About stadium

Stadium introduction

Stade Saint-Symphorien first opened on September 11th 1923 although it was supposed to open a month before in August if it was not for the roof of the grandstand collapsing. Within a decade of opening Saint-Symphorien was capable of seating 10,000 supporters with approximately 2,000 of these blessed with the luxury of a roof. Located on the banks of both La Moselle and a Canal the stadium was flooded during the Second World War after the local area sustained bomb damage, although it was immediately fixed in the years following 1945. The second half of the 20th century saw FC Metz’ Stadium undergo series of incremental improvements. Floodlights were installed in 1953 in order to facilitate the playing of night-time matches, and the grandstand was once again expanded in 1962. Remaining relatively unchanged for the next 30 years, the record attendance of 28,766 was set on December 7th 1991 when Metz took on Marseille who would go on to be crowned eventual Champions. Although the stadium was not involved in the 1998 World Cup which was hosted by France, it did undergo major renovation work when a three-tiered, 9,000 capacity grandstand was added behind the western goal-end. Three years later, a complimentary one was build on the opposite eastern goal-end resulting in today’s capacity of 26,671. As for the future of Stade Saint-Symphorien it looks like Metz will remain as permanent residents for many years to come, with the football club working in conjunction with the local council to discuss further renovations. There was hope that the stadium could piggyback on the country hosting Euro 2016 but it was not elected as a final venue for the tournament and thus will receive no funding.

How to get to the Stadium

Stade Communale, 3 Allée Saint-Symphorien, 57000 Metz, France