Athens Olympic Stadium
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributors · CC BY-SA
- Capacity
- 69,618
- Year opened
- 1982
- Country
- Greece
Overview
About the stadium
The Olympic Stadium Athens, in Greek Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο and abbreviated OAKA, is the largest sports arena in Greece and one of the most famous stadiums in Europe. It is located in the Maroussi district in northern Athens as part of the extensive Olympic Sports Complex. The stadium has a capacity of 69,618 spectators and is honorarily named after Spiros Louis – a Greek peasant who became the first winner of the marathon at the modern Olympic Games in 1896. It was built between 1980 and 1982 and has undergone significant transformation since then; today, it is world-renowned primarily due to the iconic glass roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, which was completed before the 2004 Olympic Games. OAKA serves as the home of the Greek national football and athletics teams and is considered the heart of Greek elite sports.
History
Journey through time
The stadium was designed in 1980 and officially opened on September 8, 1982, by Greek President Konstantinos Karamanlis, with its first major event being the European Athletics Championships that same year. With a capacity exceeding 75,000 seats, it immediately became the largest stadium in the country and was dubbed a "modern Greek marvel" by the European press. Soon after, it established itself on the European club scene: in 1983, it hosted the final match of the European Cup between Hamburger SV and Juventus.
A significant chapter in the stadium's history took place during preparation for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The construction underwent extensive renovations starting in 2002, with the most prominent element being the monumental roof designed by Santiago Calatrava. Two massive steel arches rise to a height of 78 meters, weigh a total of 17,000 tons, and cover an area of nearly 25,000 m². The polycarbonate panels of the roof are colored blue to allow warm, diffused light into the stands while maintaining a view of the Greek sky. The total cost of the roof reached 256 million euros. During the Olympic Games in August 2004, the stadium was the main venue for the events – hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and providing one of the most emotional moments for Greeks: the victory of local athlete Kostas Kenteris in the 100-meter sprint in front of a home crowd.
In 2007, the stadium made football history as the venue for the UEFA Champions League final, where AC Milan defeated Liverpool FC 2-1 to win their seventh title. This match is still regarded as one of the finest final duels in the competition's history.
Clubs & teams
Atmosphere
Matchday
The atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Athens is inextricably linked with Greek football and athletics identity. The Greek national football team plays its home matches here, and for Greek fans, the stadium holds special emotional significance – after all, in 2004, when OAKA hosted the Olympics, the Greek national team shocked the continent by becoming European champions at the European Championship in Portugal. Although the Euro was played elsewhere, this connection with the Olympic year of 2004 gave Athens and its flagship stadium tremendous symbolic weight.
At the club level, OAKA has been a temporary home for decades to Athens' two biggest football rivals – Panathinaikos FC and AEK Athens FC. Panathinaikos moved to the Olympic Stadium in 1984 when their historic home on Leoforos Alexandras no longer met safety requirements. AEK Athens arrived in 1985 and spent nearly two decades here after the demolition of the Nikos Goumas Stadium in 2003, until they completed the construction of their new Agia Sophia in 2022. The mutual derby between these two clubs – known as the green-yellow derby – has been one of the hottest moments in the Greek league at OAKA: the atmosphere of 60,000 to 70,000 attendees is something fans describe as an overwhelming wave of sound refusing to quiet down. For European matches in the Champions League, the stadium has been able to create a sense of true Olympic grandeur that few arenas around the world can replicate.
Practical info
Visiting the stadium
The Olympic Stadium is located in the northern part of Athens in the Maroussi district, approximately 14 km from the historic center. The most convenient way to get there is by metro: line M1 (green), station Eirini (Ειρήνη), will take you directly to the gates of the OAKA complex, with a journey from the center (Monastiraki) taking about 25 to 30 minutes. By car, the stadium is accessible from the Attica Odos highway (E94), with parking available in the adjacent area, although capacity is often full on the days of major events. The stadium is part of the extensive OAKA Olympic Sports Complex, which includes a velodrome, aquatic center, tennis courts, and an athletic hall – a visit therefore offers a tour of the entire Olympic legacy of 2004. Nearby are the Golden Hall shopping center and several restaurants and cafes suitable for a meal before or after the match.
Map
Where to find the stadium
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Athény, Greece
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