Ullevi (Gothenburg)

Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi, is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships; World Championships in Athletics and European Athletics Championships; the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup finals; the UEFA Euro, the UEFA Cup final; and annually hosted the opening ceremony of the Gothia Cup, the world’s largest football tournament in terms of the number of participants.

IFK Göteborg has also played UEFA Cup finals at the stadium, as well as “home game” in a home and away final. The stadium hosted several events, including football, ice hockey, boxing, racing, athletics and concerts.

General information

Arena capacity: 43,000 spectators

Address: Ullevigatan, 411 40 Göteborg, Sweden

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 57°42′21″N 11°59′14″E

Year of construction: May 29, 1958

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 × 66 m

Seating plan of Ullevi

When choosing a place in the stadium, use the Ullevi scheme above.

Where to buy tickets?

Tickets for events at the Nya Ullevi can be bought online via Ticnet, by phone, or at the box office of the Scandinavium indoor arena (located just south of Nya Ullevi).

How to get there?

Ullevi is located on the eastern edge of Gothenburg’s city centre and is one of the centre pieces of the event district Evenemangsstråket, with Scandinavium, Liseberg, Universeum, the Museum of World Culture and Bergakungen nearby. Public transport is easily accessible. There are two tram stops named after the stadium: Ullevi Norra (North) and Ullevi Södra (South). Both tram stops serve lines 6 (orange) and 8 (purple). Ullevi Södra also serves lines 2 (yellow) and 13 (beige), while Ullevi Norra also serves lines 1 (white) and 3 (blue).

Approximately 700 metres west of Ullevi lies the Gothenburg Central Station and Nils Ericson Terminal. 900 metres south of Ullevi lies Korsvägen, a major public transport hub which serves more than fifteen different bus lines and several tram lines, and the Liseberg station serving the Gothenburg commuter rail.

The stadium has 650 parking spaces located in a garage underneath the pitch. Additionally visitors are guided to eighteen nearby parking lots and parking garages — with a total of 7,000 parking spaces — by the event districts parking guidance and information system. The system has a total of 130 digital signs, located on motorways with information about which exit to use, and on streets in the city with more detailed information about directions and number of available parking spaces.

Where to eat and stay?

Nya Ullevi lies in a rather quiet area that is a mix of offices, residential buildings, and other sports facilities. Gothenburg’s city centre is a short walk away though, so there is no reason to head to the stadium too much in advance.

Gothenburg’s proper nightlife areas are just south of the historic centre along the Avenyn, Vasagatan, and Linnegatan streets. Avenyn, the principal nightlife street, is a mere 10-minute walk away from the stadium.

The central location of Nya Ullevi makes that there are many hotels around. You can either choose one north-west of the stadium toward the main rail station, or one toward the south near the nightlife areas.

The options toward the north include Hotel Arena, Clarion Collection Hotel Odin, Hotel Royal, and the somewhat cheaper Hotel Palace. These all get good reviews.

Toward the south, Hotell Liseberg Heden, Hotel Allén, and Hotel Poseidon are some of the various well-rated options.

History

Nya Ullevi is the largest football stadium in Sweden. Though it is currently not occupied by any club team, it is occasionally used for local derbies and other important matches.

Nya Ullevi was built to serve as one of the playing venues of the 1958 World Cup. Construction started in 1957 and was completed in the spring of 1958. The stadium could initially hold 54,000 spectators (32,000 standing).

The stadium officially opened on 29 May 1958 with a match between the Swedish national team and a selection of players from the Gothenburg area.

Four group matches were played at the stadium during the 1958 World Cup, along with a quarter-final, the semi-final between Sweden and West Germany (3-1), and the match for third place.

One year later, in 1959, Örgryte IS, IFK Göteborg, and GAIS moved into the stadium. Their stay lasted until 1992 when they moved to the smaller Gamla Ullevi which better fitted their attendances.

Nya Ullevi was one of the four playing venues during the 1992 European Championships that were played in Sweden. Apart from hosting three group matches, the stadium also hosted the semi-final between Denmark and the Netherlands (2-2), and the final between Denmark and Germany (2-0).

Nya Ullevi furthermore hosted two Cup Winners’ Cup finals, the first in 1983 between Aberdeen and Real Madrid (2-1), and the second in 1990 between Sampdoria and Anderlecht (2-0). In 2004 it hosted the UEFA Cup final between Valencia and Marseille (2-0).

Since March 2007, Ullevi has one of Sweden’s largest solar power plants, consisting of 600m² of solar photovoltaic panels situated on the roof of the luxury boxes section. The top effect is 86.4 kW and the yield is supposed to cover the total power used by the artificial lighting for events, with a surplus.