Germany - San Marino

Qualifying - Group C

Stadion Nürnberg, originally called Städtisches Stadion and also known as Frankenstadion, got built between 1926 and 1928, and could initially hold about 50,000 spectators. The stadium was a project of local architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. Its most characteristic feature was its octagonal shape, which it has remained up to today and is the only of its kind in Germany.

In the 1930s, the stadium and surroundings became an important rally ground of the Nazi Party and in particular the Hitler Youth. Directly after the War, the stadium then turned into a sports field used by the US Army.

Few football was played at the stadium in its first decades. 1. FC Nürnberg kept playing at their Spielstätte am Zabo ground, and only in 1963 made the move to the larger Städtisches Stadion.

In the next few years, the stadium got gradually expanded, resulting in a capacity of about 75,000 by 1971. The city of Nürnberg, however, passed on the chance to further modernise the stadium and become a host city of the 1974 World Cup.

Städtisches Stadion underwent a large redevelopment between 1987 and 1991, which included the construction of a roof, but also reduced capacity to just over 50,000. It got subsequently renamed Frankenstadion. Frankenstadion got further renovated in 2004 and 2005 in preparation of the 2006 World Cup. 

Right after the World Cup the stadium got renamed again, this time to easyCredit-Stadion as a result of a sponsorship deal. This deal expired in 2012, after which a new deal resulted in Grundig Stadion, which ended in 2016, following which the stadium took on the name Stadion Nürnberg.