Cluj Arena: history of the stadium hosting Italy U21 at EURO 2023

Despite yesterday’s loss to the French side, the U-21 Italian national team still has a chance to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA U-21 EURO Championship. The upcoming games against Switzerland and Norway will be crucial, and like with France, they will both be played at the Cluj Arena in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. So, what do we know about the stage on which Sandro Tonali & co. will showcase their talents and try to proudly represent the Italian flag?

The Cluj Arena is home to Universitatea Cluj of the Romanian Liga I, as well as its women’s football and men’s rugby sections. It was completed on October 1st, 2011, replacing the historical Standionul Ion Moina that had stood since 1911, and its 30,201 seat capacity ranks sixth in Romania. The stadium can also boast a also a state-of-the-art indoor track, and has over the years hosted numerous concerts.

The ground was designed by local architectural firm Dico și Țigănaș, whose aim was to create something more than just a football stadium. Due to the proximity to downtown Cluj, the idea was for the stadium to be a modern symbolic landmark for the city, perfectly integrated with its surroundings and context. This is why Cluj Arena can be seen as fluid and flowing in its design, heavily inspired by the nearby Someșul Mic river and its meanders. The façades are translucent, allowing for the day’s light to be reflected onto the stadium and help it seamlessly blend into the city’s skyline.

The first event hosted by the stadium was on October 8th, 2011, only a week following its completion. A concert by the German rock band Scorpions officially kicked off Cluj Arena’s history, while Universitatea Cluj’s 0-4 loss to Russian club Kuban Krasnodar in a friendly 3 days later marked the stadium’s first football game.

Romania’s biggest and most important music festival - the Untold Festival - also takes place at Cluj Arena. Since 2015, the stadium has seen more than 1.5 million people come and go for the festival, and further tens of thousands have visited for other concerts, including Andrea Bocelli’s in 2017.

Due to its young age, the stadium is slightly lacking in traditions and customs, or interesting stories. But these, as many things do, come with time. The U-21 EURO tournament is history being written, and with more events and games to come in the future, Cluj Arena will gradually cement its status as a historic stadium, just like Standionul Ion Moina before it.