Malmö Stadion, often known simply as Stadion before the construction of the new Stadion between 2007 and 2009, is a multi-purpose stadium in Malmö, Sweden. As of 2015, it is the home of association football club IFK Malmö, presently of Division 2, and athletics club MAI. The stadium served as the home ground for Malmö FF, an association football team in Sweden's top flight, Allsvenskan, from its opening in 1958 until 2009, when the club moved to the newly constructed Stadion, built beside Malmö Stadion, in 2009. Malmö FF still use the stadium for training purposes and youth matches. Besides being used for sports, the stadium has also hosted various concerts and other events. The ground's record attendance, 30,953, was set in the first match played at the ground, a 1958 FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and West Germany.
Malmö Stadion was originally built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, during which it was the venue for four matches. It replaced Malmö IP as Malmö's main sports stadium, where IFK Malmö, MAI and Malmö FF had been based since the early 20th century. It also hosted three matches during the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship. The stadium today holds 26,500 spectators when in its sporting configuration, with 14,000 fans seated and 12,500 standing. For concerts, the ground can hold up to 40,000 people depending on the location of the stage. On 2 February 2015 Malmö Stad took the decision to approve the demolition of the stadium for redevelopment of the area. Malmö Stad has previously decided that a new public swimming arena is to be built on the site in the near future. As of February 2015 it is still not known when the demolition process will begin.
History
Plans to build a new stadium in Malmö originated in 1943, when local officials deemed Malmö IP to be too small for major events. However, the city council could not agree where to build the new stadium, and the matter was dropped for the time being. It was not until Sweden was chosen to host the 1958 FIFA World Cup that the question resurfaced. The location of the stadium was a main subject of discussion: some suggested a suburban location in Jägersro, while others thought that the stadium should be located in central Malmö, near the neighbourhood of Pildammsparken. Proponents of a central location ultimately won the day; the site was confirmed in 1954.
The plans were agreed upon in 1956, and building started on 5 June that year, when the chairman of the city's sports committee turned the first sod. The ground officially opened about two years later, on 28 May 1958. At the time of the stadium's inauguration, it held 31,000 spectators. It was designed by architects Sten Samuelsson and Fritz Jaenecke, who also designed another of the World Cup stadiums, Ullevi in the city of Gothenburg; as a result, the two grounds share many architectural features. During the World Cup, the stadium hosted four matches: West Germany vs Argentina in Group 1, which was the inaugural match of the stadium; West Germany vs Northern Ireland, also in Group 1; Northern Ireland vs Czechoslovakia, in the Group 1 play-off; and, finally, West Germany vs Yugoslavia in the quarter-final round.
During the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship (commonly called Euro 1992), Malmö Stadion hosted three matches in Group 1, which comprised the national teams of Sweden, Denmark, England and France. None of the matches played in Malmö involved Sweden, however, as the host nation played all of their matches at Råsunda, a stadium in the capital city Stockholm.
Malmö Allmänna Idrottsförening (MAI), the largest athletics club in Malmö, have used the stadium for training purposes and outdoor competition since the stadium's inauguration in 1958. MAI organises its own international athletic competition, the MAI Gala, which has been held since the 1930s. It was originally hosted at Malmö IP, but moved to Malmö Stadion after its construction. Some notable athletes who have competed in the gala are Marion Jones, Maurice Greene, Sergej Bubka and Kajsa Bergqvist.