Maksimir Stadium (Croatian: Stadion Maksimir, pronounced [ˈstâdioːn mǎksimiːr]) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top club of the country with 23 league titles, but it is also the home venue of the Croatia national football team. First opened in 1912, it has undergone many revamps, and its current layout dates from a 1997 rebuilding. The stadium also sometimes hosts other events such as rock concerts.
![]() Exterior view of the stadium, 2006 | |
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Full name | Maksimir Stadium |
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Location | Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |
Coordinates | 45°49′7.89″N 16°1′5.08″E |
Owner | City of Zagreb |
Operator | Dinamo Zagreb |
Capacity | 25,000[1] |
Record attendance | 64,138 (NK Zagreb vs Osijek, 19 July 1973) |
Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
Surface | Hybrid grass |
Construction | |
Opened | 5 May 1912; 110 years ago (1912-05-05) |
Renovated | 1948, 1998, 2011 |
Architect | Vladimir Turina, Branko Kincl |
Tenants | |
HAŠK (1912–1945) HŠK Građanski (1912–1924) Dinamo Zagreb (1948–present) ŽNK Dinamo Zagreb (selected matches) Croatia national football team (1990–present) NK Lokomotiva (2009–2017) |
With the rising popularity of the sport in Zagreb, the local football club HAŠK, which was one of the first multi-sports club in Croatia, decided to build a new stadium for their club. They bought the ground in the Svetice neighbourhood in Zagreb, which lays on the opposite side of the Maksimir Park, from the Archdiocese of Zagreb. HAŠK built a wooden stand with a capacity of 6,000, which was also the first ground with a proper stand in Zagreb at that time. The stadium was opened on 5 May 1912, and at the opening ceremony of the new stadium, HAŠK and their city rival, HŠK Građanski Zagreb, played several friendly matches to commemorate the opening.[2]
Due to the close relationship and alliance of HAŠK and HŠK Građanski Zagreb and the latter one playing at the Stadion Koturaška, which was in a poor state, Građanski also started playing their home matches at the new Stadium Maksimir.
On 26 May 1941, a representative of the Ustashe fascist government of the Independent State of Croatia addressed young Zagreb students at their meeting at the Maksimir Stadium, and at one point ordered the Serbian and Jewish students to be segregated, but the children disobeyed.[3][4] Soon afterwards, in June 1941, rebel youths burned the stadium down.[4] In 1977, a movie Operation Stadium was made to commemorate the segregation incident.
After World War II, HAŠK and Građanski got dissolved by the newly established communist regime of Yugoslavia and a new club, FD Dinamo Zagreb, inherited the clubs' colours, honours and the ground and is, therefore, the direct successor of HAŠK and HŠK Građanski Zagreb.
When the UEFA Euro 1976 final tournament was held in Yugoslavia, Maksimir hosted the Netherlands v. Czechoslovakia semi-final match and the Netherlands v. Yugoslavia third place match.
Maksimir was the central venue for the 1987 Summer Universiade hosted by the city of Zagreb.
In 1990, several events happened at Maksimir. On 13 May, the Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot took place, an infamous riot involving Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade supporters. The last match of the Yugoslavia national football team was hosted at Maksimir on 3 June. On 17 October of the same year, Croatia played the United States in what was Croatia's first match in the modern era.
In 1998, plans were made for a massive renovation, and the first phase started the same year. The old northern stand was demolished and a new one built within a year. This renovation increased Maksimir's seating capacity to 38,079.
After 1992, for 16 years the Croatian football team had a proud unbeaten record at this stadium in any competitive match, however, on 10 September 2008 (two years after suffering a 2–0 defeat at the same venue) England became the first team to beat Croatia in Zagreb, winning 4–1, ending a thirty match undefeated streak.
In the summer of 2011, a little, but much needed "facelifting" was made on the stadium. All seats were replaced, a new drainage system, under-soil heating and automatic watering were installed along with a new turf, the athletic track was covered with blue artificial grass and all brick surfaces were covered in blue cloth.
The earthquake, which happened on the morning of 22 March 2020, damaged the structural stability of the stadium. After an inspection by a structural engineer, the Maksimir stadium was deemed "temporarily unusable". The eastern stand, which is also the biggest single stand by capacity, took the most damage and is awaiting the final decision following a detailed building inspection. While waiting, Dinamo is allowed to host matches on the Maksimir stadium, but with the eastern stand being closed for viewers.[5]
Four stands (8 sectors) contribute to the total seating capacity of 35,423:[1] 25.912 after east stand damage.
