Stade de France facts for kids
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| Full name | Stade de France |
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| Address | Saint-Denis France |
| Location | ZAC du Cornillon Nord Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France |
| Coordinates | 48°55′28″N 2°21′37″E / 48.9245°N 2.3602°E |
| Public transit |
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| Owner | Consortium Stade de France |
| Operator | Consortium Stade de France |
| Type | Multiuse stadium |
| Executive suites | 172 |
| Capacity | 81,338 (football, rugby); 77,083 (athletics) |
| Field size | 119 m × 75 m (130 yd × 82 yd) |
| Surface | SIS Grass by SIS Pitches |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2 May 1995 |
| Built | 1995–1998 |
| Opened | 28 January 1998 |
| Construction cost | €364 million |
| Architect | Michel Macary Aymeric Zublena Michel Regembal Claude Constantini |
| Tenants | |
| France national football team (1998–present) France national rugby union team (1998–present) Stade Français (selected matches) Racing 92 (selected matches) |
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The Stade de France (which means "Stadium of France" in French) is the national stadium of France. It is located just north of Paris in a town called Saint-Denis. With seats for over 80,000 people, it is the largest stadium in France.
This amazing stadium is home to the French national football team and the rugby union team. It can also change its setup to host athletics events, with seats for 77,083 fans. When not used for athletics, the running track is hidden under the stands.
The Stade de France was first built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It also played a big part in Paris winning the bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympics. During the Olympic Games, it hosted athletics events, the closing ceremonies, and rugby sevens matches.
Contents
A Look Back at History
The idea for a new national stadium in France came up when the country was bidding to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup. France promised to build a large stadium if they won the bid. On July 2, 1992, France was chosen to host the World Cup, and the plan for this new stadium became real.
The stadium was designed by four architects: Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal, and Claude Constantini. Construction started on May 2, 1995. It took only 31 months to build this huge stadium.
During construction, people called it the Grand Stade (meaning "large stadium"). In 1995, the Ministry of Sport held a competition to name it. Michel Platini, a famous French football player, suggested the name "Stade de France," and that's what it became. The stadium cost about €364 million to build.
The Stade de France officially opened on January 28, 1998. The first event was a friendly football match between France and Spain. France won 1–0, and Zinedine Zidane scored the very first goal in the stadium. Just six months later, France won their first World Cup title there, beating Brazil 3–0 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final.
The national rugby team played its first match at the stadium on February 2, 1998. France beat England 24–17.
Over the years, the Stade de France has hosted many major events. It held UEFA Champions League finals in 2000, 2006, and 2022. It also hosted the 1999, 2007, and 2023 Rugby World Cups. This makes it one of only two stadiums in the world to host both a FIFA World Cup Final and a Rugby World Cup Final.
In 2016, the stadium was a main venue for UEFA Euro 2016. It hosted seven matches, including the final where France lost to Portugal. The opening ceremony featured French DJ David Guetta and singer Zara Larsson.
In 2015, there was an incident outside the stadium during a football match. Security measures were quickly put in place to keep everyone safe, and the match continued. Since then, the stadium has made its security even stronger.
The 2022 UEFA Champions League Final was held here, but there were some problems getting fans into the stadium. An independent review found that the issues were due to how the event was organized and how security was handled.
Stadium Design and Features
The Stade de France has a special design feature: a movable stand. This stand can be pulled back to show the athletics track underneath. This allows the stadium to host different types of events. The stadium was designed to help improve the area around it, called Plaine Saint-Denis.
In 2002, the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) gave the stadium an award. They praised its "attractive open architecture" and its "elegance and natural lightness."
The Roof
The stadium's roof cost over €45 million to build. It has an oval shape, which represents how sports bring people together. The roof is huge, covering six hectares (about 15 acres) and weighing 13,000 tons. It's designed to protect all 80,000 spectators without covering the playing field.
All the lights and speakers are built into the roof. This means nothing blocks your view. The tinted glass in the middle of the roof helps to reduce glare and spread natural light. It also filters out certain light rays, which is important for keeping the grass healthy.
Inside the Stadium
The Stade de France is known as the biggest "modular" stadium in the world. This means parts of it can be changed for different events.
Seating Areas
The stadium has three main levels of seating.
