- Address: 500 Nakanoda, Saitama
- Country: Japan
- Capacity: 63,000
- Opened: 1 October 2001
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Urawa Red Diamonds (football)
Extra stadium info – Saitama Stadium 2002
The football stadium hosted 2002 FIFA World Cup matches of the national football teams of Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, England, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Türkiye. The first-ever FIFA World Cup match at the venue ended in a 1-1 draw. Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell scored the only goal for England and Jens Niclas Alexandersson scored the only goal for Sweden. The second game of the tournament at the venue named Saitama Stadium 2002 ended in a 2-2 draw between Japan and Belgium. 55,000 spectators showed up for the game. Cameroon won the third game of the tournament at the football stadium after beating Saudi Arabia 1-0. Brazil won the fourth game of the 2002 FIFA World Cup at the venue after beating Türkiye 1-0.
Omiya Ardija and the Urawa Red Diamonds
Football club Omiya Ardija played numerous matches at the Saitama Stadium 2002. In 2007, they returned to their renovated home venue, which opened as the Omiya Football Stadium. The Saitama Stadium 2002 has been the home of the Urawa Red Diamonds since 2001. They won the AFC Champions League, the Asian championship for football clubs, in 2007 for the first time in their history in front of 59,000 fans at the Saitama Stadium 2002. The Urawa Red Diamonds drew an average attendance of 46,000 in 17 home games during that domestic top-flight season.
The world championship for football clubs
In 2007, they finished third place in their first-ever FIFA Club World Cup participation. It was the fourth edition of the tournament, which is known as the world championship for football clubs. The Urawa Red Diamonds reached the final after beating the Italian football giants AC Milan, one of the first sports clubs with 10 million followers on its main social media page. In 1969, AC Milan became the seventh football club with a world championship title after defeating Club Estudiantes de La Plata.
The Urawa Red Diamonds versus the former club of Diego Maradona
In the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup final, the Urawa Red Diamonds lost against the Argentine side Boca Juniors, the former club of Diego Armando Maradona. The football legend Diego Maradona won the 1986 FIFA World Cup with the national football team of the Argentine Republic. He scored world famous goals during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which took place in the United Mexican States.
