San Siro facts for kids
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Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
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| Former names | Stadio Comunale di San Siro |
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| Address | Via Piccolomini, 5, 20151 Milan Italy |
| Location | Milan, Italy |
| Public transit |  San Siro Stadio San Siro Ippodromo |
| Owner | AC Milan (1926–1935) Municipality of Milan (1935–present) |
| Operator | M-I Stadio s.r.l. |
| Type | Stadium |
| Executive suites | 30 |
| Capacity | 75,817 (limited capacity) 80,018 (maximum) |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m |
| Surface | GrassMaster hybrid grass |
| Scoreboard | Tecnovision |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 1925 |
| Opened | 19 September 1926 |
| Renovated | 1935, 1955, 1987–1990, 2015–2016 |
| Architect |
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| Tenants | |
| AC Milan (1926–1941, 1945–present) Internazionale (1947–present) Italy national football team (selected matches) |
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The San Siro stadium is a famous football stadium in Milan, Italy. It is known by two names: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and San Siro. Fans of Internazionale often call it Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Fans of AC Milan usually call it San Siro.
This stadium can hold up to 80,018 people. This makes it one of the biggest stadiums in Europe. It is also the largest stadium in Italy.
The stadium was officially named after Giuseppe Meazza on March 3, 1980. Meazza was a famous football player. He won the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1934 and 1938. He played for both Inter and Milan. He also managed Inter for a short time.
San Siro is a top-rated stadium by UEFA, which is the European football governing body. It has hosted many important football games. These include three games at the 1934 FIFA World Cup and six games at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It also hosted three games at UEFA Euro 1980. Four European Cup finals have been played here.
The stadium will also host the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics. This event will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. San Siro is also being considered as a venue for UEFA Euro 2032.
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History of San Siro Stadium
Construction of the San Siro stadium began in 1925. It was built in the San Siro area of Milan. The first name for the stadium was Nuovo Stadio Calcistico San Siro. The idea came from Piero Pirelli, who was the president of AC Milan at the time. He wanted a stadium just for football, without a running track. Most Italian stadiums built with public money had running tracks.
The stadium opened on September 19, 1926. About 35,000 people watched the first game. In that game, Inter beat Milan 6–3. At first, only Milan used the stadium and owned it. In 1947, Inter also started using it. Since then, both teams have shared the stadium.
Between 1948 and 1955, engineers Armando Ronca and Ferruccio Calzolari worked on making the stadium bigger. They wanted to increase its capacity from 50,000 to 150,000 visitors. They planned to add three new levels of seats. There would be nineteen long spiral ramps to reach the upper levels. However, they decided not to build the highest level. So, the capacity was limited to 100,000 people. Later, for safety, the capacity was reduced to 60,000 seats and 25,000 standing spots.
On March 2, 1980, the stadium was renamed after Giuseppe Meazza. He was a very famous football player from Milan. For a while, Inter fans called it Stadio Meazza. This was because Meazza played for Inter for 14 years. He also managed Inter three times. But now, both Inter and Milan fans simply call the stadium San Siro.
The last big renovation of San Siro happened between 1987 and 1990. It cost about $60 million. This was done for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The goal was to make the stadium modern and hold 85,000 spectators. They also wanted to add a roof. Architects Giancarlo Ragazzi and Enrico Hoffer, and engineer Leo Finzi, led the work. They added a third level of seats in some areas. This new level rests on eleven support towers. These towers have spiral ramps for people to go up. Four of these towers hold up the new roof. The roof has special red beams that stick out.
In 1996, a museum opened inside the stadium. It shows the history of both Milan and Internazionale. Visitors can see old jerseys, cups, trophies, and other items.
San Siro has hosted three Milan derby matches in the Champions League. These were in 2003, 2005, and 2023. Milan won the first two matches. Inter Milan won the most recent one. In the 2005 match, Inter fans threw objects onto the field. This caused the game to stop. As a result, Inter had to pay a large fine. They were also banned from having fans at four European games the next season.
