Detail

Stade de la Beaujoire was built primarily for the 1984 Euros, and it replaced FC Nantes former stadium, Stade Marcel-Saupin which had become a set of outdated facilities for Ligue 1. The opening friendly and curtain raising fixture was held between the home side and Romania which marked the international dimension to the stadium, with an original capacity of over 50,000 spectators. Stade Beaujoire hosted two group matches in Euro 1984: France V Belgium (5-0) and Portugal v Romania (1-0) and it was at this tournament where the record attendance of 51,359 was set, with the home nation France going on to lift the trophy. 5 Years later, following the death of long serving president, Louis Fonteneau, his name was appended to the end of the stadium name (Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau) as a way of recognising his contribution to the club between 1969-1986. Still refereed to by its original name by most fans, the stadium was once again renovated in 1998, this time for the World Cup. This redevelopment marked the conversion to all-seater with the capacity reduced to 38,285, with additional VIP boxes responsible for taking up some of this space. The World Cup of 1998 which also saw the home nation of France triumph like Euro 1984, saw FC Nantes stadium host five group matches, and perhaps most notably a quarter final between Brazil and Denmark with eventual runners up Brazil winning 3-2 with a brace from Rivaldo.

DRIVING Beaujoire is placed just inside the circumference of Nantes’ Périphérique ring road which makes it very accessible via car. From the North-Eastern section take exit 40 signposted as Porte de la Beaujoire and then follow signs to the stadium which you should be able to see once on the ring road. The address for satnav is: 5 Boulevard de la Beaujoire, 44300 Nantes Car parks Parking is available next to the stadium, but get there early to ensure your space. TRAIN Nantes Railway Station (Gare de Nantes) is very central and connects the Western French city to the rest of the country via the TGV high speed railway line, with trains to Paris taking just over 2 hours. TRAM The Nantes tramway which opened in 1985 is one of the most widely used public transport networks in France, and the stadium can be reached using tram line number 1 north. Stade Beaujoire Tram The local tram system as seen on a matchday with fans to the left walking to the stadium AIRPORTS Nantes Atlantique Airport is located 8km South West of the city and it is the largest airport in Western France connecting the local region to a host of national and international cities. In addition to this, there are suggestions that a larger Aéroport du Grand Ouest could be built 30 km North-West of Nantes in the area of Notre-Dame-des-Landes but the multimillion pound project keeps being delayed due to the controversy based on the location in which it is being built.