Basel awarded 2016 UEFA Europa League final
Thursday, September 18, 2014
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St. Jakob-Park, home to FC Basel 1893, will stage the 2016 UEFA Europa League final, the first European club decider to be held in the Swiss city since 1984.
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St. Jakob-Park in Basel has been selected as the venue for the 2016 UEFA Europa League final, the first time the competition will conclude in Switzerland.
The decision was taken at Thursday's UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Nyon. The UEFA EURO 2008 semi-final venue, home of FC Basel 1893, is the successor to the previous stadium of the same name that staged four European Cup Winners' Cup deciders.
The 2015 final will be held on 27 May at National Stadium, Warsaw
Stadium facts
• A previous stadium of the same was built for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, when it staged six matches including a semi-final.
• The 1969, 1975, 1979 and 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup finals were also played at Basel's old home.
• The current venue was opened in 2001 and hosted six UEFA EURO 2008 games, including the opening match and a semi-final (won, as in 1954, by Germany).
• Now with a seated capacity of 36,000 for UEFA competition matches, the stadium is nicknamed 'Joggeli' by fans.
• The stadium complex includes a shopping centre and a retirement home.