Veltins-Arena

Arena AufSchalke (German pronunciation: [aˈʁeːnaː ʔaʊfˈʃalkə]), currently known as Veltins-Arena (pronounced [ˈfɛltɪnsʔaˌʁeːnaː]) for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof and pitch, football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened on 13 August 2001, as the new home ground for FC Schalke 04. The stadium has a capacity of 62,271 (standing and seated) for league matches and 54,740 (seated only) for international matches. It hosted four matches at UEFA Euro 2024. The naming rights to the stadium were sold in July 2005 to the German brewery Veltins.

In the late 1990s, plans emerged to construct a new stadium for Schalke 04 to replace the outdated Parkstadion. Following Schalke 04's 1996–97 UEFA Cup victory and anticipating the club's 100th anniversary in 2004, a contract to build the new stadium was awarded to the German construction firm HBM in 1998. The Veltins-Arena is located near the old Parkstadion on a club-owned property known as "Berger Feld." Due to the presence of two mine shafts beneath the site, the stadium's main axis was rotated to ensure structural integrity. The arena features a two-tier layout with a foundation of cast concrete and packed slag from steel smelting.

The Veltins-Arena features a Teflon-coated fiberglass canvas retractable roof that spans the entire venue and is supported by a rectangular truss and 24 steel pylons. The pitch can slide out of the stadium, allowing for optimal grass growth and versatility for various events. The stadium also features a centrally suspended scoreboard, a first in football stadiums. The extensive catering facilities include 15 small restaurants, 50 grilling stations, and 35 cafés, all supplied by a 5km beer-line capable of dispensing 52,000 liters of beer per match day.

The arena has hosted significant events, including the 2004 UEFA Champions League final, five matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup including a quarter-final, and the 2010 Ice Hockey World Championship. It has been a venue for concerts and other sports events such as the German Speedway Grand Prix and the 2018 German Darts Masters. The Veltins-Arena has inspired other stadiums, including State Farm Stadium and Friends Arena, due to its innovative features like the retractable roof and slide-out pitch. The arena has hosted concerts by major artists and bands, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Metallica, and AC/DC, and is set to host upcoming tours by Rammstein and Taylor Swift.