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Amsterdam ArenA

The 2012/13 UEFA Europa League final will be held at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Amsterdam ArenA ©Getty Images

UEFA capacity: 51,800
Record attendance: TBC
Tenants: AFC Ajax

• The stadium opened on 14 August 1996 with a spectacular ceremony and match between Ajax and AC Milan. Four days later the Amsterdam outfit lost 3-0 to PSV Eindhoven there in the Dutch Super Cup; the Arena has staged the season curtain-raiser ever since.

• The Amsterdam ArenA was the first stadium in Europe with a sliding roof, which takes 20 minutes to open or close. It is composed of two sections, each weighing 520 tonnes.

• The Amsterdam ArenA came of age when it staged the 1998 UEFA Champions League final, Predrag Mijatović scoring the only goal for Jupp Heynckes' Real Madrid CF side against Juventus.

Jaap Stam blazes over during the EURO semi shoot-out
Jaap Stam blazes over during the EURO semi shoot-out©Getty Images

• Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Madonna have all held concerts at the ground, but no music artist has performed there more than Dutch super group De Toppers. They failed to reach the final of the Eurovision song contest in 2009, but have had no problem filling the Amsterdam ArenA nearly 30 times.

• It was not the first Amsterdam venue to stage major UEFA matches. The Olympisch Stadion, where Ajax played big games prior to the construction of the modern ArenA, hosted the 1962 European Champion Clubs' Cup final where SL Benfica beat Madrid 5-3.

• The 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup final also took place at the Olympisch Stadion, bringing a 2-0 success for Hamburger SV against RSC Anderlecht, as did the second leg of the 1992 UEFA Cup decider, Ajax holding Torino FC 0-0 to win on away goals.