ukraine will be among them as they’ve qualified as the host nations.
Poland’s fans are passionate and the country’s soccer history is quite rich. It finished in third place in the World Cup in both 1974 and 1982, and won the Olympic gold medal for soccer in 1972 with silver medal wins in 1976 and 1992. However, this will be just their second appearance in the European Championship.
The nation of 38 million people will be cheering on the action at four different venues throughout the country. The popular cities of Poznan-population 557,000 (Municipal Stadium), Warsaw with population of 1.7 million (National Stadium), Wrocław with population of 638,000 (Municipal Stadium) and Gdansk with a population of 456,000 (PGE Arena) will host the Euro Cup 2012 contests.
All four of the cities have plenty to choose from when it comes to accommodations and restaurants and you’ll be able to find a wide selection of them in all price ranges. The cities’ transportation systems will be designed to move thousands of fans in comfort from game to game. There are also plenty of historical and cultural sites to explore in each town. Read more facts about Poland here.
Municipal Stadium, Poznan
In Polish, this stadium is called Stadion Miejski. It’s the home park of the Lech Poznan club and was opened up in 1980. It lies in the south-western section of Poznan in a district known as Grunwald. However, the stadium will be updated for Euro 2012 as it went through a facelift between 2003 and 2010. It can hold just over 43,000 fans and it will be the home for three of Euro 2012’s group matches. The stadium features the country’s biggest club pitch and has fully-covered stands. It will host three group matches in Euro 2012.
National Stadium, Warsaw
The National Stadium, in Poland’s capital, will be able to hold 58,000 fans. It’s a new arena which was built between 2008 and 2011. In Polish, the stadium is called Stadion Narodowy. It has been erected on the site the former stadium called Stadion Dziesięciolecia.
The Euro 2012 tournament will kick off at this stadium and it will host two more group-stage matchups. It will also feature a quarterfinal and semi final match. When Euro 2012 concludes, the stadium may be used for some games by club teams Polonia Warszawa and Legia Warszawa. The country’s national team will also play its home games here.
There’s also a 20,000-seat indoor arena at the stadium as well as 4,000-seat indoor Olympic swimming pool, an aquatic park, conference centre, and hotel. An underground train station will join the government-owned stadium to the centre of Warsaw.
Municipal (City) Stadium, Wroclaw
In Polish, this stadium will be called Stadion Miejski and it’s a new arena that was built between 2009 and 2011. It has a capacity of approximately 43,000 and is owned by the city. The field is 105 metres in length and 68 metres in width. It’ll also be used as the home ground of local team Slask Wrocław.
The stadium also features a surrounding promenade and is easy to reach by public transportation. It has luxury suites, a VIP area, business club, meeting place, police offices, medical rooms, and communications centre. The ground lies next to the Sleza River and a nearby complex which houses a museum, fitness centre, and casino. The stadium will be home to three group-stage contests in Euro 2012.
The PGE Arena, Gdańsk
Gdansk’s PGE Arena also has a pitch that measures 105 by 68 metres and will be able to house 44,000 fans. It will host three Euro 2012 group-stage games and a quarterfinal contest. Local team Lechia Gdansk will also use the stadium as its home ground.
The stadium was built between 2008 and 2011. The grandstands are covered. There is a VIP section 48 luxury boxes along with disabled seating. The stadium was going to be named Baltic Arena; however, the PGE (Polish Energy Group) has paid for naming rights for five years.
