CASHPOINT Arena

Graz has had one main football venue for decades, and this is it, though rarely under the same name for long. Opened on 9 July 1997 with a derby between Grazer AK and Sturm Graz in front of 15,400 spectators, it carried Arnold Schwarzenegger's name until December 2005, when the Graz-born actor asked for it to be removed. Since then the ground has been Stadion Graz-Liebenau, the UPC-Arena, and, from 2016, the Merkur-Arena, with the sponsorship deal running to 2026.

The pitch has had undersoil heating since it opened, unusual enough in Austrian football to be worth noting on its own. Capacity is quoted differently depending on the fixture: around 15,300 for domestic league matches, up to 16,000 when UEFA competition rules apply, and beyond 20,000 when the stadium is configured for concerts rather than football.

A modernisation of dressing rooms, electronics and security systems went through in 2015–2016, but a bigger project was announced in October 2024: a rebuild costed at €60–70 million, intended to bring the ground up to Champions League standard and push capacity toward 20,000 by 2026 — the same year the Merkur naming deal expires.

In 2023 the square in front of the stadium was renamed Ivica-Osim-Platz, after the former Sturm Graz and Yugoslavia coach.