Allianz Arena

Munich, Germany

The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with a 75,000 seating capacity. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ETFE plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior. Located at 25 Werner-Heisenberg-Allee at the northern edge of Munich's Schwabing-Freimann borough on the Fröttmaning Heath, it is the second-largest arena in Germany behind Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich have played their home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The clubs had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50% share in the stadium, but Bayern Munich purchased their shares for €11 million in April 2006. The arrangement allows 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025, when the club will need to find another ground. The large financial services provider Allianz purchased the naming rights to the stadium for 30 years. However, this name cannot be used when hosting FIFA and UEFA events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was referred to as FIFA WM-Stadion München . In UEFA club matches, it is known as Fußball Arena München (Football Arena Munich), and it hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. The stadium has been nicknamed "Schlauchboot" ("inflatable boat"). Since 2012 the museum of Bayern Munich, FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, has been located inside the Allianz Arena.