![]() | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (July 2020) |
Date | Result | Competition | ||
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25 June 1952 | Yugoslavia ![]() | 4–1 | ![]() | International friendly |
18 October 1953 | 3–1 | ![]() | ||
9 May 1954 | 0–2 | ![]() | ||
17 June 1956 | 1–1 | ![]() | 1955–60 Central European International Cup | |
12 September 1956 | PR Croatia ![]() | 5–2 | ![]() | Unofficial friendly |
12 May 1957 | Yugoslavia ![]() | 6–1 | ![]() | 1955–60 Central European International Cup |
5 October 1958 | 4–4 | ![]() | International friendly | |
19 November 1961 | 2–1 | ![]() | ||
30 September 1962 | 2–3 | ![]() | ||
3 November 1963 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
8 May 1966 | ![]() | |||
18 November 1970 | ![]() | |||
21 October 1973 | 0–0 | ![]() | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
28 September 1974 | 1–0 | ![]() | International friendly | |
15 October 1975 | 3–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying | |
24 April 1976 | 2–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1976 quarter-final | |
16 June 1976 | Czechoslovakia ![]() | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1976 semi-final |
19 June 1976 | Netherlands ![]() | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1976 third place play-off |
8 May 1977 | Yugoslavia ![]() | 0–2 | ![]() | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4 October 1978 | 1–2 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying | |
13 June 1979 | 4–1 | ![]() | International friendly | |
12 November 1983 | 0–0 | ![]() | ||
6 September 1989 | 3–1 | ![]() | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
3 June 1990 | 0–2 | ![]() | International friendly | |
17 October 1990 | Croatia ![]() | 2–1 | ![]() | Unofficial friendly |
22 October 1992 | 3–0 | ![]() | International friendly | |
25 June 1993 | 3–1 | ![]() | ||
4 June 1994 | 0–0 | ![]() | ||
9 October 1994 | 2–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying | |
25 March 1995 | 4–0 | ![]() | ||
26 April 1995 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
3 September 1995 | 7–1 | ![]() | ||
10 November 1996 | 1–1 | ![]() | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
6 September 1997 | 3–2 | ![]() | ||
29 October 1997 | 2–0 | ![]() | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off | |
6 June 1998 | 7–0 | ![]() | International friendly | |
14 October 1998 | 3–2 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying | |
28 April 1999 | 0–0 | ![]() | International friendly | |
21 August 1999 | 2–1 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying | |
4 September 1999 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
9 October 1999 | 2–2 | ![]() | ||
29 March 2000 | 1–1 | ![]() | International friendly | |
28 May 2000 | 0–2 | ![]() | ||
11 October 2000 | 1–1 | ![]() | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
6 October 2001 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
27 March 2002 | 0–0 | ![]() | International friendly | |
17 April 2002 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
29 March 2003 | 4–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying | |
11 October 2003 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
15 November 2003 | 1–1 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-off | |
31 March 2004 | 2–2 | ![]() | International friendly | |
4 September 2004 | 3–0 | ![]() | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
9 October 2004 | 2–2 | ![]() | ||
26 March 2005 | 4–0 | ![]() | ||
30 March 2005 | 3–0 | ![]() | ||
8 October 2005 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
7 October 2006 | 7–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
11 October 2006 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
24 March 2007 | 2–1 | ![]() | ||
6 June 2007 | 0–0 | ![]() | ||
8 September 2007 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
13 October 2007 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
6 September 2008 | 3–0 | ![]() | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
10 September 2008 | 1–4 | ![]() | ||
15 October 2008 | 4–0 | ![]() | ||
6 June 2009 | 2–2 | ![]() | ||
5 September 2009 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
7 September 2010 | 0–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
12 October 2010 | 2–1 | ![]() | International friendly | |
17 November 2010 | 3–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
6 September 2011 | 3–1 | ![]() | ||
15 November 2011 | 0–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off | |
29 February 2012 | 1–3 | ![]() | International friendly | |
7 September 2012 | 1–0 | ![]() | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
22 March 2013 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
7 June 2013 | 0–1 | ![]() | ||
11 October 2013 | 1–2 | ![]() | ||
19 November 2013 | 2–0 | ![]() | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off | |
9 September 2014 | 2–0 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying | |
28 March 2015 | 5–1 | ![]() | ||
10 October 2015 | 3–0 | ![]() | ||
5 September 2016 | 1–1 | ![]() | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
12 November 2016 | 2–0 | ![]() | ||
24 March 2017 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
3 September 2017 | 1–0 | ![]() | ||
9 November 2017 | 4–1 | ![]() | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off | |
15 November 2018 | 3–2 | ![]() | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A | |
21 March 2019 | 2–1 | ![]() | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
11 October 2020 | 2–1 | ![]() | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | |
14 October 2020 | 1–2 | ![]() | ||
22 September 2022 | 2-1 | ![]() | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A | |
The stadium has also been used as the venue for some big concerts, including:
![]() | This section needs to be updated. (November 2018) |
According to the 1998 plans, renovation was to include lowering the lawn and making the "ring" round the pitch in the place of running track and thus gain 16,000 new seats with the annex to the south stand with the final addition of a modern roof structure. Maksimir was to have 60,000 comfortable sitting places and was to be an exclusively football stadium like many others in Europe.
