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Stade de Luxembourg stages first event

The City of Luxembourg has said the new Stade de Luxembourg is now ready for action after successfully hosting its first test event.

Luxembourg’s new national stadium, which will primarily be used for football and rugby union, hosted two football matches on Wednesday featuring youngsters from the Luxembourg Football Federation’s (FLF) academy.

Some 1,500 spectators were in attendance at the stadium, which will have a capacity of around 9,300 for major events. The City of Luxembourg said yesterday (Thursday): “The municipal authorities are delighted to announce that the first football test event match held at the new Stade de Luxembourg on July 14, 2021 in real-world conditions was a marked success, leaving all stakeholders satisfied both in terms of the technical facilities and the event organisation.

“With this, nothing now stands in the way of the stadium hosting its first official match on September 1, 2021, when Luxembourg will play Azerbaijan. This game will mark the stadium’s official opening.”

The Stade de Luxembourg replaces Stade Josy Barthel, which first opened in 1931, as Luxembourg’s new national stadium. However, it has endured a difficult delivery.

Work commenced on the stadium in August 2017 and it had initially been targeted to open in the spring of 2019. In April 2020, the FLF gave up on its ambition to play in its new national stadium that year, stating that COVID-19 meant it would be 2021 before games are staged at the venue.

This news came after it was revealed in July 2019 that the construction project in the town of Kockelscheuer would cost 30% more than originally expected. It was originally given a budget of €60m (£51.2m/$70.9m). However, the local authority cited errors in relation to the “calculation of the design offices”, as well as additional facilities requested by the police, football’s European governing body UEFA and the FLF for the price tag rising.

The final cost of the Stade de Luxembourg is expected to be around €76.6m, with the state being responsible for 70% of this figure and the City of Luxembourg accounting for 30%.

Image: Ville de Luxembourg