View source for Mestalla Stadium

{{Short description|Stadium at Valencia, Spain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{infobox venue
| name                = Mestalla
| nickname            =
| image               = File:CAMP DE MESTALLA GRADA DE LA MAR 2014.JPG
| image_size          = 250px
| caption             = <p>'''[[UEFA Elite stadium|UEFA]]''' {{rating|4|4}}</p>
| former_names        = Estadio Luis Casanova (1969–1994)
| location            = Avenida Suecia, s/n<br>46010 - [[Valencia]]
| coordinates         = {{coord|39|28|29|N|0|21|30|W|type:landmark_region:ES-V}}
| publictransit       = {{rint|valencia|metro}} Aragó (Lines 5 and 7)
| broke_ground        = 1923
| built               =
| opened              = {{start date and age|20 May 1923}}
| renovated           = 2005–2019
| expanded            = 2007
| closed              =
| demolished          = 
| surface             = grass/sand 
| scoreboard          =
| cost                = 316,439.20 [[Spanish peseta|pts]] (Purchase of Land)
| suites              =
| architect           = Francisco Almenar Quinzá
| project_manager     =
| structural engineer =
| services engineer   =
| general_contractor  =
| main_contractors    =
| capacity            = 49,430<ref>{{cite web|title=Facilities about Mestalla|website=www.valenciacf.com|url=https://www.valenciacf.com/en/club/facilities/mestalla|language=en|access-date=2022-01-31}}</ref>
| record_attendance   =
| executive_suites    =
| dimensions          = {{convert|105|x|68|m|abbr=on}}
| acreage             =
| tenants             = [[Valencia CF|Valencia]] (1923–present)<br>[[Spain national football team]] (selected matches)
| website = {{URL|https://www.valenciacf.com/es/club/facilities/mestalla|valenciacf.com/mestalla}}
}}
'''Mestalla Stadium''' ({{langx|es|Estadio de Mestalla}} {{IPA|es|esˈtaðjo ðe mesˈtaʎa|}}, {{langx|ca-valencia|Estadi de Mestalla}} {{IPA|ca|esˈtaði ðe mesˈtaʎa|}}) is a [[football (soccer)|football]] [[stadium]] in [[Valencia]], Spain. The stadium is the home of [[Valencia CF|Valencia]] and has a capacity of 49,430 seats,<ref>{{cite web|title=Facilities about Mestalla|website=www.valenciacf.com|url=https://www.valenciacf.com/en/club/facilities/mestalla|language=en|access-date=2022-01-31}}</ref> making it the 8th-largest stadium in Spain, and the largest in the [[Valencian Community]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-07-01|title=Mestalla the pearl of Valencia · Nest Hostels Valencia|url=https://nesthostelsvalencia.com/mestall/|access-date=2020-09-14|website=Nest Hostels Valencia|language=en-US}}</ref> The stadium's name originates from the historic irrigation canal of Mestalla, which was developed and consolidated during the 
Moorish dynasty between the 10th and 11th centuries, and  was originally outside the south stand of the stadium where it had to be jumped over in order to get to the ground.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-07-30|title=Ten things you may not know about the Mestalla|url=https://www.laliga.com/en-GB/news/ten-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-mestalla|access-date=2022-04-20|website=La Liga|language=en-UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ikemoto; Sakura; Torres Astaburuaga. |date=2021 |title=The Influence of Historical Irrigation Canals on Urban Morphology in Valencia, Spain |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353237008 |journal=Land |volume=10 |issue=7 |pages=738|doi=10.3390/land10070738 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The North Stand of the stadium is known for its very steep section.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5957cb44-65fe-43d2-bbf5-48e336f48b23 |title=Some of the world's scariest places to play or watch football |work=BBC News |date=9 November 2018 |access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Inauguració Mestalla 1923.jpg|left|thumb|Inauguration day, 20 May 1923]]
The Estadio Mestalla was inaugurated with a friendly match on 20 May 1923 between [[Valencia CF|Valencia]] and [[Levante UD|Levante]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/vcfestadios/mestalla|title=mestalla - vcfestadios|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref> The new stadium had a capacity of 17,000 spectators, which was increased to 25,000 four years later. During the [[Spanish Civil War|Civil War]], the Mestalla was used as a [[Internment|concentration camp]] and storage warehouse.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-24|title=La Liga Stadiums: Valencia's Mestalla Stadium – Beauty of the oldest stadium in Spanish first division|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/la-liga/valencia-mestella-stadium-la-liga-5460285/|access-date=2020-09-14|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> It would only keep its structure, since the rest was an empty plot of land with no terraces and a grandstand damaged during the war.

During the 1950s, the Mestalla was renovated, resulting in a stadium with a [[seating capacity]] of 60,000 spectators. It was severely damaged by the [[1957 Valencia flood|flood of October 1957]] when the [[Turia River]] broke its banks. The stadium soon returned to operational use with some more improvements, such as the addition of artificial lighting, and was inaugurated during the 1959 [[Fallas]] festivities.