It has additionally been planned to build: new premises for Club's Management, Elegant "Blue Lounge", Big "Trophy room", football school premises, changing room, coach staff room, sports hall with gym, out patient clinic, restaurant, luxury hotel ("A" category) with 46 beds for visiting teams special importance will be given to the building which will connect west stand to the north stand. By this, all the conditions for hosting and organizing big European matches would be fulfilled, including UEFA offices, press club, press center, V.I.P. hospitality, etc. With that, the venue was to be one of the best equipped stadiums in Europe.[6] However, in the beginning of the 2000s, the renovations were suspended.
As of December 2007, the public was awaiting the presentation of new stadium, and in 2008 city government presented two potential stadiums, new Maksimir and Vulkan (Volcano) which is supposed to be built on another location (Kajzerica) in Zagreb and old Maksimir should then be knocked down, the citizens were to choose which one they want on the referendum predicted to take place somewhere in the near future. However, the city government never made any progress with referendum or these plans and the stadium remains to be a problem to the city for a decade now.
There were talks, again, in 2018, after Croatia's historic success at the World Cup, that the stadium was going to be demolished and a new state of the art stadium would be built on the same place. In 2019, Dinamo Zagreb announced that they will demolish Maksimir and build a completely new stadium on their own, without the help of the Croatian Government, but needed the confirmation from the governing body of Zagreb and its mayor, Milan Bandić. Shortly after, it was announced that Dinamo Zagreb and the City of Zagreb will go in a joint collaboration to build a new stadium. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the ground of the current Maksimir Stadium and it should have had a capacity of 30,000 spectators. The stadium would have had a garage, shopping centre, hotel and several fan corners. After the 2020 Zagreb earthquake, the talks were, once again, put on hold.
Between 1997 and 2015, a total of HRK 800 million (c. €108 million) has been spent renovating the stadium.[7]
As of October 2022, Marko Milić (the representor of the Croatian goverment), has guarenteed that there will be a new Maksimir built with help of the goverment and the city of Zagreb.
Stadion Kajzerica was a proposed new football stadium to be built in the Kajzerica neighborhood in Zagreb, intended to replace Stadion Maksimir as the home of the Croatia national football team and Dinamo Zagreb.
The design competition for the new stadium was won by architect Hrvoje Njirić in May 2008.[8] The winning design, nicknamed The Blue Volcano (Croatian: Plavi vulkan) by the press, would have a capacity of 55,000 and would include a blue-coloured polycarbonate dome exterior and a cloud-like structure suspended above the stadium covered in photovoltaic panels.[9]
The project had originally been intended to go ahead after it gained approval in a public referendum in which citizens of Zagreb would vote whether they would rather have the current Stadion Maksimir torn down and re-built in the same location (which would cost at least 264 million euros, according to offers submitted by construction companies) or replaced by an entirely new stadium at Kajzerica (whose construction cost is still unknown).[10]
According to the initial plan, the first option would include building a smaller venue at Kajzerica between 2009 and 2011, which would then be used to host Dinamo Zagreb's matches while Maksimir stadium is undergoing rebuilding in the period between 2011 and 2014.[8] The other option would include building the purpose-built 55,000 capacity Blue Volcano at Kajzerica, which would then become the Blues' permanent home.
However, the referendum about the stadium, which had originally been scheduled for June 2008, was postponed several times since and has not been held.
In October 2012, the project was abandoned,[11] to be briefly revived in 2013 with an eye to a possible UEFA Euro 2020 bid,[12] and again in 2018, following Croatia's historic success in the World Cup.[13]
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