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Since its opening in 2019, the renovated Puskás Aréna has hosted numerous high-profile sporting events and concerts, and has attracted a large number of spectators. The venue has quickly become the home and favorite place for Hungarian fans, and will soon once again host prestigious matches, reports Nemzeti Sport.
On Thursday, tens of thousands of fans will fill the stadium again as the Hungarian national football team takes on Estonia in a friendly match. Just a few days later, however, the match against Bulgaria will be a big one, as it will be part of the European Championship qualifiers. The match against the Bulgarians is expected to attract 40-45,000 spectators in the stadium, which has a capacity of 67,215.
Looking back over the last three and a half years, the Hungarian stadium hosted European Championship matches in the summer of 2021; last year it was the venue for the League of Nations matches, the UEFA Super Cup in 2020, and most recently Hungarian team Ferencváros hosted Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
As Nemzeti Sport points out, for the Hungarian stadium to be a successful venue, it is essential that Hungarian football teams do well, and that the opposing teams are supported by world stars, as these attract spectators who no longer have to travel abroad to watch a prestigious football match. So far, the Puskás Aréna has hosted more than 30 matches and more than 800,000 fans have visited since its inauguration.
The most watched matches have been Nations League matches Hungary-Germany and Hungary-Italy, with 67,000 fans attending both games.
But even the European Championship matches in which Hungary was not involved, also attracted 55-60,000 visitors.
Fans depicting the image of legendary Hungarian football player Ferenc Puskás, after whom Puskás Aréna was named. Photo: Facebook/Magyarország Kormány
Most of the Hungarian fans have already bought their tickets and season tickets for the European Championship qualifying series, which will start next week. According to the Hungarian Football Association, 30,000 people have bought season tickets for the matches, which is an outstanding figure at the European level.
Regarding the international level, Puskás Aréna will once again host world stars for the final of the Europa League in May. Currently, there are eight teams in the Europa League waiting for their quarter final matches: AS Roma, Feyenoord, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, R. Union Saint-Gilloise, Juventus, Manchester United, Sevilla FC, and Sporting Clube De Portugal.
However, not only football matches fill Puskás Aréna with spectators. Last year, the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave a sold-out show here, and this July, Guns N’Roses will hold a concert at the multi-functional stadium.
Featured photo via Facebook/Puskás Aréna