Letná Stadium

Football has been played at Letná since 1917, though the first proper stadium with wooden stands appeared only in 1921. The site has since been reshaped three times — in 1937, 1969 and 1994 — each rebuild answering a different era and a different set of demands.

Construction and opening

Sparta moved to the present plot in 1917 and opened a timber-framed stadium four years later. It served into the 1930s, by which point the club ranked among Europe's strongest and the ground had outgrown its crowds.

In 1934 the club resolved to expand the stands to 45,000 spectators. Later that same year the main wooden stand burned down, turning an ambition into a necessity.

Major renovations

The replacement, opened in 1937, was a reinforced-concrete main stand designed by the architect V. Slavík. It still stands today and is valued as an example of interwar Constructivism — the oldest surviving structure on the site.

A second wave came in 1969, when an arena for 35,880 spectators was built at Letná. The stadium reached its present form through a full reconstruction completed in 1994, which brought seating to every sector and cut the capacity to just under nineteen thousand.

Notable moments

The ground has carried several sponsorship names: Toyota Arena (2003–2007), AXA Arena (2007–2009), Generali Arena (2009–2020), Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena (2020–2022) and, since 2022, epet ARENA. Among supporters and in the press, however, the plain name Letná has outlasted every sponsor era.

Letná ranks among the loudest grounds in Czechia, and its size is the reason. 18,887 seats is modest by European standards, but the stands sit close to the pitch and hold the sound in — the atmosphere is more concentrated than at modern arenas built around a running track.

Fan culture

The heart of the home end is the Ultras Sparta group, which stages large-scale choreographies. For the biggest fixtures these cover an entire sector and sometimes reach across to the opposite stand. The home end sings throughout the match regardless of the scoreline, and pyrotechnics are part of the Letná experience, even though they repeatedly cost the club fines.

The ground has a quieter half as well. The family sectors and the 1937 main stand have a markedly different character from the end behind the goal, so the matchday experience varies considerably by sector.

Big matches

The season peaks with the Prague derby against SK Slavia Prague, one of the oldest and fiercest derbies in Europe. Away supporters traditionally arrive on foot in a march across the city, and the club tightens security arrangements substantially for the occasion.

European nights are the other high point. Champions League fixtures have a reputation at Letná precisely because the smaller capacity thickens the atmosphere. Matches of the Czechia national team add a third register, drawing a broader and more mixed crowd than league football does.

Letná is easy to reach by public transport, and a car is more hindrance than help. The stadium stands in Prague 7 beside Milady Horákové street, with the Sparta tram stop directly outside and two metro stations within walking distance.

How to get there

By tram is simplest: the Sparta stop is right at the ground, served by lines 1, 2, 8, 12, 25 and 26, running frequently at peak times and on matchdays.

By metro, use Hradčanská (line A) from the west or Vltavská (line C) from the east; either is roughly a ten-minute walk. Parking nearby is limited and effectively unavailable on matchdays, so driving is not recommended.

Tickets and tours

Sparta sells tickets for home fixtures through the Enigoo platform. Derbies and European nights sell out considerably earlier than ordinary league matches.

The club also runs guided stadium tours. These last about an hour and take in the press centre, the media gantry, Sparta's dressing room, the dugout and a walk around the pitch. On matchdays they begin four to five hours before kick-off. Special tours are occasionally led by a former Sparta player.

Visitor tips

• When to arrive: half an hour before kick-off is enough for a league game; allow considerably more for a derby, when checks take longer.
• How to travel: take the tram to Sparta; avoid driving, as nearby parking fills up.
• Where to sit: the end behind the goal for atmosphere, the 1937 main stand for calm and the best sightlines.
• What to combine it with: Letná Park, with its views over the Vltava, and Stromovka park are both a few minutes' walk away.