Veltins - Arena Veltins - Arena ( originally Arena AufSchalke ) is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen , North Rhine - Westphalia , Germany . It opened in 2001 , as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04 . It hosted the 2004 UEFA Champions League final and 5 matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup , including a quarter - final . It has a league capacity of 61 , 482 ( standing and seated ) and an international capacity of 53 , 951 ( seated only ) . The stadium has a retractable roof and a retractable pitch . The naming rights to the stadium were sold on July 1 , 2005 to the German brewery Veltins . History . Plans to construct a new stadium emerged in the late 1990s , as fans and managers sought to move out of the outdated Parkstadion , and create a thoroughly modern multifunctional arena . Following Schalke 04 ' s historic 1997 victory in the UEFA Cup , and the club ' s upcoming 100th anniversary in 2004 , the contract to construct a €186 million stadium was given in 1998 to the German construction firm HBM . Site and layout . The site chosen for Schalke 04 ' s new stadium is in the direct vicinity of the old Parkstadion , on an extensive piece of club owned property known as the " Berger Feld " . Unfortunately , two mine shafts of the " Consolidation " and " Hugo " coal - mines run directly beneath this field at a depth of 800 m . These shafts ( in use until 2000 ) would have caused unwanted shifts and tensions that could have compromised the structural integrity of the stadium . To avoid this , the main axis was rotated from the classic North - South arrangement to a Northeast - Southwest alignment , making the arena parallel to the mines . The Veltins - Arena was created as a multi - functional arena of two tiers that completely surround the playing field . These allow for a league capacity of 61 , 524 spectators ( standing and seated ) and an international capacity of 53 , 994 . For league matches , the North stand is left as standing rows ( capacity : 16 , 307 ) to accommodate the Schalke 04 fans , while for international matches , these are converted to seats ( capacity : 8 , 600 ) . The 72 VIP lounges form a ring around the entire stadium , separating the first tier from the second tier . On the main Western grandstand , the VIP capacity is increased by a second level of lounges directly beneath the main belt . The foundation for the stadium was created out of cast concrete and 600 , 000 m of packed slag , a waste product from the steel smelting industry . These were packed into mounds to support the four main stands , which were made out of pre - fabricated , reinforced concrete sections . Leading into the four corners of the arena are 4 . 50 m x 4 . 50 m tunnels , which serve both as access for construction and assembly , and as ventilation for the interior . Roof and pitch . The Veltins - Arena features a Teflon - coated fiberglass canvas retractable roof , which spans the entire stadium . The roof is supported by a rectangular truss that is suspended above the field , which is in turn connected to the main building via 24 steel pylons . The center of the roof can be opened into two halves , allowing for an opened or covered stadium , depending on weather and event . In order to reduce the exterior noise of up to 105 decibels during concerts , a second layer of Teflon - coated fiberglass canvas was added over the first , creating a dampening air cushion . Hanging 25 m over the center of the pitch are four video screens , each with a surface area of 35 m . The centrally suspended scoreboard , similar to those found inside indoor sports arenas , was the first of its kind in football stadia , and has since been copied in the Commerzbank - Arena in Frankfurt and the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf . Like the Sapporo Dome in Japan , the University of Phoenix Stadium in the U . S . state of Arizona and the Gelredome in the Nederlands before it , the Veltins - Arena features a slide out pitch . Supported by 11 , 400 t substructure , the playing field can be moved in and out of the stadium within 4 hours . This has several advantages : Catering and venues . In order to provide for over 60 , 000 spectators , the Veltins - Arena is equipped with an abundance of catering facilities . With 15 small restaurants , 50 grilling stations and 35 cafés , the stadium can serve up to 2 , 500 kg of sausages , 7 , 000 pretzels , and 1 , 000 m of pizza in one day . These catering areas are connected to a 5 km long beer - line , supplying them with roughly 52 , 000 litres of beer per match day . Other events . The Veltins - Arena has hosted an array of important venues , including the UEFA Champions League final of 2004 . During the renovation of Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf , the Arena served as the temporary home of the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe , an American football league . The true multi - functionality of the stadium was put to a test in May 2004 when the Veltins - Arena hosted a pop - concert , one Bundesliga match and one NFL Europe game within 96 hours . Other venues were Biathlon competitions , stock car races and operas . 2006 FIFA World Cup . The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 World Cup . However , because FIFA controls all sponsorship associated with its tournaments ( including that of competition venues ) , the arena was called " FIFA World Cup Stadium Gelsenkirchen " during the World Cup . The following games were played at the stadium during the 2006 World Cup : 2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany . The Veltins - Arena hosted the final Grand Prix of the 2007 motorcycle speedway World Championship season on 13 October 2007 , the " 2007 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany " , the 100th Grand Prix in the history of the competition . It was billed as " " The richest minute in motorsport " " . The winner of the event won US $ 100 , 000 by virtue of winning the final heat of the event , with each heat taking about one minute to complete . 25 , 000 fans saw the Grand Prix won by Swedish rider Andreas Jonsson , who beat American Greg Hancock , and Australia ns , Jason Crump and Leigh Adams in the final . World Champion , Nicki Pedersen who went out of the competition at the Semi - Final stage was crowned World Champion . 2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany . The Veltins - Arena was supposed to host the " 2008 Speedway Grand Prix of Germany " . It was scheduled to take place on October 11 , 2008 . However , the meeting was cancelled because the track ( temporary ) was deemed unsafe by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme ( FIM ) jury due to adverse weather conditions ( even though the retractable roof was closed for the duration of laying the track ) . The event was re - staged at the Polonia Stadium , Bydgoszcz , Poland , on the 18 October and was renamed the 2008 FIM Final Speedway Grand Prix . 2010 Ice Hockey World Championship . The opening game of the 74th IIHF World Championship took place at Veltins - Arena on May 7 , 2010 . At this occasion the crowd of 77 , 803 set a then World Record for ice hockey attendance . Germany beat the United States 2 - 1 in overtime . Inspiration of other stadiums . Highly acclaimed , the Veltins - Arena served as a model for the University of Phoenix Stadium . This stadium shares features with its German counterpart such as a retractable roof and a slide - out pitch . The arena also has ties to Lucas Oil Stadium . In that stadium , the retractable - roof also opens lengthwise from the center to the touchlines .