- The first level has 25,000 seats. This section can actually move! To show the running track for athletics, parts of this level lower down and slide back. This change takes 40 people and about 80 hours to complete.
- The middle level is reached by 22 bridges. Here, you can find restaurants, entertainment areas, and shops.
- The upper level is reached by 18 staircases.
The stadium is designed so that everyone can leave safely and quickly. It usually takes about 15 minutes to start the evacuation process.
The Field
The playing field is about 11 meters (36 feet) below the ground level. It measures 9,000 square meters (about 97,000 square feet). The entire grass area is 11,000 square meters (about 118,000 square feet).
When the stadium was first built in 1997, almost a billion seeds were planted to grow the grass. Today, the grass comes in large rolls. Changing the entire pitch takes three days to prepare and five days to install. This happens several times a year, depending on the events.
Unlike many other stadiums, the Stade de France does not have heating under its pitch. This is because it was built on the site of an old gasworks, and there were worries about safety.
Big Screens
In 2006, the Stade de France added two new, larger big screens. These new screens are 58% bigger than the old ones from 1998. Each screen is made up of over 4 million tiny lights, called LEDs. They are brighter and respond faster, making it easier for fans to see replays and scores.
Major Sports Events
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The Stade de France has hosted many important sports events. These include matches from the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2007 Rugby World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It also hosted the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final.
UEFA Champions League Finals
| Date | Team #1 | Score | Team #2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2000 |  Real Madrid |
3-0 | Valencia |
80,000 |
| May 17, 2006 | Barcelona |
2–1 |  Arsenal |
79,610 |
| May 28, 2022 | Real Madrid |
1–0 | Liverpool |
75,000 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10, 1998 |  Brazil |
2–1 |  Scotland |
Group A (opening match) | 80,000 |
| June 13, 1998 |  Netherlands |
0–0 |  Belgium |
Group E | 75,000 |
| June 18, 1998 |  France |
4–0 |  Saudi Arabia |
Group C | 80,000 |
| June 23, 1998 |  Italy |
2–1 |  Austria |
Group B | 80,000 |
| June 26, 1998 |  Romania |
1–1 |  Tunisia |
Group G | 77,000 |
| June 28, 1998 |  Nigeria |
1–4 |  Denmark |
Round of 16 | 77,000 |
| July 3, 1998 | Italy |
0–0 (3–4 pen.) | France |
Quarter-final | 77,000 |
| July 8, 1998 | France |
2–1 |  Croatia |
Semi-final | 76,000 |
| July 12, 1998 | Brazil |
0–3 | France |
Final | 80,000 |
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 18, 2003 |  New Zealand |
0–3 |  Japan |
Group A (opening match) | 36,038 |
| June 19, 2003 | Brazil |
0–1 |  Cameroon |
Group B | 46,719 |
| June 21, 2003 | Cameroon |
1–0 |  Turkey |
Group B | 43,743 |
| June 22, 2003 | France |
5–0 | New Zealand |
Group A | 36,842 |
| June 26, 2003 | France |
3–2 | Turkey |
Semi-final | 41,195 |
| June 29, 2003 | France |
1–0 (a.e.t.) | Cameroon |
Final | 51,985 |
2007 Rugby World Cup Matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2007 | France |
12–17 |  Argentina |
Pool D (opening match) | 77,523 |
| September 14, 2007 | England |
0–36 |  South Africa |
Pool A | 79,312 |
| September 21, 2007 | France |
25–3 |  Ireland |
Pool D | 80,267 |
| October 7, 2007 | Argentina |
19–13 | Scotland |
Quarter-final | 76,866 |
| October 13, 2007 | England |
14–9 | France |
Semi-final | 80,283 |
| October 14, 2007 | South Africa |
37–13 | Argentina |
Semi-final | 77,055 |
| October 20, 2007 | South Africa |
15–6 | England |
Final | 80,430 |
UEFA Euro 2016 Matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10, 2016 | France |
2–1 | Romania |
Group A (opening match) | 75,113 |
| June 13, 2016 |  Republic of Ireland |
1–1 |  Sweden |
Group E | 73,419 |
| June 16, 2016 |  Germany |
0–0 |  Poland |
Group C | 73,648 |
| June 22, 2016 |  Iceland |
2–1 | Austria |
Group F | 68,714 |
| June 27, 2016 | Italy |
2–0 | Spain |
Round of 16 | 76,165 |
| July 3, 2016 | France |
5–2 | Iceland |
Quarter-final | 76,833 |
| July 10, 2016 |  Portugal |