In 1969, the stadium's name was changed to Estadio Luis Casanova, to honour club president [[Luis Casanova Giner]]. The change lasted for a quarter of a century, when Casanova admitted that he was completely overwhelmed by such an honour and requested in 1994 that the stadium's name be returned to the Mestalla.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laliga.com/noticias/diez-cosas-que-quiza-no-sabias-de-mestalla|title=Diez cosas que quizá no sabías de Mestalla|website=Diez cosas que quizá no sabías de Mestalla|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref>

1972 saw the inauguration of the club's head office, located in the back of the numbered terraces. It consisted of an office designed in the [[avant-garde]] style with a trophy hall, which held the flag the club was founded on. The summer of 1973 ushered in another change at the Mestalla, the introduction of goal seats, which meant the elimination of fourteen rows of standing room [[Terrace (stadium)|terraces]].

== Future ==
A replacement stadium, the [[Nou Mestalla]], started construction in 2007, but is yet to be completed due to the club's financial crisis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eldesmarque.com/valencia/valencia-cf/185792-calendario-y-plazos-para-el-derribo-de-mestalla-y-el-traslado-al-nuevo-estadio|title=Calendario y plazos para el derribo de Mestalla y el traslado al Nuevo Estadio|website=eldesmarque.com|date=17 April 2019|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref> The new stadium is due to have a capacity of 61,500.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/valencia-deloitte-new-mestalla-project|title=Valencia partner with Deloitte for revival of new Mestalla project - SportsPro Media|website=sportspromedia.com|date=23 May 2018 |access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref> On 10 January 2025, construction for the new stadium has resumed and is estimated for completion prior to the 2027-28 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Valencia CF to resume Nou Mestalla construction, targeting 2027 move |url=https://www.laliga.com/en-MX/news/valencia-cf-to-resume-nou-mestalla-construction-targeting-2027-move |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Página web oficial de LALIGA {{!}} LALIGA |language=en}}</ref> 

==Internationals and Cup Finals==
The Mestalla held the [[Spain national football team]] for the first time in 1925. It was chosen the national team's group venue when Spain staged the [[1982 World Cup]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/82full.html|title=World Cup 1982 finals|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref> and at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] held in [[Barcelona]], all of Spain's matches up to the final were held at the Mestalla, as they won Gold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1992f-det.html|title=Football Tournament 1992 Olympiad|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref><ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1992/1992s2.pdf 1992 Summer Olympics official report.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528011647/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1992/1992s2.pdf |date=28 May 2008 }} Volume 2. pp. 334-6.</ref>

The Mestalla has been the setting for important international matches, has held nine [[Copa del Rey|cup]] finals, has also been a temporary home for [[Levante UD|Levante]], home of the [[Spain national football team]] and exile for [[CD Castellón|Castellón]] and [[Real Madrid]] in the European Cup. The Mestalla hosted four [[El Clásico]] finals in [[Copa del Rey]] between [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] and [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]], with [[1936 Copa del Presidente de la República Final|1936]], [[1990 Copa del Rey Final|1990]], [[2011 Copa del Rey Final|2011]] and [[2014 Copa del Rey Final|2014]]. In total, the stadium hosted ten Copa del Rey finals, with the first one played in 1926.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laliga.com/noticias/diez-cosas-que-quiza-no-sabias-de-mestalla|title=Diez cosas que quizá no sabías de Mestalla|website=Diez cosas que quizá no sabías de Mestalla|access-date=2020-02-17}}</ref>

===1982 FIFA World Cup===
The stadium was one of the venues of the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] (known as Luis Casanova Stadium at the time of the tournament), and held the following matches:

{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" width="100%" 
|-
!Date
!Team #1
!Res.
!Team #2
!Round
!Attendance
|-
|1982-06-16|| rowspan="3" |{{fb|ESP}}||style="text-align:center;"|1–1||{{fb|HON}}|| rowspan="3" |Group 5 (first round)||49,562
|-
|1982-06-20|| style="text-align:center;" |2–1||{{fb|YUG}}||48,000
|-
|1982-06-25|| style="text-align:center;" |0–1||{{fb|NIR}}||49,562
|}

== Transport ==
<big>'''Metro:'''</big>
[[File:Metro aragó 4.jpg|thumb|245x245px|Aragó station (Line 5) [[Metrovalencia]]]]
[[File:CAMP DE MESTALLA 2014.jpg|244x244px|thumb|Exterior view]]
Aragó station (Lines 5 and 7) [[Metrovalencia]]

Facultats-Manuel Broseta station (Lines 3 and 9) Metrovalencia

<big>'''Bus lines:'''</big>

Amadeo of Savoia street in: line 32.

Reyes Prosper street: line 71.

Avenida de Aragón: lines 10, 12, 80, 41 and 79

Avenida Blasco Ibáñez: lines 10, 29, 30, 31, 71, 79, 81, 89 and 90.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080711084627/http://www.futuromestalla.com/ The new Mestalla]
* [https://espanaestadios.com/2018/07/31/valencia-mestalla/ Estadios de España] {{in lang|en}}

{{Valencia CF}}
{{La Liga venues}}
{{1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums}}
{{1992 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{UEFA Super Cup venues}}
{{Olympic venues football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mestalla}}
[[Category:Valencia CF]]
[[Category:Football venues in Valencia]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Valencia]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1923]]
[[Category:1923 establishments in Spain]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Valencia]]