Stadio Diego Armando Maradona facts for kids
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| Former names | Stadio San Paolo (1963–2020) |
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| Location | Naples, Campania, Italy |
| Owner | Comune di Napoli |
| Executive suites | 20 |
| Capacity | 54,726 (all-seater) |
| Record attendance | 90,736 (Napoli vs. Juventus, 15 December 1974) |
| Field size | 110 m × 68 m (361 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1948 |
| Built | 1948–1959 |
| Opened | 6 December 1959 |
| Renovated | 1989–1990, 2019 |
| Architect | Carlo Cocchia, Luigi Corradi |
| Tenants | |
| S.S.C. Napoli (1959–present) Italy national football team (selected matches) |
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The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is a famous sports stadium in Naples, Italy. It used to be called Stadio San Paolo. This stadium is the home ground for the S.S.C. Napoli football team. It is the fourth largest football stadium in Italy. Only stadiums in Milan, Rome, and Bari are bigger.
The stadium was built in 1959. It has been updated several times, including in 1989 and 2018. These updates were for big events like the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The stadium can now hold 54,726 fans. In the past, it could hold almost 90,000 people.
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History of the Stadium
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has a long and interesting history. It has hosted many important football matches and other events.
Early Days and High Attendance
Even when the Napoli football team was in a lower league in 2005–06, their stadium was still very popular. It had the third highest average number of fans in all of Italy that season. Only two top-tier clubs, Milan and Internazionale, had more fans. The final game of that season drew a huge crowd of 51,000 people. This set a new record for attendance in that lower league.
The stadium also hosted a qualifying match for the Euro 2008 tournament. Italy played against Lithuania there on September 2, 2006.
Modern Updates and New Events
The stadium was renovated for the 2019 Summer Universiade. This is a big international sports event for university athletes. During these updates, old metal fences were replaced with clear glass barriers. All the seats in the stadium were also replaced. These changes reduced the stadium's capacity from 60,240 to 54,726 seats. The stadium hosted the opening ceremony and the athletics events for the Universiade.
Renaming the Stadium
On November 25, 2020, Diego Maradona passed away. He was a legendary football player and a hero to Napoli fans. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time. After his death, the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, and the president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, suggested renaming the stadium. They wanted to call it "Stadio Diego Armando Maradona" to honor him. On December 4, 2020, the city council approved this new name.
Major Events Hosted
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has been the site of many memorable events.
1990 FIFA World Cup Matches
The stadium was one of the venues for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It hosted five exciting matches during the tournament.
- Group Stage Matches: Argentina played two of their Group B matches here. They won 2-0 against the Soviet Union on June 13. Then, they had a 1-1 draw with Romania on June 18.
- Knockout Stage Matches: Cameroon also played two matches at the stadium. They won 2-1 against Colombia in the Round of 16 after extra time on June 23. In the Quarter-finals, they lost 3-2 to England after extra time on July 1.
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Argentina vs. Italy Semi-final
The most famous match at the stadium during the 1990 World Cup was the semi-final. It was played on July 3 between Argentina and Italy. This game was special because Argentina's star player, Diego Maradona, played for Napoli's club team. He was a huge hero to the fans in Naples.
Maradona asked the Napoli fans to cheer for Argentina in this match. The fans showed their love for Maradona but also their loyalty to Italy. They hung a giant flag that said, "Maradona, Naples loves you, but Italy is our homeland." Maradona later said he was touched that Napoli was the only stadium where the Argentinian national anthem was not booed. The match ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. It went to a penalty shootout, and Maradona scored the winning penalty for Argentina.
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Diego Armando Maradona (Italia) para niños
