The Stadio Olimpico is located in the Italian capital, Rome, and is home to two Serie A clubs, Roma and Lazio.
It was officially opened on 17 May 1953, despite being built nearly 30 years earlier in 1927. The Second World War was the main reason behind the delay.
The first football match was played that day to mark the stadium's opening. Italy took on Hungary, and Hungary won the game 3-0.
Stadio Olimpico is one of the most popular football stadiums in Europe. With the 2024/25 European football season kicking off, read on to find out why Serie A clubs Lazio and Roma share the venue.
Why do Roma and Lazio share Stadio Olimpico?
In 1953, Roma and Lazio made the stadium their home, and the Italian men’s national team has also used it for important qualification matches throughout the years.
The stadium, which has a capacity of 70,634, is the host venue for the Coppa Italia final, Italian football's major domestic cup.
It was rebuilt in 1990 when Italy hosted the World Cup, with the venue being used to host the final between Argentina and West Germany.
Before being called the Stadio Olimpico, the stadium was named the Stadio del Cipressi and then the Stadio del Centomila until the 1960 Olympics, when it was named Stadio Olimpico.
The European Cup final has been hosted on three occasions at the stadium, with English sides playing in all three. The first was in 1977, when Liverpool lifted the trophy after beating German side Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1.
The next final to take place saw Roma themselves play in their home stadium in 1984 against Liverpool. The match ended 1-1, and Liverpool went on to lift the trophy after winning on penalties.
It wouldn’t be until 2009 that the Stadio Olimpico would host another European Cup final. This time, the Champions League final was between Spanish side Barcelona and English club Manchester United. Barcelona ran out 2-0 winners on the night.
How do Roma and Lazio share a stadium?
Both Roma and Lazio use the stadium, with one club playing at home one week and the other away the next. But both sets of fans have their sections.
The Roma Ultra can be found in the Curva Sud on matchdays, providing plenty of colour with their red and yellow flags and flares on show. It has a capacity of 8,486.
In contrast, the Lazio Ultras can be found in the Curva Nord. Their light blue and white colours are seen in that section, which has a slightly larger capacity of 8,520.
When playing each other, both sets of fans fill these ends, and the games, known as the Derby Della Capitale, can be fiery and intense affairs, with little love lost between them.
Why do so many Italian clubs share stadiums?
Plenty of football clubs around the world share football stadiums, however, the two most high-profile examples of this happen to be in Italy. The San Siro in Milan is the home of both AC Milan and Inter Milan, while Roma and Lazio also share the Stadio Olimpico. Genoa and Sampdoria also share their stadium.
There is no real reason behind this other than that it makes logistical and financial sense for clubs to share their stadiums. It makes it easy for all the fans of each club to attend games if there is one, the ground is a centrally located stadium in the city, and clubs can halve the costs of matchday and seasonal expenses with another club.
Who is the bigger club, Lazio or Roma?
Different football fans will have different opinions when it comes to answering whether Lazio or Roma is the bigger club. In terms of supporters, Roma are the most followed of the two and is the fifth highest-supported club in Italy, behind Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli.
Lazio are recorded as the sixth, so there isn’t a huge difference regarding the number of fans for each club.
If we were to measure each club by who is bigger in terms of winning honours, then Roma would also come out on top, with three Serie A titles to their name. Amazingly, they have 14 runners-up places as well, while also lifting the Coppa Italia nine times in their history.
Lazio are just behind them with two Serie A titles to their name while winning the Coppa Italia seven times in their history. Lazio do have something their city rivals do not have, however, and that is a major European title. They lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998/99, meaning they are the only club in the City of Roma to have lifted a European trophy so far.
Why is Lazio called Lazio?
Rome is the capital of Italy; however, it is also the capital of the Lazio region, which is located in central Italy, beside the Tyrrhenian Sea. So, Rome is situated in Lazio, which is why you sometimes see Roma being called Roma Lazio, although Roma fans detest this.
What is the biggest rivalry in Italy?
It is a matter of opinion, but regarding the number of followers each club has and the success both clubs have had in their history, AC Milan and Inter Milan share Italian football’s biggest rivalry.
Roma and Lazio would argue that their derby is more intense; however, you would probably find all derby matches in Italian football are like that, with little love lost between the city and regional fans of each club in Italy.
For example, Napoli is a one-club city, with no local derby to contest in the league, however, games versus Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma, Lazio, and Juventus have seen their fans grow a hatred for all of the rival clubs' fans they face. This type of rivalry has been heightened over the past few years after fighting has broken out between fans after games, resulting in injuries and even deaths.
Despite all these rivalries, the Derby d'Italia, ‘the Derby of Italy', is contested between clubs in different cities: Inter (Milan) and Juventus (Turin). This is a competitive rivalry and probably Italy's most intense.
Do Lazio and Roma plan to leave Stadio Olimpico?
Yes, both clubs have recently indicated they plan to leave Stadio Olimpico.
Giallorossi have harboured ambitions of building their pitch for more than a decade. As of early 2024, Roma had already conducted an archeological survey, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri even approved the plan for Stadio della Roma.
The club recently unveiled the design of the new 55,000-capacity Roma stadium. The new venue will have room for expansion of up to 62,000 and is expected to cost €1 billion, consequently becoming one of the most expensive stadiums in the world.
However, legal tussles have delayed Roma's new stadium project. Stadio della Roma's closeness to a hospital and the construction site, which has been a public park, are some of the contentious issues delaying Roma's new stadium plans. The club maintains that the project will be completed by 2027.
On the other hand, Lazio are reportedly planning to renovate Stadio Flaminio for €438 million. The club envisions a new venue with a capacity of 50,000. If completed by the summer of 2028 as projected, the new stadium for the Eagles will be a category four venue by UEFA standards.