<\/p>\n

Key facts<\/h3>\n

Club: SSC Napoli | Opening: 1959 | Capacity: 60,240 seats<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

Stadio San Paolo was built to provide Napoli with a permanent home after their old home Stadio Partenopeo had been destroyed in the Second World War by air raids.<\/p>\n

In the post-War years, the club played at various temporary homes, but none to their satisfaction, and with the rapidly increasing fanbase of the club a larger stadium was needed.<\/p>\n

Stadio San Paolo officially opened on the 6th of December 1959 with a match between Napoli and Juventus (2-1). It was initially completely uncovered and could hold about 87,500 spectators, mostly standing.<\/p>\n

The stadium was modernised for the European Championships in 1980, during which it hosted three first round group matches and the match for third place between Czechoslovakia and Italy (1-1).<\/p>\n

Stadio San Paolo was selected as one of the playing venues of the 1990 World Cup<\/a>, and therefore underwent a major renovation. Works included the construction of a third tier and the installation of the roof. Due to the conversion of the stadium into an all-seater, capacity was reduced to about 76,000 seats.<\/p>\n

During the World Cup, Stadio San Paolo hosted two first round group matches, a round of 16 match, the quarter-final between England and Cameroon (3-2), and the semi-final between Argentina and Italy (1-1).<\/p>\n

After the World Cup, the stadium slowly decayed, and lack of maintenance even resulted in a temporary closure. Parts of the stadium were subsequently kept closed, hereby reducing capacity.<\/p>\n

In recent years and with the return of successes for the club, refurbishments have been performed that have kept the stadium eligible for European matches.<\/p>\n

The state of the stadium, however, remains poor, and Napoli therefore have the ambition to either move to a new stadium or extensively redevelop Stadio San Paolo. Earlier plans have all failed, but the club have recently again started talks with the city of Napoli to come to a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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(photos of the present Stadio San Paolo below)<\/p>\n

How to get to Stadio San Paolo<\/h3>\n

Stadio San Paolo is located in the western suburb Fuorigrotta at slightly less than 7 kilometres from the city centre of Naples.<\/p>\n

Train station Napoli Campi Flegrei is a 5-minute walk from the stadium. There is service from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi station, which is located next to the larger central station where the long-distance trains arrive. The ride takes about half an hour.<\/p>\n

Slightly quicker is the metro<\/a>. One can take line 2 from the central station and several points near the centre. Get off at stop Campi Flegrei station. The Mostra stop on line 6 is also at walking distance from the stadium.<\/p>\n

Mostra station can also be reached with the Ferrovia Cumana<\/a>, a regional train service that follows the coastline. Trains run from the Monsanto station near the city centre.<\/p>\n

If arriving by car, Stadio San Paolo can be easily reached from the Tangenziale di Napoli, the main motorway running through Napoli. The stadium lies just a few hundred metres south of exit 10 Fuorigrotta.<\/p>\n

Address: Pizzale Vincenzo Tecchio, 80125 Napoli<\/p>\n