- Address: ArenA Boulevard 1, Amsterdam
- Country: Netherlands
- Capacity: 55,000
- Opened: 14 August 1996
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Ajax (football)
Extra stadium info – Johan Cruijff ArenA
The Johan Cruijff ArenA, which is named after the former football player Johan Cruijff, is also known as a venue for concerts. It opened as the Amsterdam ArenA and it has a retractable roof. The former American football club Amsterdam Admirals played numerous matches at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. In 2007, they drew an average home attendance of 11,000 in their final league season. The venue hosted its first-ever UEFA Champions League final in 1998. The prestigious football game was won by the Spanish club Real Madrid CF after defeating the Italian club Juventus FC 1-0. In 2000, the venue hosted its first-ever match for the European championship for national football teams. The Netherlands won the game against the Czech Republic 1-0 in front of 50,000 spectators.
The inauguration of the stadium and AFC Ajax
The first match at the stadium was won by the Italian side AC Milan after beating Ajax. AC Milan became the seventh football club with a world championship title after beating the Argentine side Estudiantes de La Plata in 1969. AFC Ajax was founded in 1900. The club is named after a mythological Greek hero. They won national and international trophies. AFC Ajax and PSV from Eindhoven became the first Dutch football clubs with 20 top-division titles.
The Dutch football legend Johan Cruijff
Johan Cruijff was born in 1947 in Amsterdam. The Dutch football legend died in 2016 in the Spanish city of Barcelona. In 1974, he played in a FIFA World Cup final with the national football team of the Netherlands. The national football team of the Argentine Republic won the game. Cruijff won prestigious trophies with Ajax. In 1972, he scored twice for Ajax in a European championship final. In 1973, Johan Cruijff left Ajax for the Spanish football giants FC Barcelona. He also played for the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats, two former football clubs from the United States. Cruijff signed with the Spanish club Levante before he returned to Ajax in 1981. He ended his professional football career with Feyenoord.
The Johan Cruijff Schaal
The Johan Cruijff ArenA hosted numerous Johan Cruijff Schaal matches. The Johan Cruijff Schaal, which is known as the Dutch super cup, is usually contested by the Dutch cup winners and the Dutch top-flight football league champions. The Amsterdam ArenA hosted its first-ever Johan Cruijff Schaal match in 1996. PSV from Eindhoven won the game after beating Ajax. In 2015, PSV became the first club with 10 Dutch super cup titles.
Ajax in 2023
On 29 October 2023, AFC Ajax made headlines when they broke negative club records. In the 10th round of the Dutch top-flight football league, Ajax traveled to Eindhoven for a match against PSV. The club from Eindhoven defeated Ajax 5-2. Hirving Rodrigo Lozano Bahena, also known as Chucky, scored three goals against Ajax. PSV won all of their first 10 league matches of the football season after beating Ajax. After the match, AFC Ajax could be found at the opposite end of the league table. Ajax won no games in 10 consecutive matches after PSV defeated them. A few days later, Ajax started winning again after beating FC Volendam 2-0. On 21 December 2023, a fourth-tier amateur club surprised when they defeated Ajax 3-2 in the Dutch cup tournament.