Kaftanzoglio Stadium
Encyclopedia
Kaftanzoglio stadium is a sports stadium
in Thessaloniki
, Greece
. The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the Balkans
. It currently has 27,770 seats, owing to a comprehensive renovation before reopening to host football
matches for the 2004 Summer Olympics
, which was centred in Athens
. It was the largest stadium in Greece
until 1982, but has since been surpassed in capacity. It has been the home football stadium of Iraklis FC since 1961.
On the 15th of October 1969, the attendance record was set with 47,458 fans present for a FIFA World Cup
qualifying match, witnessing Greece
defeat Switzerland
by a 4–1 score. In 1973 it hosted the European Cup Winners Cup Final, which resulted in a 1–0 victory for A.C. Milan
over Leeds United.
and the European Cup in athletics
. It was the host stadium for the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. It currently has 27,770 seats, owing to a comprehensive renovation before reopening to host football
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
matches for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, which was centred in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. It was the largest stadium in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
until 1982, but has since been surpassed in capacity. It has been the home football stadium of Iraklis FC since 1961.
On the 15th of October 1969, the attendance record was set with 47,458 fans present for a FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifying match, witnessing Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
defeat Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
by a 4–1 score. In 1973 it hosted the European Cup Winners Cup Final, which resulted in a 1–0 victory for A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
over Leeds United.
Athletics events
The stadium regularly plays host to athletics events; it features the European Athletics Association event "Olympic Meeting Thessaloniki" every year; it hosted the Greek national championships in 2009, and it has been used for both athletics at the Mediterranean GamesAthletics at the Mediterranean Games
Athletics is one of the sports at the quadrennial Mediterranean Games competition. It has been one of the sports competed at the event since the inaugural edition in 1951.-Editions:-See also:*List of Mediterranean Games records in athletics...
and the European Cup in athletics
European Cup (athletics)
The European Cup is a now defunct athletics competition, replaced by the European Team Championships from 2009 onwards. The Europa Cup saw most of the major nations of Europe compete. Originally known as the Bruno Zauli Cup, it first took place in Stuttgart and Kassel , Germany in 1965...
. It was the host stadium for the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...
.