Merkur Spiel-Arena

The existing home of Fortuna Dusseldorf was completed in 2004, with the first game following on 10 September 2004 in a league meeting with St Pauli.

Almost two decades have elapsed since the club officially known as Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V. moved from its former home, at the Rheinstadion. They have also played at the Pau-Janes-Stadion.

Fortuna’s home ground has had some different names, for sponsorship reasons, including LTU Arena (until 2009) and Esprit Arena (until August 2018).

Just as it was for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, the venue will be known as the Dusseldorf Arena when it acts as a host venue for the European Championships in 2024.

This spacious, modern venue has a normal capacity of 54,600 (including 9,917 standing spaces) for domestic games in the 2. Bundesliga, where they ply their trade in the current 23/24 campaign.

For international games or other UEFA fixtures, the figure is reduced to a capacity of 51,031.

The capital city of the state of North Rhein-Westphalia will be one of the ten host venues for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament.

The Dusseldorf Arena – as it will be known next summer – missed out on the party for World Cup 2006 but that won’t matter this time around as it gets set to stage three group stage fixtures, followed by two knockout ties in the European Championships.

17 June 2024 – Austria v France – Group D
21 June 2024 – Slovakia v Playoff Winner B – Group E
24 June 2024 – Albania v Spain – Group B
1 July 2024 – Round of 16: Runner-up Group D v Runner-up Group E
6 July 2024 – Quarter-Final

Over the years, the Merkur Spiel-Arena has been utilised as a gig venue many times, hosting an array of world-famous artists and headline names such as The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Coldplay, One Direction, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce.

It has also been the venue chosen for NFL Europe and elite boxing, as was the case for the bout between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury on 28 November 2015.

The Merkur Spiel-Arena has a guided tour on offer at 12:00 on a Sunday when there is no event taking place at the stadium.

The experience includes access to the dressing rooms, VIP areas, press room, and players tunnel as part of a 90-minute tour at a cost of just €5.00

For current information, please check the official website of the arena.

Matchday tickets can be purchased online, from the Fortuna Dusseldorf website or in person from the fan shop at the Paul-Janes-Stadion (current home of Fortuna Dusseldorf II) or selected sales points in the city.

Ticket prices for matches vary from around €18 to €50.00 depending on the stand you are sitting in, or the category of the fixture.

As ever on Football Ground Guide, we recommend using public transport to get to the stadium. In Dusseldorf, you will find a very adequate public transit network of buses, trams and trains.

For all matches of Fortuna Düsseldorf, your fare is already included in the ticket price, there is no need to buy an additional ticket within the VRR network. The KombiTicket is valid on the day of the event from your place of departure, directly to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for the match, until the following day (3 a.m.) and offers free travel on all means of local transport, including 2nd class DB train.

On Fortuna matchdays, the U78 Rheinbahn line (tram) usually takes you to the Merkur Spiel-Arena every five minutes. The stop is called MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA/Messe-Nord.

The journey time between Düsseldorf main station and the Merkur Spiel-Arena station is approx. 15 minutes and is the recommended form of transport for arriving and departing in the city and at the stadium.

Away fans are located in the north east corner of the stadium, with capacity in the upper and lower decks, depending on the fixture and any required segregation.

This area provides unrestricted views of the full ground, not far from the pitch, in a decent elevated position.

Basic provisions for food, drinks and toilets are available in the concourse.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants to visit near the stadium.

Branche Restaurant, Pizzeria Lucky, and Taverna Toxotis are all worth checking out as food options whilst you can grab as many beers as you can responsibly handle in the Altstadt.

The legendary ‘old town’ is said to be the longest bar in the world with over 300 watering holes present.

Dusseldorf is known for its altbier, a locally brewed dark beer, said to be a cross between a lager and an ale.

There are plenty of places to stay, at reasonable prices in Dusseldorf, with the bonus that the stadium is not far from the city centre.

Some decent hotel options include Tulip Inn Düsseldorf Arena Stadion Hotel (Arena-Straße 3), Hotel NH Düsseldorf City (Kölner Str. 186-188), and Melia Hotel (Inselstraße 2).

Fortuna Dusseldorf’s fiercest rivalry is shared with 1. FC Köln, largely from the geographic proximity of the two respective cities and their historic rivalry. This endures to the present day on the football pitch in the Rheinland Derby.

Lesser rivalries exist with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Fortuna Dusseldorf fixture list