Besides Milan and Inter, the Italy national football team also plays games here sometimes. The stadium has hosted many important European Cup and Champions League finals. These include finals in 1965, 1970, 2001, and 2016.
The stadium was also used for three UEFA Cup finals. Inter played in these finals in 1991, 1994, and 1997. These finals were played over two games. Juventus also used San Siro for their 'home' game in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final. This was because they preferred not to play their biggest matches at their own stadium then. The trophy was lifted at San Siro in all these finals except 1991. However, the stadium has not hosted a final since the competition changed to a single-match format in 1997–98.
San Siro has never hosted a final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. But it was the venue for the 1951 Latin Cup. This was a four-team event won by Milan. Milan also won the 1956 Latin Cup, but those games were played at Arena Civica.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, a Champions League match at San Siro was called "Game Zero." This game was between Atalanta and Valencia on February 19. It was Atalanta's first time in a Champions League round of 16 match. Over 40,000 people attended, which was about one-third of Bergamo's population. By March 24, nearly 7,000 people in Bergamo had tested positive for COVID-19. More than 1,000 people had died. This made Bergamo the hardest-hit area in Italy.
Future of San Siro Stadium
New Stadium Plans
On June 24, 2019, Milan and Internazionale announced plans to build a new stadium. This new stadium would replace San Siro. It would hold 60,000 people. It was planned to be built next to the current San Siro. The initial cost was estimated at $800 million. They hoped it would be ready for the 2022–23 season, but this did not happen.
Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of Milan, asked for more time. He said that San Siro would be used until at least the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. These games will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Some fans of both teams were also unsure about the new stadium idea.
On September 26, 2019, Milan and Internazionale showed two possible designs for the new stadium. It was tentatively named the Nuovo Stadio Milano. The designs were from Populous and MANICA. On May 22, 2020, Italy's heritage authority said they had no problems with demolishing San Siro. On December 21, 2021, the Populous design was chosen.
On September 27, 2023, Milan's chairman, Paolo Scaroni, announced new plans. The club proposed building a new 70,000-seat stadium. This stadium would be in San Donato Milanese, a suburb south of Milan. It would also include the club's headquarters and museum.
Other Events at San Siro
San Siro is not just for football. It also hosts other sports and big concerts.
Sports Events
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at San Siro. This will happen on February 6, 2026.
In 1960, San Siro hosted a big boxing match. It was between Duilio Loi and Carlos Ortiz. They fought for the Junior Welterweight title.
The stadium also held a rugby union match in November 2009. The Italian team played against the New Zealand team. About 80,000 people watched this game. It was a record for rugby in Italy.
Concerts at San Siro
Since the 1980s, many famous musicians have performed at San Siro. The first international artist to play there was Bob Marley on June 27, 1980. Other big names include Bob Dylan, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, U2, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Coldplay, and Elton John.
Edoardo Bennato was the first Italian artist to sell out the stadium in July 1980. In 2007, Laura Pausini became the first female artist to perform there. She also held two concerts in a row in June 2016.
Vasco Rossi holds the record for the most concerts at San Siro. He has performed there 29 times between 1990 and 2019. He also holds the record for six concerts in a row in June 2019. Luciano Ligabue is second with 13 concerts.
Bruce Springsteen is the international artist with the most concerts at San Siro, with 7 shows.
Getting to San Siro
The stadium is in the northwest part of Milan. You can get there easily by public transport. The San Siro subway station is right in front of the stadium. It is on line M5. You can also take the tram, line 16, which stops right at the stadium. The Lotto subway station (on lines M1 and M5) is about a 15-minute walk away.
| Service | Station | Line |
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 Milan Metro |
San Siro Stadio  |
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| San Siro Ippodromo |
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| Lotto |
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 Tram |
Piazza Axum (Stadio) | 16 |
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Giuseppe Meazza para niños
- Lists of stadiums
