Örjans vall, Halmstad

Club: Halmstads BK, IS Halmia
Capacity: 7,500
Matches: 3 Group B matches
15 June England v Finland
18 June Germany v Finland
22 June Germany v England
Population: 90,000
Website: www.halmstad.se

One of Sweden's oldest venues, the Örjans vall Stadium is steeped in more than eight decades of football history. Built in 1922, it has provided the backdrop to Halmstads BK's four Allsvenskan titles, and is also home to IS Halmia. It played host to two games at the FIFA World Cup in 1958.

Significant matches
Set on the scenic banks of the River Nissan, Örjans Vall will ever hold a place in Northern Irish hearts as it was there that Wilbur Cush struck to defeat Czechoslovakia in their first ever FIFA World Cup finals game in 1958. Eighteen years later another Brit, Englishman Roy Hodgson, profited as Sigge Johansson scored 12 seconds from time to earn Halmstads BK a 1-1 draw with Malmö FF and Halmstad went on to claim their first title.

Venue guide
A bustling city of 90,000 inhabitants, Halmstad is best known for its picturesque coastline where the unspoilt Tylosand beach is a popular destination for Swedish and foreign holidaymakers alike. Founded just over seven centuries ago, Halmstad's position on Sweden's west coast saw it flourish in the Middle Ages, and vestiges of the ancient settlement remain at the city's Norre Port (Northern Gate) surrounded by ramparts constructed in the 17th Century. Halmstad castle also dates from the same era, built by King Christian IV of Denmark, before Sweden finally won the tug-of-war with its neighbour over the city in 1676.

Away from the beaches, Halmstad is also renowned for its beautiful countryside and is also a favourite destination for golf lovers with 12 courses in the area. The town centre bustles in the summer with plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from on Storgatan. Art-lovers gaze admiringly at Picasso's Head of a Woman by the banks of the River Nissan, while music buffs can drop into the Hotell Tylösand to try and catch a glimpse of its owner, Roxette group member Per Gessle. Halmstad's other internationally-renowned export is Fredrik Ljungberg, who emerged from the youth ranks of Halmstads BK to play on some of football's biggest stages, while fellow Sweden internationals Petter Hansson, Michael Svensson and Niclas Alexandersson have all played for the club.

Here Halmstad Under-21 ambassador and former Halmstads BK player Niclas Alexandersson gives uefa.com the low down on the Swedish host city:

Halmstad is a very small city so it is a great opportunity to be able to follow the stars closely. It will be a big thing for the city, to have the supporters from the different teams here experiencing games in Halmstad. In the summer Halmstad livens up a lot, with a beautiful beach out in Tylosand, very nice golf courses, nice restaurants and night life. The main street with all the restaurants, bars and nightlife is Storgatan, where you can sit outside and enjoy your food and watch people walking past in the summer. That's very nice. The cultural side of things is also good and the countryside around the city is very beautiful.

Halmstad almost doubles its population in the summer. A lot of tourists come here. It's very friendly when you come to a smaller city. They're very happy to have foreign people. You cannot compare it to a city like Stockholm, it's a different pulse, more relaxed. I think everyone really enjoys life here. When we were playing for Halmstad, the manager always used to talk about the Tylösand syndrome. We often had our worst games when it was beautiful weather and all the players had gone to the beach. It's nice. The water is good to swim in, it's a nice clean beach. There's a nice hotel at the beach if you like that and some nice restaurants out in Tylösand.

Host city Web site

• www.halmstad.se

Further information

• 2009/11 Regulations