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- Discover Cegeka Arena: The Genk Stadium<\/a>\n
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- From A Merger Of Two Local Clubs To One Of The Best Clubs In Belgium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- History and Structure Of Cegeka Arena<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A Multifunctional Stadium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tour Estadio<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Fanshop<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Genk Tickets<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How To Get To The Stadium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Racing Genk Blau En Wit Army! (Racing Genk Blue And White Army!)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Your Chance To Create A Stadium Like Cegeka Arena<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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From A Merger Of Two Local Clubs To One Of The Best Clubs In Belgium<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n![\"Crowd](\"https:\/\/blog.footballteamgame.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Racing_Genk_publiek_in_stadion-1024x683.jpg\")
PitchdGroundhopping<\/a>, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n KRC Genk is one of the most important and successful clubs in Belgium. The club has been formed for less than 4 decades. However, its roots go back over a century of history. It was founded in 1988 by merging two local clubs: KFC Winterslag and Waterschei SV Thor. KFC Winterslag, founded in 1923, was known for its red and black colors and the nickname “Dirty Men.” It had a memorable campaign in the 1981\/82 UEFA Cup, where it eliminated Arsenal before losing to Dundee United. On the other hand, Waterschei SV Thor, founded in 1919, represented a strong regional identity and won the Belgian Cup in 1980 and 1982, reaching the 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the merger, the new club, KRC Genk, faced many challenges, including relegation in its first season. However, from 1996 onwards, the club began a remarkable rise under the leadership of Aim\u00e9 Anthuenis, who won their first national title in 1999 and their first Belgian Cup in 1998. In the 2000s, Genk continued to excel, with another national title in 2002 and notable appearances in the UEFA Champions League, facing giants such as Real Madrid and AS Roma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 2010 onwards, Genk managed to position among the best Belgian clubs, winning another national title in 2011 under Frank Vercauteren. The club also enjoyed an impressive run in the Champions League, competing against Chelsea, Valencia, and Bayer Leverkusen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The club won its first Belgian championship ten years after its formation, and recently, in 2019, the club won its fourth. This success was due to the development of talented players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, who have gone on to become international stars. Genk has recently enjoyed success in Domestic League and Europa League competitions, including winning the Belgian Cup in 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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History and Structure Of Cegeka Arena <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n![\"opposite](\"https:\/\/blog.footballteamgame.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1024px-Cristal_Arena_2013-02-21_opposite_stand.jpg\")
No machine-readable author provided. Hobby-Fotograf2013 assumed (based on copyright claims).<\/a>, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The football stadium, now known as the Cegeka Arena, didn\u2019t always have this name. KRC Genk\u2019s home ground is located on the same site as the Andr\u00e9 Dumont Stadium, home of the former Thor Waterschei club. In 1988, after Thor Waterschei and KFC Winterslag merged to form KRC Genk, the club initially played at the Noordlaan Stadium, Winterslag\u2019s former stadium. However, after a new main stand was built, the Andr\u00e9 Dumont Stadium was returned to use two years after the merger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it reopened, the stadium was renamed the Thyl GheyselinckStadion in honor of a leader who, in addition to promoting the merger of the clubs, was also involved in the closure of the Limburg mines. This caused discontent among the fans, many of whom were former miners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n![\"Old](\"https:\/\/blog.footballteamgame.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cristalarenapast1.jpg\")
Thyl Gheyselinckstadion in the early 1990s. | \u00a9 Unknown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
In the spring of 1999, when KRC Genk won its first national title, the stadium underwent renovation. The standing areas and large grandstands were replaced with more modern structures, and the stadium was renamed the Fenix \u200b\u200bStadion. The second renovation phase took place in 2001, with the rise of the club and the growing need for business space, and the South Stand, a replica of the North Stand, was built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n![\"Stadium](\"https:\/\/blog.footballteamgame.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cristalarenapast2.jpg\")
Thyl Gheyselinckstadion in the early 1990s. | \u00a9 Unknown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The following year, the South Stand was replaced with a modern structure with seats in the upper section and standing areas in the lower section, which could be converted into seating for European competitions, where standing areas are prohibited. This completely closed the stadium, which has become considered one of the most modern in Belgium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2007 and 2012, the stadium underwent a complete renovation of the business area, further modernizing it. As a result, the stadium’s name was changed (for reasons of naming rights), and this time, it was Cristal Arena. In 2012, further renovations were carried out, including the construction of an indoor training hall and the introduction of an electronic access control system in accordance with UEFA criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- History and Structure Of Cegeka Arena<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- From A Merger Of Two Local Clubs To One Of The Best Clubs In Belgium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
![PitchdGroundhopping<\/a>,](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Racing_Genk_publiek_in_stadion.jpg\"){kind=link}
![No machine-readable author provided. Hobby-Fotograf2013 assumed (based on copyright claims).<\/a>,](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Cristal_Arena_2013-02-21_opposite_stand.jpg\"){kind=link}