Arena Z’dezele

The ground grew in pieces. Work started in 1999, and when it opened in September 2003 only the East stand stood finished, holding 3,600 — the West, North and South sides followed one at a time and were not in place until 2008. Until then, Celje had played at Skalna Klet, which came down after twenty years as the club's home.

Because the stands arrived late, the national side got there first. Between 2004 and 2007 Slovenia used the ground as its main home, taking on Italy, Germany and the Netherlands here while the bowl was still being closed in. That period ended, and the arena went back to being a club ground, one that later took matches at the European Under-21 Championship staged jointly by Slovenia and Hungary.

The name changed with the sponsorship. From 2003 the oil company Petrol had it, and the place was Arena Petrol until 2017, when it became Arena Z'dežele. The old name still turns up in older records.

The largest crowd it has held came late, on 10 April 2025, when Fiorentina visited in the UEFA Europa League and 12,512 came through. The year before, the lighting had been replaced and turnstiles fitted to bring the arena up to UEFA Category 4. The pitch is grass with heating under it, which matters in February.