SafekipediaEstádio da Luz
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The Estádio da Luz, officially called Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a large stadium in Lisbon, Portugal. It is mainly used for football games and is where the famous Portuguese club Sport Lisboa e Benfica plays its home matches.
The stadium opened on October 25, 2003, with a special exhibition match between Benfica and the Uruguayan team Nacional. It replaced an older stadium. The new Estádio da Luz now has space for about 68,100 fans. It was designed by the firm HOK Sport Venue Event, now known as Populous.
Estádio da Luz is very important in European football. It is a UEFA category four stadium and one of the largest in Europe. It has hosted big games, including the final of UEFA Euro 2004, as well as finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2014 and 2020. Fans voted it the most beautiful stadium in Europe in a 2014 poll. It is also one of the possible venues for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Portugal will help host with Morocco and Spain.
Naming
The old stadium where Sport Lisboa e Benfica played was also officially called "Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica", but people usually called it "Estádio da Luz". "Luz" comes from the neighborhood where the stadium is located, near the border of Benfica and Carnide. The name comes from a nearby church called Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz, which means "Church of Our Lady of Light". People in Lisbon often just called it "a Luz", meaning "the Light". So, the stadium became known as "Estádio da Luz".
Characteristics
The Estádio da Luz was designed by architect Damon Lavelle from HOK Sport Venue Event (now Populous). The design is bright and open, with a special roof made of polycarbonate. This roof lets sunlight into the stadium and looks like it’s floating, held up by tall steel arches.
The stadium has been updated over time to hold more people. In June 2024, plans were made to add seats for people who need special access, making the stadium able to hold about 66,000 people. By July 2025, after more updates, the stadium could hold 68,100 fans.
Sports events
Opening game
25 October 2003
21:05 WEST
Attendance: 65,400
Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)
In the first match, Benfica won against a team from Uruguay called Nacional with a score of 2–1. Nuno Gomes scored the first goal ever in this stadium.
UEFA Euro 2004 Final
Main article: UEFA Euro 2004 Final
4 July 2004
19:45 WEST
Attendance: 62,865
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)
2014 UEFA Champions League final
Main article: 2014 UEFA Champions League final
24 May 2014
19:45 WEST
Attendance: 60,976
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
2019–20 UEFA Champions League
Quarter-finals
Main article: FC Barcelona 2–8 FC Bayern Munich
14 August 2020
20:00 WEST
Attendance: 0
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Final
Main article: 2020 UEFA Champions League Final
23 August 2020
20:00 WEST
Attendance: 0
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)
Highest attendance official match
17 February 2026
20:00 WET
Attendance: 66,387
Referee: François Letexier (France)
The largest number of people ever in the stadium for an official game happened during a Champions League match in 2026.
Portugal national team matches
The following national team matches took place in the stadium.
Euro 2004 matches
Benfica matches in UEFA competitions
Further information: S.L. Benfica in international football
As of match played 5 March 2025
- All-time statistics
117 matches: 71 wins, 21 draws, 25 losses
201 goals scored, 108 goals conceded
Benfica  | 2–1 |  Nacional |
|---|---|---|
Nuno Gomes  7', 47' | Mello 11' |
Real Madrid  | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Ramos 90+3' Bale 110'Marcelo 118'Ronaldo 120' (pen.) | Report | Godín 36' |
2006–07 3–0 Austria Wien (UEFA Champions League) 0–1 Manchester United 3–0 Celtic 3–1 Copenhagen 1–0 Dinamo București (UEFA Cup) 0–0 Espanyol 2007–08 2–1 Copenhagen (UEFA Champions League) 0–1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1–0 Celtic 1–1 Milan 1–0 Nürnberg (UEFA Cup) 1–2 Getafe 2009–10 UEFA Europa League 4–0 Vorskla 2–0 BATE Borisov 5–0 Everton 2–1 AEK Athens 4–0 Hertha Berlin 1–1 Marseille 2–1 Liverpool 2010–11 2–0 Hapoel (UEFA Champions League) 4–3 Lyon 1–2 Schalke 04 2–1 Stuttgart (UEFA Europa League) 2–1 Paris Saint-Germain 4–1 PSV Eindhoven 2–1 Braga | 2011–12 UEFA Champions League 2–0 Trabzonspor 3–1 Twente 1–1 Manchester United 1–1 Basel 1–0 Oțelul Galați 2–0 Zenit 0–1 Chelsea 2012–13 0–2 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League) 2–0 Spartak Moscow 2–1 Celtic 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen (UEFA Europa League) 1–0 Bordeaux 3–1 Newcastle United 3–1 Fenerbahçe 2013–14 2–0 Anderlecht (UEFA Champions League) 1–1 Olympiacos 2–1 Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 PAOK (UEFA Europa League) 2–2 Tottenham 2–0 AZ Alkmaar 2–1 Juventus 2017–18 UEFA Champions League 1–2 CSKA Moscow 0–1 Manchester United 0–2 Basel 2018–19 1–0 Fenerbahçe (UEFA Champions League) 1–1 PAOK 0–2 Bayern Munich 1–1 Ajax 1–0 AEK Athens 0–0 Galatasaray (UEFA Europa League) 3–0 Dinamo Zagreb | 2019–20 1–2 RB Leipzig (UEFA Champions League) 2–1 Lyon 3–0 Zenit 3–3 Shakhtar Donetsk (UEFA Europa League) 2021–22 UEFA Champions League 2–0 Spartak Moscow 2–1 PSV Eindhoven 3–0 Barcelona 0–4 Bayern Munich 2–0 Dynamo Kyiv 2–2 Ajax 1–3 Liverpool 2022–23 UEFA Champions League 4–1 Midtjylland 3–0 Dynamo Kyiv 1–0 Maccabi Haifa 1–1 Paris Saint-Germain 4–3 Juventus 5–1 Club Brugge 0–2 Inter Milan 2023–24 0–2 Red Bull Salzburg (UEFA Champions League) 0–1 Real Sociedad 2–1 Toulouse (UEFA Europa League) 2–2 Rangers 2–1 Marseille |
Other events
Ceremonies
Concerts
Religious meetings
| Date | Organizing entity | Event | Total audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2007 | New 7 Wonders Foundation | New 7 Wonders of the World | 50,000 |
| Date | Artist/band | Concert tour | Total audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 June 2019 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 120,716 |
| 26 June 2023 | Rammstein | Rammstein Stadium Tour | 50,000 |
| 24–25 May 2024 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | 120,000 |
| 26 June 2025 | Imagine Dragons | Loom World Tour | 60,000 |
| 26–27 May 2026 | Bad Bunny | Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour | |
| 7 July 2026 | Iron Maiden | Run for Your Lives World Tour | |
| 18 June 2027 | Karol G | Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour |
| Date | Organizing entity | Event | Total audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28–30 June 2019 | International Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses | Love Never Fails | 63,390 |
| 4 August 2023 | World Youth Day | The Change | 44,000 |
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Estádio da Luz, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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