RheinEnergieStadion The RheinEnergieStadion is a football stadium in Cologne , North Rhine - Westphalia , Germany . It was built on the site of the two previous Müngersdorfer stadiums . It is the home of the local Bundesliga team , 1 . FC Köln . The stadium was one of the 12 hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup . The stadium ' s name comes from a contract with the local power supplier RheinEnergie AG . History . Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles ( 1919 ) , the fortifications of Cologne were removed , thus allowing for the building of a new structure in the surrounding area . The new construction enabled the city to create 15 , 000 jobs . The new stadium was called the Müngersdorfer Stadion or the Kölner Stadion . This allowed Cologne not only to help stabilize the country but also to gain prestige and economic benefits for the city . The cost was tallied at 47 . 4 million Deutsche Mark . Following the completion of the stadium the city began to rise in sport prominence . Many major football matches were held at the stadium in front of huge crowds . The first international match was held on 20 November 1927 , when the German national football team drew 2 - 2 with the Netherlands . Since then , the German team has played 19 times at the stadium , and only one of those matches resulted in a loss . Another notable match was the first post - war game , which saw 1 . FC Nuremberg beat 1 . FC Kaiserslautern 2 - 1 , in front of a crowd of 75 , 000 . One of the specialties of the Müngersdorfer Stadion was the track meets for non - professional sportsmen . In 1929 there were over 38 , 000 participants . However , in 1933 Jews were no longer allowed to take part . After the war the non - professional level was never regained . Recent matches of importance . In 2005 , the stadium was a venue for three first - round games of the FIFA Confederations Cup , including the opening match between Argentina and Tunisia . The game was won by Argentina 2 - 1 . The Müngersdorfer has been host to many important UEFA Cup matches . Bayer Leverkusen played against FC Barcelona , and Galatasaray against AS Monaco in the 1988 – 89 European Cup . Borussia Mönchengladbach played both Arsenal and AS Monaco in the 1996 UEFA Cup . The stadium also functioned as the home ground to second - tier Alemannia Aachen in their 2004 - 05 UEFA Cup campaign . Awards . In July 2004 , the RheinEnergieStadion was awarded a bronze medal for distinguished sporting and leisure facilities by the International Olympic Committee . Renovation . There have been two renovations , first from 1972 to 1975 and once more from 2002 to 2004 . In 1974 , the World Cup was held in West Germany , and Cologne had wanted to be a host city . The city ' s bid was approved and it soon began work on a new stadium that was to replace the now outdated Müngersdorfer Stadion . However , the city was unable to raise the money needed for a stadium of the desired size . The original plan was for an 80 , 000 - seat arena , which was planned to have cost 23 . 5 million Deutsche Mark . But the total kept growing . In the end , if the stadium had been completed , the cost would have amounted to 93 . 5 million . At the time , the city was able to provide only an extra 6 million Deutsche Mark . Following the World Cup , Cologne still wanted the stadium completed . Hence , on 12 November 1975 , a 61 , 000 - seat arena was inaugurated with a match between 1 . FC Köln and SC Fortuna Köln , 1 . FC Köln winning 1 - 0 . With the news of the prospect of bringing the World Cup back to Germany , the city reacted and started renovation of the stadium , which was completed in 2003 . Unlike previous configurations , there are no track - and - field facilities , allowing spectators to be much closer to the pitch than they might have been in a traditional continental multi - purpose stadium . Thus , the stadium was designed like English - style football stadia , e . g . , Anfield , Stamford Bridge , Villa Park and White Hart Lane , with spectators almost on top of the pitch and players . Facilities . The capacity is 50 , 000 visitors during club matches and 46 , 195 for international games , when there are no standing spectators allowed . The entire field is lit with a floodlight system . In the north grandstand there is a museum dedicated to 1 . FC Köln . 2006 FIFA World Cup . The stadium was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA World Cup . However , due to sponsorship contracts , the arena was called " FIFA World Cup Stadium Cologne " during the World Cup . The following games were played at the stadium during the World Cup of 2006 : Transportation . The stadion is part of Sportpark Müngersdorf , adjacent to Aachener Straße . It is accessible by car via the Cologne Beltway , only some 1200 m off the Bundesautobahn 1 . " RheinEnergieStadion " is a KVB light rail station of Cologne Stadtbahn .