Standing on the same site as the famous Waldstadion in the south of Frankfurt am Main, the Commerzbank-Arena is a modern football stadium and home to Eintracht Frankfurt football club. The original Waldstadion was known across Europe for its vibrant atmosphere, a feature that’s been preserved in the stadium’s new incarnation. It hosted the opening ceremony of the 1974 FIFA World Cup and was completely redeveloped for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The Commerzbank-Arena continues to be a popular visitor attraction, and the stadium is at its best when Eintracht Frankfurt are playing. They are one of Germany’s oldest clubs and continue to rank high in the German premier division, the Bundesliga. Tickets are significantly cheaper than those for top-level fixtures in England, Italy, or Spain, and the stadium is usually packed to capacity. On non-match days, it’s possible to tour parts of the stadium on a visit to the Eintracht Frankfurt Museum, which also has an excellent display on the integration of sports and politics.
Commerzbank-Arena is in Frankfurt am Main’s southern suburbs and can be easily accessed via the dedicated Frankfurt am Main and Stadion S-Bahn station. From the south side of the Main River, it’s also possible to take a tram to Stadion Strassenbahn. Tickets for Eintracht Frankfurt matches should be purchased in advance.
The opening game of the 1974 World Cup goes down in history as the first World Cup match in which a player was sent off. Held at the original Waldstadion, hosts West Germany played Chile, who managed to have two players cautioned in the very first minute. Carlos Caszely was the man to be sent off the field.