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Stadio San Paolo first opened in 1959 and was constructed for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Conceived as a multi-purpose sports venue, the stadium is circular in design as it originally needed to accommodate an athletics track surrounding the perimeter of the pitch. At its peak size in 1979 the stadium attracted a record attendance of 112,365 during a match against AC Perugia. Unlikely to ever be beaten, Stadio San Paolo underwent extensive renovation in order to host matches of the 1990 Word Cup which was a tournament which firmly put the city of Naples on the map. Hosting five matches in total including two group matches and three knock-out games, the stadium was famously the only ground where the Argentinian National Anthem wasn’t booed. As Naples was the adopted home city of local icon Diego Maradona, the famous number 10 asked Italian supporters to cheer for him, but the Napoli Ultras responded with a tifosi which read “Maradona, Naples loves you, but Italy is our homeland”. La Albiceleste went on to defeat The Azzuri on penalties in the semi-final at Stadium San Paolo. As a player who has given Stadio San Paolo some of its most spine-tingling moments, the Naples City Council asked the Italian Government for permission to rename the stadium to Diego Maradona. The request was turned down after an Italian law was found to prohibit the naming of public buildings after any person who hasn’t been dead for a minimum of 10 years! Today the capacity of Napoli’s stadium sits at just over 60,000 making it the third largest stadium in Italy behind the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico. Despite not always being full the San Paolo has some of the highest attendances in Europe, and when the club played in Serie C during the 2005/2006 season crowds in excess of 50,000 were not uncommon.

DRIVING The address for satnav is as follows: Stadio San Paolo – Piazzale Vincenzo Tecchio, 80125 Naples, Italy Car Parks Whilst there isn’t too much on-street parking around the stadium there are a few parking garages which you can use. Mainly located east of the stadium there is The Euroimpresa outside of Mostra Station, and two Autorimessa car parks just off of Via Lepanto. BUS We don’t currently have any information regarding bus routes to Stadio San Paolo. When it comes to European fixtures the visiting teams often arrange special matchday services so please consult with your club if you are a foreign fan. TRAIN From Naples centre you could get the line 2 on the metro from several station to Campi Flegrei or hop on the train from the Garibaldi Station to the Napoli Campi Flegrei where the 615 bus takes you straight to the stadium.