Estadio Martínez Valero
On 15 June 1982 this ground staged the heaviest defeat in World Cup history: Hungary 10, El Salvador 1. Elche had been handed a group of the 1982 finals, and to take them the stadium's upper tiers were completed, lifting it from 28,000 to 53,000. The all-seater conversion of the mid-1990s cut it back to roughly its present size.
It opened on 8 September 1976 against the Mexico national team, a friendly drawn 3–3, replacing the Campo de Altabix. The design was Juan Boix Matarredona's. For its first twelve years it went by Nuevo Estadio del Elche C.F.; the name changed in 1988 to honour Manuel Martínez Valero, a former club president.
The attendance record is not from the World Cup summer at all. It was set on 11 May 2014, when 33,069 came for Elche against Barcelona and watched a goalless draw.
Beyond the club, it has taken the 2002–03 Copa del Rey final, won 3–0 by Mallorca over Recreativo de Huelva, and Spain qualifiers spread across three decades. A renovation timed to the fiftieth anniversary was set to begin in 2025, roofing the main stand.
Who plays here
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Elche 153 matches
Recent matches here
| Date | Match | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | Elche — Barcelona | 0:5 |
| 31 Jul | Elche — Cordoba | 2:2 |
| 28 Jul | Elche — Al Ain | 2:2 |
| 24 Jul | Elche — Johor Darul Ta'zim FC | 0:0 |
| 18 Jul | Elche — Kaizer Chiefs | 2:1 |
| 17 May | Elche — Getafe | 1:0 |
| 9 May | Elche — Alavés | 1:1 |
| 22 Apr | Elche — Atlético Madrid | 3:2 |