1–0 (a.e.t.) | France |
Final | 75,868 |
2023 Rugby World Cup Matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2023 |  France |
27–13 | New Zealand |
Pool A (opening match) | 78,680 |
| September 9, 2023 |  Australia |
35–15 |  Georgia |
Pool C | 75,770 |
| September 23, 2023 | South Africa |
8–13 | Ireland |
Pool B | 78,542 |
| October 7, 2023 | Ireland |
36–14 | Scotland |
Pool B | 78,459 |
| October 14, 2023 | Ireland |
24–28 | New Zealand |
Quarter-final | 78,845 |
| October 15, 2023 | France |
28–29 | South Africa |
Quarter-final | 79,486 |
| October 20, 2023 | Argentina |
6–44 | New Zealand |
Semi-final | 77,653 |
| October 21, 2023 | England |
15–16 | South Africa |
Semi-final | 78,098 |
| October 27, 2023 | Argentina |
23–26 | England |
Bronze final | 77,674 |
| October 28, 2023 | New Zealand |
11–12 | South Africa |
Final | 80,065 |
Concerts and Entertainment
The Stade de France is not just for sports; it also hosts huge music concerts. Many famous artists from around the world have performed here. These include The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Muse, Metallica, Prince, U2, Mylène Farmer, Guns N' Roses, Rihanna, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, Céline Dion, Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Madonna, The Police, Rammstein and BTS.
Concert Highlights
- The very first concert at the stadium was by The Rolling Stones on July 25, 1998.
- Céline Dion filmed her concert movie Au cœur du stade here in 1999.
- Coldplay holds several records at the venue. They had the fastest ticket sales ever in France, selling over 200,000 tickets in one morning. They are also the first act to sell over 300,000 tickets on a single tour and the first to perform four shows on one tour.
- Blackpink made history on July 15, 2023, as the first K-Pop girl group to hold a concert at the Stade de France.
- Beyoncé holds the record for the highest earnings from a concert here, making $39.7 million from her three shows in June 2025. She also has the highest attendance for a female artist, with 215,025 fans.
Loudest Moments
The Stade de France has experienced some incredibly loud moments!
- On May 12, 2012, the French heavy metal band Gojira performed. The sound level reached 120 decibels backstage, setting a record for the loudest sound at the stadium.
- On April 11, 2015, during the 2015 Coupe de la Ligue Final football match, the crowd noise reached 109 decibels. This set a world record for the noisiest stadium during a football final.
Who Plays Here?
The Stade de France is the main home for the French national football and national rugby teams.
Some Parisian rugby clubs, like Stade Français and Racing 92, also play some of their matches here. Stade Français has even set new attendance records for league rugby matches in France by playing at the Stade de France. For example, in 2005, a match against Toulouse had 79,454 fans, breaking the national record.
The Lille OSC football team played its European matches here in 2005–06. This was because their own stadium was being renovated.
Getting to the Stadium
The Stade de France is located near major highways, but it's best to use public transportation to get there. There are not many parking spaces available.
The stadium is well-connected by public transport:
- The RER B train stops at La Plaine – Stade de France, which is about 500 meters away.
- The RER D train stops at Stade de France – Saint-Denis, about 1.1 km away.
- The Paris Métro Line 13 stops at Saint-Denis – Porte de Paris, which is only 300 meters away.
- The Paris Métro Line 14 now serves the new Saint-Denis – Pleyel station, which is connected by a bridge to the Stade de France–Saint-Denis station. This new station was built as part of the Grand Paris Express project and for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Images for kids
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The opening ceremony of the 2016 European Football Championship.
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The Stade de France on August 5, 2024, during the Olympic Games.
See also
In Spanish: Estadio de Francia para niños
- List of tourist attractions in Paris
- List of football stadiums in France
- List of national stadiums
- List of rugby union stadiums by capacity
- Lists of stadiums
