FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, March 2nd, 2016 - For the third time France will host the UEFA European Championship. Ten French cities have been selected to host the final round of the tournament: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis (Stade de France), Saint-Etienne and Toulouse. For the 2016 championship, all the stadiums have been renovated, most notably the Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome. Projects included the almost complete reconstruction of the two principal stands, minor works on the stands at both ends, and the construction of a roof that would cover the stadium completely, hereby increasing capacity with another 7,000 seats. The redevelopment was completed in the summer of 2014. During Euro 2016, Stade Vélodrome will host four first round group matches, of which one of the French national team, a quarter-final, and one of the two semi-finals. Three stadiums have been constructed to welcome the competition. Grand Stade OL, also referred to as Stade des Lumières and Grand Stade de Lyon, is the most recently built one and new home of Olympique Lyonnais and as such will replace Stade Gerland. Stade Matmut Atlantique, previously also known as Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, is the recently opened stadium of Girondins de Bordeaux. It replaced Bordeaux’s old stadium Stade Chaban-Delmas. The Allianz Riviera, also known as Grand Stade de Nice, is the recently opened new stadium of OGC Nice. The ten host towns and cities and their stadiums are as follows:
- Bordeaux - Stade Matmut Atlantique
- Lens - Stade Bollaert-Delelis
- Lille - Stade Pierre Mauroy
- Lyon - Stade des Lumières
- Marseille - Stade Vélodrome
- Nice - Allianz Riviera
- Paris - Parc des Princes
- Saint-Denis - Stade de France
- Saint-Étienne - Stade Geoffroy Guichard
- Toulouse - Stadium de Toulouse
More information can be found in the Stadium Guide of the UEFA. Euro 2016 is a good opportunity to also visit the cities where the championship occurs. Don’t miss the occasion to go to the Wine Museum and Cultural Center in Bordeaux or the Confluences Museum in Lyon. More information about the competition and what to see in the cities can be found on the UEFA website.