- 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 and they won various national and international trophies. They are named after a mythological Greek hero. 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 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 played numerous games for Ajax. In 1973, he left Ajax for FC Barcelona. Johan Cruijff also played for the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Washington Diplomats, two former football clubs from the United States. He signed with Levante before he returned to Ajax in 1981. Cruijff 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 the Dutch super cup, is usually contested by the national knockout cup winners and the 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.
