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Stadium

Estadio do Dragao

fcporto.pt
Estadio do Dragao
Estadio do Dragao The original uploader was Joaocastro at English Wikipedia . · CC BY 1.0
"Dragão" football (soccer) stadium in Porto, Portugal. Author: Manuel de Sousa .
"Dragão" football (soccer) stadium in Porto, Portugal. Author: Manuel de Sousa . Manuel de Sousa · Public domain
Estádio do Dragão station of the Metro do Porto. Above ground at the South with at the left the stadium of FC Porto .
Estádio do Dragão station of the Metro do Porto. Above ground at the South with at the left the stadium of FC Porto . Ernstkers · CC BY-SA 4.0

The ground took its name in May 2003: Estádio do Dragão, after the dragon on the club's badge and on the city's coat of arms. It has never carried anyone else's. FC Porto looked at selling the naming rights between 2022 and 2024, and stopped short; club officials called the name untouchable, and no deal was signed.

Getting there was slower than planned. Work began in late 2001, then stopped in February 2002 over a dispute about how the surrounding estate — housing and shopping — was to be divided, and only restarted later that year. The stadium opened on 16 November 2003 with a friendly against Barcelona that Porto won 2–0, in front of 52,004, still the record here. A sixteen-year-old Lionel Messi made his debut for the visitors that night.

Then the pitch failed. The turf problems after the opening were severe enough that Porto went back to Estádio das Antas, the old home the Dragão had just replaced, and stayed there until the surface had been replanted and stabilised in mid-February 2004 — with UEFA Euro 2004 coming, and the opening match against Greece to stage.

Since then it has taken on work that belongs to nobody in particular: the UEFA Nations League final in 2019, Portugal beating the Netherlands 1–0; the 2021 UEFA Champions League final, moved out of Turkey on pandemic travel restrictions, Chelsea 1–0 over Manchester City. In 2009 the pitch was lifted for asphalt and a Race of Champions regional final.