Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Heysel Stadium

The Heysel Stadium was a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was built in 1930. It hosted Champions League games in 1958, 1966, 1974, and 1985 and Cup Winners' Cup games in 1964, 1976, and 1980. The highest attendance at a European game was over 66,000 in 1958. Following the disaster of May 29, 1985 the ground was only used for track and field

A decade after the disaster the ground was rebuilt and renamed at a cost of BEF 1,500 million (around $50 million in 1995). As the Koning Boudewijnstadion - Stade Roi Baudouin it combined the football ground with a running track and facilities for field events. It was re-opened in August 1995 as the stadium for the national team and is the largest stadium in Belgium, it can seat 50,000 spectators. It hosted the opening ceremony for Euro 2000.