King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels)

King Baudouin Stadium

The King Baudouin Stadium is the largest stadium in Belgium with a capacity of over 50,000 and is the home venue of the national football team.

It was opened on the 23rd August 1930 as the Stade du Centenaire, to mark 100 years of Belgian Independence with a capacity of about 70,000. A few weeks later the first match was played between Belgium and the Netherlands, finishing 4-1 to the home team. It was later renamed Heysel Stadium in 1946 after the neighbourhood which it is part of.

Heysel Stadium hosted the European Cup Final in 1958, 1966, 1974 and 1985, as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1964, 1976 and 1980.

Tenants: Belgium national football team

Opened: 1930

Capacity: 50,093

Address: Avenue de Marathon 135, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium


It was the 1985 European Cup Final between Juventus and Liverpool for which Heysel Stadium is most well remembered. The condition of the stadium by this time was poor which contributed to the disaster that followed. 39 Juventus fans died after they were pressed against a wall following a charge by Liverpool supporters an hour before kick-off. The match was played with Juventus winning 1-0, however English clubs were banned from European competition for five years, with Liverpool banned for six.

It wasn’t until a decade later that the stadium was completely renovated. It was also renamed the King Baudouin Stadium after the monarch who had died two years previously, or Stade Roi Baudouin (French)/Koning Boudewijnstadion (Dutch).

The renovated stadium would host the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final and the opening match of UEFA Euro 2000 in which Belgium defeated Sweden 2-1. It hosted Belgium’s two other group matches, as well as Italy’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Romania and the semi-final in which France defeated Portugal 2-1 after extra time.

The King Baudouin Stadium hosts the annual Memorial Van Damme, an athletics event that is part of the Diamond League series.

King Baudouin Stadium

Tickets at King Baudouin Stadium

Belgium national football team: Tickets for Belgium international matches are available to purchase through the official website.

Memorial Van Damme (Diamond League): Tickets for the Memorial Van Damme Diamond League event range between €25 and €85. Tickets are available to purchase here.

King Baudouin Stadium

Location & Travel to King Baudouin Stadium

The King Baudouin Stadium is located in the Heysel neighbourhood of Belgium’s capital Brussels, approximately 6 kilometres out of the city centre.

Airport: Brussels is served by two airports – Brussels Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Belgium, with a number of flights across Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. The airport is about 12 kilometres north of Brussels, with the train the easiest way of reaching the city, as well as across the country.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport is the second busiest airport in the country, with Ryanair offering a number of low cost flights across Europe. The airport is about 46 kilometres south of Brussels, with regular buses running to the city.

Thinking of going to Brussels? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.

Bus: There are a number of buses that stop near the stadium including lines 84 and 88 of Bus STIB, or lines 240, 241, 242, 243, 250, 251 and 260 of Bus De Lijn.

Metro: The easiest way of reaching the stadium is probably by Metro, with two stations close by – Heysel and Roi Baudouin which both sit on Line 6.

Train: Brussels-South railway station (Bruxelles-Midi) is the busiest station in Belgium, with services across the country as well as high speed trains to France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and the Eurostar to London. From the station you can catch metro line 6 as above.

Alternatively Brussels Central Station also has services across the country. From there you can take lines 1 or 5 of the metro and change to line 6 at Beekkant.

Thinking of catching a train to Brussels? Search and book your journey through the Trainline here.

Tram: Tram lines 7, 51 and 93 all stop near the stadium.


Where to stay in Brussels

Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Brussels by clicking here.

TripAdvisor

Further Information & Events

King Baudouin Stadium Official Website

Royal Belgian Football Association Official Website

Memorial Van Damme Official Website


Last Updated on February 24, 2021 by Sports Tourist

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