Key facts<\/h3>\n

Club: Fortuna D\u00fcsseldorf 1895 | Opening: 2004 | Capacity: 54,600 (9,917 standing)<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

Merkur Spiel Arena, previously known as ESPRIT arena, got built between 2002 and 2004. It replaced the old Rheinstadion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The city of D\u00fcsseldorf had hoped that the arena would be used as a playing venue during the 2006 World Cup<\/a>, but their bid got rejected. The total project costs, including surrounding infrastructure, amounted to \u20ac218 million.<\/p>\n

The first match at the stadium, a league match between Fortuna D\u00fcsseldorf and Union Berlin (2-0), was played on 10 September 2004. The stadium officially opened a few months later, on 18 January 2005, with a friendly match between Fortuna and Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n

Until 2009, the stadium was named LTU Arena, but in 2009 a new sponsorship deal was agreed with clothing manufacturer Esprit resulting in ESPRIT Arena. In 2018, the stadium got renamed again following a new naming rights deal to Merkur Spiel Arena.<\/p>\n

Since 2019, the Merkur Spiel Arena has also been hosting the home matches of KFC Uerdingen while their home Grotenburg-Stadion is being renovated.<\/p>\n

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