Estádio do Dragão

Estádio do Dragão
Location	Porto, Portugal
Coordinates	41°09′42″N 8°35′02″W / 41.161758°N 8.583933°W / 41.161758; -8.583933Coordinates: 41°09′42″N 8°35′02″W / 41.161758°N 8.583933°W / 41.161758; -8.583933
Built	2003
Opened	November 16, 2003 (2003-11-16)
Owner	F.C. Porto
Operator	Porto Estádio (F.C. Porto Group)
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Two 48-square-metre (520 sq ft) SLite 10 LED screens (Barco)
Construction cost	€98 million
Architect	Manuel Salgado (Portugal)
General contractor	Somague
Capacity	50,399 (football)[1]
Executive suites	96
Website	fcporto.pt
Tenants
F.C. Porto (2003–present)

The Estádio do Dragão (English: Dragon Stadium; literally Stadium of the Dragon) is a football stadium located in Porto, Portugal, with an all-seated capacity of 50,399.^[1] Inaugurated on November 16, 2003, it is the current home ground of F.C. Porto, having replaced the club's old venue, the Estádio das Antas (English: Antas Stadium). It was one of the venues of the UEFA Euro 2004. It has been verified by UEFA as a 5 star stadium.

Construction and inauguration [edit]

Dragão's logo, a stylized dragon

Construction works began in late 2001, and were complete in November 2003, some months after what was expected, since in February 2002, Porto mayor Rui Rio changed the estate distribution, criticizing the plan for including high-scale housing and shopping for the area. These actions forced the chairman of F.C. Porto, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, to halt all building operations, which were only resumed after a consensus was reached.

Designed by Portuguese architect Manuel Salgado and built by Portuguese contractor Somague, it cost €97,755,318, of which €18,430,956 was subsidized by the government. To help underwrite costs, each stand carries one or two sponsor names: Super Bock (south), tmn (east), meo (west), and Coca-Cola (north stand). Away fans are placed in the left corner of the north stand, while home Ultra groups, Super Dragões and Colectivo Ultras 95, occupy the south stand and the north stand, respectively, like on the old stadium.

The stadium was inaugurated on November 16, 2003, with a match against F.C. Barcelona, which featured the debut of a 16-year-old Lionel Messi in the Catalan side. Porto won 2–0 with goals by Derlei and Hugo Almeida. Due to severe turf problems, however, Porto was forced to return and play in the old Estádio das Antas, until the turf was replanted by mid-February 2004.

Naming [edit]

The stadium's name is derived from the presence of a dragon on the club's crest, which is composed of an old stitched leather football under the city's coat of arms. It is also the nickname of the club's football team. Other alternatives were considered, such as keeping the old name, Estádio das Antas (officially, unlike the former stadium), or name after former player Pinga, former manager José Maria Pedroto, or president Pinto da Costa (holding office since 1982).^{[citation needed]}

Portugal national football team [edit]

The following national team matches were held in the stadium.

#	Date	Score	Opponent	Competition
1.	12 June 2004	1–2	Greece	Euro 2004 Group Stage
2.	12 October 2005	3–0	Latvia	2006 World Cup qualification
3.	21 November 2007	0–0	Finland	Euro 2008 qualifying
4.	28 March 2009	0–0	Sweden	2010 World Cup qualification
5.	8 October 2010	3–1	Denmark	Euro 2012 qualifying
6.	7 October 2011	5–3	Iceland	Euro 2012 qualifying
7.	16 October 2012	1-1	Northern Ireland	2014 World Cup qualification

Major events [edit]

Estádio do Dragão, during opening night (seen from west stand's top tier)

Euro 2004 Matches [edit]

Constructed to become one of the venues of the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament, it staged the inaugural match between hosts Portugal and eventual winners Greece, as well as three group stage, one quarterfinal, and one semifinal fixtures.

Date		Result		Round
12 June 2004	Portugal	1–2	Greece	Group A
15 June 2004	Germany	1–1	Netherlands	Group D
18 June 2004	Italy	1–1	Sweden	Group C
27 June 2004	Czech Republic	3–0	Denmark	Quarter-finals
1 July 2004	Greece	1–0 (aet)	Czech Republic	Semi-finals

Concerts [edit]

The stadium further cemented its reputation as an all-round sports and entertainment venue when it hosted the Portuguese leg of The Rolling Stones 2006 world tour, and the 2009 Race of Champions South Europe finals. In 2012 it hosted the kick-off to Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Tour 2nd European leg. On June 10, 2013, Muse will be performing at the stadium as part of their The 2nd Law Tour.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Estádio do Dragão

• The most complete reference about the stadium, at www.fcporto.ws
• Estádio do Dragão @ FC Porto's official website
• 3D Model of F.C.Porto Stadium - Google 3D Warehouse