{"id":4452,"date":"2012-03-13T23:39:55","date_gmt":"2012-03-13T23:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stadiumguide.com\/?p=4452"},"modified":"2018-05-09T19:43:37","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T19:43:37","slug":"riazor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stadiumguide.com\/riazor\/","title":{"rendered":"Estadio ABANCA-Riazor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Club: RC Deportivo de La Coru\u00f1a | Opening: 1944 | Capacity: 32,660 seats<\/p>\n
Estadio ABANCA-Riazor, previously known as Estadio Municipal de Riazor, was built in the early 1940s. It replaced Deportivo’s old ground with the same name, that had become too small for the club.<\/p>\n
Estadio de Riazor opened on 29 October 1944 with a match between Deportivo and Valencia (2-3).<\/p>\n
The stadium was built in classic style with rows of columns and a 45-metre high obelisk. It could hold about 97,000 spectators, of which 37,000 seated, and was at that time the largest in Spain.<\/p>\n
Its prime location right off Riazor beach and large capacity made Estadio de Riazor one of the most notable stadiums of the time, and in 1947 it hosted the Spanish Cup final. It also had a running track, and therefore regularly hosted athletics events.<\/p>\n
Estadio de Riazor remained largely unchanged for the next decades until it got extensively redeveloped for the 1982 World Cup. Two new stands were built at both long sides, but at the same time it lost most of its classic style. During the World Cup, the stadium hosted three first round group matches.<\/p>\n
In the mid 1990s, redevelopments continued when two new stands were built at both ends, enclosing the entire stadium. At the same time the running track was removed and the stadium was turned into an all-seater. In the next few years, further corporate facilities were added to the stadium.<\/p>\n
In 2017, a naming rights sponsorship deal was announced as part of a debt refinancing deal, resulting in the name Estadio ABANCA-Riazor.<\/p>\n