History of the Letzigrund Stadium

The Letzigrund sports ground, built by the members of the Zürich Football Club (FC Zürich), opened on 22 November 1925. In 1926, the first international match and the first cup final in the history of Swiss football took place at the Letzigrund Stadium. Poor economic conditions forced the club to hand over the stadium to the City of Zürich in the winter of 1936/37. Letzigrund was rebuilt and extended several times over the years.

A large grandstand went into operation in 1958; in 1973, the two grandstands behind the goal posts were renovated, a roof was added and a lighting system installed. Eleven years later, seating was put in on the eastern terrace. In 1996, the first open-air concert – by Bon Jovi – was given at the Letzigrund Stadium. In 1997, the municipal council took the policy decision to extend the stadium. In order to make room for the new building, the demolition of the old Letzigrund stadium began on 22 August 2006. The world’s best athletes inaugurated the new Letzigrund Stadium at the Weltklasse Zürich athletics meeting on 7 September 2007. The new Letzigrund Stadium is a multifunctional arena without secondary usage, which depending on the event can accommodate between 25,000 and 50,000 visitors.