RheinEnergieStadion

The Exterior

If you’re lucky enough to see the FC Cologne stadium in the flesh the most eye catching things you’ll see is four huge steel towers; they are situated in each corner of the ground and stand well beyond the height of the roof.

The roof itself runs all the way around the stadium, which was built on the site of the former FC Koln ground, Mungersdorfer Stadium. When you get nearer to the stadium you’ll be able to appreciate the impressive structure of white columns supporting the main stadium whilst the walkways around the stadium are easy on the eye too.

The Interior

When you’re inside the RheinEnergieStadion seating area, the first thing your attention will be drawn to is probably the south stand; here you’ll find the standing area that houses circa 8,000 fans.

Like all stands inside the FC Koln ground the south stand is split in two tiers; the bottom tier is for those standing fans with the upper tier seated. The north stand cuts a similar appearance but the key difference being the absence of a standing section; both have the two famed steel towers visible from inside.

Then you have the east and west stands that run down the length of the touchlines. Despite offering two tiers of seating, the side stands also have business lounges and VIP boxes running through the middle sections. The west stand also houses the media teams.

In total, there are nearly 50 lounges and 1,800 seats offered to business guests. The standard seating in these two stands offers uncompromised views of the pitch with seats steeply rising from the playing surface to the near-transparent roof to aid the atmosphere.

Renovation works

The stadium has undergone renovation works over the years to keep it as modern as possible. The most recent work took place ahead of the 2006 World Cup when the running track was removed and the stands were brought closer to the pitch to help create a better atmosphere inside the stadium.

There are plenty of food and drink options inside the stadium, such as pizza stands, Bratwurst stalls and more. German beer is also served throughout the stadium.

For fans who want to enjoy a bite to eat and/or a drink before the stadium opens, then here are three nearby options:

• My Way – Aachener Str. 415, 50933 Köln, Germany
• Em Ringströßje – Alter Militärring 13, 50933 Köln, Germany
• Taco Loco – Aachener Str. 702, 50933 Köln, Germany

There are also plenty of bars and restaurants in the centre of Koln, but this is further out from the stadium and will mean either a long walk to the stadium or boarding public transport (more on that shortly).

Away fans at the RheinEnergieStadion are situated in the northeast corner of the stadium. You get a good view of the pitch and the rest of the stadium from here, however, you are on the opposite side of the ground to Koln’s most hardcore support which means you won’t be able to fully sample the atmosphere from this section.

The FC Koln stadium is located outside of the main city – by approximately 4 miles – which means accessing on foot is not really the most suitable option.

By car, from the city centre, you will want to head towards the stadium via Aachener Street before then turning onto Friedrich-Schmidt-Straße. When you arrive at the stadium there are a fairly extensive range of car parks; in total there are 7,500 spaces available.

The other option you have for accessing the stadium is public transport, which will likely be the most cost-effective solution. Train Line 1 has a stop named RheinEnergieStadion, which is, of course, the best option for stadium access. If you board at Neumarkt (in the centre), then your journey will take around 15 minutes.

Not only is Cologne home to FC Koln but it’s also a beautiful city that could easily warrant a stay that lasts longer than a few hours. You’re obviously loaded with choices in the city centre but, as detailed, that’s not all that close to RheinEnergieStadion.

You still have a few options though. A bit of a leftfield choice – Guesthouse of the German Sport University DSHS – is your closest hotel to the ground at just a nine-minute walk; it costs around £130 per night. Other than that, you’re looking at around a half-hour walk.

The budget option at £50 per night is AAA BudgetHotel im TechnologiePark Köln. If you don’t mind paying a few quid more, you can stay at the £80 per night Leonardo Royal Hotel Köln – Am Stadtwald. It is still 30 minutes away by foot but most of that walk is through Stadtwald Park.

The RheinEnergieStadion is one of the 12 host venues for Euro 2024 in Germany. Due to commercial reasons, the stadium will be known as the ‘Cologne Stadium’ for the duration of the tournament.

The RheinEnergieStadion has been given four group stage matches, with England and Scotland both playing one match here while one Round of 16 tie will also take place at the arena.

Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Dusseldorf

FC Koln fixtures