The present-day Stadion Wankdorf was built on the grounds of the former
Wankdorf Stadium, which hosted the
1954 FIFA World Cup final (
The Miracle of Bern), and was then demolished in 2001. The new stadium has a capacity of 32,000 spectators, all seated. Integrated into the roof are
solar panels with a yearly production of 1,200,000
kWh. The stadium was officially opened on 30 July 2005, although the first match in the new stadium had already taken place on 16 July 2005. Young Boys played against
Olympique de Marseille and lost 2–3 with 14,000 spectators watching. The match was considered an "infrastructure test", which is why no more than 14,000 tickets were sold. The stadium was used by
FC Thun for three
Champions League home matches in 2005, and for one home match in the
UEFA Cup round of 32 in 2006. Fifteen years after the new stadium opened in 2005 (back then called
Stade de Suisse), it was renamed
Stadion Wankdorf in June 2020, in an effort to return to the
stadium's roots.
Pitch Stadion Wankdorf is known for its artificial turf pitch, with cost as one of the reasons to use it. The pitch was criticized by the likes of
Pep Guardiola Natural grass was laid in this stadium twice, for the
UEFA Euro 2008 and
UEFA Women's Euro 2025 ==Concerts==