Metropolitano Stadium, currently known as Riyadh Air Metropolitano under its sponsorship deal, is the home ground of Atlético Madrid in the Rosas neighborhood of the San Blas-Canillejas district. The venue traces its roots to 1994, when it opened as a municipal athletics stadium nicknamed ‘La Peineta’ (The Comb) for its distinctive single-tiered, curved design, built as part of Madrid’s bid for the 1997 World Athletics Championships.
After Madrid’s repeated failed Olympic bids left the athletics stadium underused, it closed in 2004. Atlético Madrid acquired the site in 2013 and spent roughly 240 million euros transforming it into a modern football arena, reopening in September 2017. Today it seats nearly 70,700 spectators and has hosted a UEFA Champions League final, cementing its place among Europe’s premier football venues.
Stats at a Glance
- Team: Atlético Madrid
- Location: San Blas-Canillejas, Madrid, Spain
- Original opened: September 6, 1994
- Reopened (renovated): September 16, 2017
- Capacity: About 70,692 for football
- Notable fact: Hosted the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final and is set to host the 2027 final
The Stadium Experience
Fans entering the Riyadh Air Metropolitano find a steep, enclosed bowl that keeps noise trapped over the pitch, a marked contrast to the open athletics venue it once was. The stadium was built as the first fully LED-lit venue in the world, giving it a distinctive appearance for night matches and televised broadcasts.
Beyond league fixtures, the stadium has hosted major occasions including a Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham in 2019 and a record-setting women’s football attendance of over 60,000 spectators, reflecting its role as one of Spain’s largest and most versatile football venues.
From Athletics Track to Football Fortress
The stadium’s history is unusual for a top-flight football venue: it began life as an athletics facility tied to Madrid’s Olympic ambitions rather than as a purpose-built football ground. When those Olympic bids repeatedly fell short, the original 20,000-capacity venue sat closed for nearly a decade before Atlético Madrid stepped in.
The club’s reconstruction preserved the site’s footprint while dramatically expanding capacity and modernizing every element of the venue, turning a relic of failed Olympic dreams into one of the most talked-about new-generation stadiums in European football.
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Metropolitano Stadium FAQs
What team plays at Metropolitano Stadium?
Atlético Madrid has played its home matches at the stadium since it reopened in September 2017.
How many people does Metropolitano Stadium hold?
The stadium holds about 70,692 spectators for football matches, with capacity adjusted to around 60,000 for concerts.
Why is it called Metropolitano Stadium?
The name comes from its original construction as a municipal athletics facility for Madrid, and it has carried various sponsor names since Atlético Madrid’s renovation, including Wanda Metropolitano, Cívitas Metropolitano, and currently Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
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Photo: Elwin594 / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.