Principality Stadium rises above the River Taff in the heart of Cardiff, its retractable roof and steel arches forming one of the most recognizable skylines in British sport. Built on the site of the historic National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park, it opened on 26 June 1999 as the Millennium Stadium, purpose-built to host the Rugby World Cup final that October. The venue has served as the home ground of the Wales national rugby union team ever since, drawing crowds that turn match days into city-wide events.
In 2016, following a sponsorship deal with Principality Building Society first announced in 2015, the stadium took on its current name. Beyond rugby, it has hosted Wales national football team fixtures, the 2017 UEFA Champions League final, world title boxing bouts, and major concerts. For its first fifteen years the grass sat on over 7,000 removable pallets that were slid outdoors between events, but in 2014 that system was replaced by a permanent Desso hybrid pitch, ending the need to remove the turf for non-sporting events.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Westgate Street, Cardiff, Wales
- Opened: 26 June 1999
- Capacity: About 74,500
- Primary Tenant: Wales national rugby union team
- Roof Type: Fully retractable
- Pitch Type: Permanent Desso hybrid turf (installed 2014, replacing the original removable pallet system)
- Notable Fact: Hosted the 2017 UEFA Champions League final
A Stadium Built for a Rugby World Cup
Principality Stadium was constructed on the footprint of the old National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park, with a tight construction schedule designed to have it ready for the 1999 Rugby World Cup final. Architects Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture, later folded into the global firm Populous, designed the bowl with steep stands close to the pitch to maximize atmosphere, along with a retractable roof that allows matches and concerts to proceed regardless of Welsh weather.
The roof, which can close in around 20 minutes, made the stadium one of the largest fully-covered venues of its kind in the world at the time of opening. That flexibility has let Wales play home fixtures uninterrupted by rain while also allowing the venue to double as an indoor arena for concerts, motorsport displays, and boxing cards.
From Millennium Stadium to Principality Stadium
For its first sixteen years, the ground was known as the Millennium Stadium, a name tied to its 1999 opening. In 2015 the Welsh Rugby Union signed a ten-year naming rights deal with Cardiff-based Principality Building Society, and the stadium was officially renamed Principality Stadium for a Six Nations match against Scotland in February 2016. That same year, the original pitch, which had rested on removable pallets so groundstaff could slide the turf outdoors and free up the floor for concerts, was replaced by a fixed Desso hybrid surface installed in a 15-week project by Hewitt Sportsturf in 2014 and first used for Wales’s autumn international against Australia that November.
Since the renaming, the stadium has continued to host marquee events, including the 2017 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus, world championship boxing matches, and sellout concerts by major touring acts, cementing its role as one of Europe’s most versatile multi-purpose venues.
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Principality Stadium FAQs
What is Principality Stadium’s capacity?
The stadium holds about 74,500 spectators, making it one of the largest stadiums in the United Kingdom.
Was Principality Stadium always called that?
No. It opened in 1999 as the Millennium Stadium and was renamed Principality Stadium in 2016 after a naming rights deal with Principality Building Society.
Does Principality Stadium still have a removable pitch?
No. The original grass pitch sat on more than 7,000 removable pallets that could be slid outdoors between events, but in 2014 it was replaced by a permanent Desso hybrid turf surface, so the pitch no longer needs to be moved for concerts or other non-sporting events.
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Photo: Clint Budd from About 15 miles North of Swansea, Wales / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.