Key facts
Club: Real Madrid Castilla | Opening: 2006 | Capacity: 6,000 seats
History and description
Estadio Alfredo di Stefano got built in the 2000s to serve as a training venue for Real Madrid, and as the home of the Real Madrid Reserves team (Castilla).
The stadium officially opened on 9 May 2006 with a match between Real Madrid and Stade de Reims, the sides of the first 1956 European Cup final won by Real Madrid. The stadium got named after Alfredo di Stefano, one of the great all-time footballers of the club, and includes a statue of the player in front.
Estadio Alfredo di Stefano currently boasts 6,000 seats, but could be easily expanded up to 25,000 seats. It is part of the larger Ciudad Real Madrid sports complex, which included multiple pitches and sports facilities.
In 2020, the Real Madrid first team temporary made the stadium their home while Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was getting renovated. The club had planned to keep playing at the Bernabeu while it was under construction, but as all games were moved behind closed doors due to the Corona pandemic, works were accelerated and Real moved to their reserves stadium.
Around the same time, the stadium also hosted a few matches of the Spain national team with no spectators in the stands.
How to get to Estadio Alfredo di Stefano
Estadio Alfredo di Stefano is located in the newly developed Valdebebas neighbourhood near Barajas International airport.
The stadium lies about 12 kilometres north east of Madrid’s city centre and can be reached by Cercania commuter train. Station Valdedebas lies right next to the sports complex. It is on line C1 and C10 that run to the airport (T4) and can be boarded at, among others, Chamartin railway station, Recoletos station near the city centre, Atocha railway station, or Principe Pio station near the Palacio Real.
The stadium is furthermore easily reached by car with multiple motorways running near the stadium and plenty of parking available.
Useful websites
Realmadrid.com – Official website of Real Madrid CA.
Esmadrid.com – Official guide for the city of Madrid.
Metromadrid.com – Travel information for the Madrid metro.
Emtmadrid.es – Madrid public transport information.
Photo credits: Brgesto