Weserstadion

The Weserstadion sits in Bremen. The stand on the east side is flat and wide, while the west side leans in closer to the grass, a shape that was carved out when the old athletics track was removed and the lower tier was pushed down.

It has been a football ground since the early twentieth century. The modernisation that lowered the pitch and rebuilt the stands in the late 2000s left the stadium rectangular, with a new roof fitted with solar panels. The pitch is a hybrid surface, laid down before the 2017/18 season.

Matches here often carry the weight of the north wind, which can ruin any passing game if the clouds break and rain comes in sideways. The crowd roared them on during the first leg of the 1992 UEFA Super Cup draw against Barcelona, and the ground once watched West Germany defeat England in a European Under-21 semi-final. A lighting failure delayed a Bundesliga opener against Schalke 04 for more than an hour, but the captain dragged them through it.

The board by the entrance shows the gates in German — Tor 1 through Tor 13 — and marks the guest-fan entrance near the west stand. Parking areas are labelled P2 and P3-6, and the map points to the Osterdeich road that runs along the bottom edge. The stands hold 42,100 for league matches, with standing areas converted to seats for European nights. It has hosted concerts and major events, but on match days the attention stays on the pitch and the wind.