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The new stadium in Hamburg, inaugurated on 2 September 2000 with a match between Germany and Greece, boasts a capacity of 56,114 for Bundesliga matches. The arena officially qualifies as one of the best football grounds in Europe after earning a maximum five stars from UEFA.

Work on the new ground started in March 1998: the old Volksparkstadion was demolished in four stages, the pitch rotated and the stands rebuilt. The function rooms, VIP and media areas were completely remodelled. All the spectator areas are now covered. Electronic access controls featuring machine-readable microchip technology were introduced for the 2005-6 season.

The stadium is home to Hamburg SV, the only club ever-present in the German top-flight throughout the Bundesliga's 42-year history.

The old Volksparkstadion was reconstructed in 1953 on the debris and ashes of the previous arena. Germany suffered one of their most painful defeats here when Jürgen Sparwasser's goal sealed a 1-0 triumph for the former East Germany at the 1974 FIFA World Cup finals. However, the cloud had a silver lining as West Germany thus avoided a play-off against the powerful Brazilians, and went on to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy for the second time in their history.

Financing:
€11m from the city, €70m outside financing, €16m from the stadium proprietor company.