Italy is renowned for its pizza and football, boasting one of the top four leagues in Europe alongside Spain, England, and Germany. The country is home to some of the best teams and stadiums on the continent.
One of Italy’s most important football stadiums is the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Napoli fans adore it and consider it their football temple. This sentiment is understandable, given the stadium’s magnificent history of victories and historic matches.
In the following lines, we will highlight the most relevant aspects of this iconic stadium, named after Napoli’s greatest football star, Diego Maradona.
Table of Contents
- Stadio Diego Armando Maradona | The Football Pitch of God!
- What Is the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona?
- Diego Armando Maradona Stadium Location
- Diego Armando Maradona Stadium Features
- A Brief History of the Diego Maradona Stadium
- Matches that Took Place in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona During the 1990 FIFA World Cup
- Some Crucial Services Around the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
- How to Get Tickets for Napoli Matches?
- A Majestic Football Arena in South Italy You Can’t-Miss Out
What Is the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona?
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona—named after the Argentine footballer, one of the greatest of all time—was previously known as Stadio del Sole (Sun Stadium) and Stadio San Paolo (Saint Paul). It is a football stadium located in Naples, Italy. As the name of the city suggests, the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium hosts the home matches of SSC Napoli, the famous Italian club.
It was inaugurated in 1959 and renovated in 1990 for the 1990 Soccer World Cup, which took place in Italy. Since then, it has become the fourth stadium in Italy in terms of capacity, after the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and the San Nicola Stadium.
Diego Armando Maradona Stadium Location
The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium is located in Napoli, although it is situated a bit further from the city centre. This is common in many Italian cities, where stadiums are often located away from the downtown area.
How to Get to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium
The stadium is a five-minute walk from Napoli Campi Flegrei train station. This train leaves from the Napoli Piazza Garibaldi station in the city center and takes about thirty minutes to arrive. This short walk is the quickest way to get to the stadium.
You can also take the subway, which is a little faster. Take line 2 from the central station and get off at Campi Flegrei station. Another alternative is to take line 6 and get off at the Mostra stop, which is also close to the stadium.
Another good option is to get to the stadium by car. To do this, you have to take the Tangenziale di Napoli, a national highway that runs through the city. Take exit 10 Fuorigrotta, which is located a few meters from the stadium.
Diego Armando Maradona Stadium Features
Next, a short list of the key features of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
- Inauguration: 1959
- Capacity: 54,732
- Pitch size: 110 x 68 meters
- Floodlights: 900 lux
- Address: Via Pizzale Vincenzo Tecchio, 80125, Napoli
A Brief History of the Diego Maradona Stadium
Naples’ original stadium, the Stadio Partenopeo, was destroyed by air raids during World War II. Therefore, a new stadium was essential to host the team’s home games.
During this period, the club played in several temporary venues, but none of these were satisfactory for the club and its fans. Furthermore, with the growing fan base, the club needed a larger stadium to showcase its best football successfully.
The San Paolo Stadium, as it was known in its early days, was officially inaugurated on December 6, 1959, with a match between Napoli and Juventus (2-1).
The Stadium underwent major renovations in 1990 and 2018 for the 2019 Universadia. Following Diego Maradona’s death, the Naples City Council unanimously decided to change its name to the current one.
Matches in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona During the 1990 FIFA World Cup
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was one of twelve stadiums to host the 1990 FIFA World Cup matches in Italy. Five matches took place on the Napoli pitch.
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Round | Attendants |
| June 13, 1990 | Argentina | 2 – 0 | Soviet Union | Group Stage B | 55,759 |
| June 18, 1990 | Rumania | 1 – 1 | Argentina | Group Stage B | 52,733 |
| June 23, 1990 | Cameroon | 2 – 1 | Colombia | Round of 16 | 50,026 |
| July 1, 1990 | England | 3 – 2 | Cameroon | Quarter-finals | 55,205 |
| July 3, 1990 | Italy | 1 – 1 | Argentina | Semi-final | 70,978 |
Some Crucial Services Around the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
As the Naples stadium is in an urban, sometimes chaotic environment, you can easily find different shops, restaurants, hotels, and other relevant services that you may need. If you are starving, there is a McDonald’s right in front of the stadium.
Some hotels are also in the area, such as Hotel Serius, Hotel Leopardi, and Hotel Cesare Augusto. Still, since public transport makes it easy to reach the center of Naples, you will have no problem finding alternatives to eat and stay.
Bar Nilo
Bar Nilo is the Maradona bar in Naples, a classic restaurant in the heart of Spaccanoli. Naples loves this bar as it has the classic Maradona altar, which includes images, photographs, articles, and other interesting documentation of the 10, one of the best players in history.
It is a small cafe with multiple souvenirs from Naples and an excellent espresso. If you are visiting the area to watch a soccer game, get to know the city, or participate in other events, you should not miss visiting Bar Nilo.
The Diego in the Spanish Quartier
Most of what happens in Napoli is in honor of Diego Armando Maradona. An interesting example of this is the numerous murals scattered throughout the city, notably the one on Via de Deo in the Quartieri Spagnoli.
The city created this famous mural to celebrate Napoli’s second Scudetto, a triumph in which Maradona played a pivotal role. The Maradona scoring was sixteen goals in twenty-eight games. It is also regarded as Maradona’s best goal-scoring performance for any European team.
Mario Filardi created this mural, and you can visit it on your own or as part of a guided tour.
The Maradona’s Paradise: Campo Sportivo
📍 Campo Paradiso, Soccavo#SSCNapoli’s training ground until 2004, the place where Maradona & co perfected their craft
— Calcio England (@CalcioEngland) February 25, 2024
Unquestionably my favourite #Maradona mural
It has been closed for years but was recently bought by Fabio Cannavaro & will be turned into a soccer school pic.twitter.com/0Gatyn51kj
Have you ever seen the images of Maradona training on a mud field or the mythical image of Diego and his daughter? These two images were taken at the Campo Sportivo Paradiso, located in the Soccavo area, further west of the Diego Maradona stadium.
This training ground is currently abandoned, but you can still visit it and soak up the people’s devotion to this sacred place for them.
After his death, fans painted classic images of Maradona and his daughter on the wall of the former training ground. Although the Campo Sportivo is in a state of ruin, some plans are underway to recondition and revitalize the field.
How to Get Tickets for Napoli Matches?
You can easily get tickets to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on the club’s official website. Go to the tickets section and select the match you want to watch at the stadium. Please note that not all matches are still available for purchase.
Of course, there is also the option of taking out an annual subscription to have access to all league matches at the stadium. The price you will pay will depend on the “Curve” and the position in the stands.
Alternatively, you can also get tickets at physical points, such as the ticket sales windows in the construction.
A Majestic Football Arena in South Italy You Can’t Miss Out
The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples is a cathedral of Italian football. As such, it hosts some of Calccio’s best matches and has one of the biggest fans in Europe and the world.
If you follow the Italian league, regardless of your favorite team, such as A.C. Milan, Juventus, or SSC Napoli, the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is a magnificent football stadium that you must visit if you are in this city in southern Italy.
But that is not all! You can build and administer your own football arena when playing FootballTeam. You and all your team members can enjoy an incredible home stadium that grows and grows until your imagination goes! Administer your venue and reach a new level in FootballTeam!
Naples is a city for football and pizza lovers. Here, tourists will find the best of both worlds: various tributes to the Hand of God and, without a doubt, the best pizzas in the world! If you don’t believe me, visit Naples, and then we can talk!
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