Merkur Spiel Arena

Merkur Spiel Arena, earlier known as ESPRIT arena, got built between 2002 and 2004. It superseded the old Rheinstadion.

The city of Düsseldorf had hoped that the arena would be used as a playing venue throughout the 2006 World Cup, but their bid got rejected. The total project costs, including surrounding infrastructure, amounted to €218 million.

The first match at the ground, a league match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Union Berlin (2-0), was played on 10 September 2004. The ground was formally inaugurated a few months later, on 18 January 2005, with a friendly fixture between Fortuna and Bayern Munich.

Until 2009, the ground was named LTU Arena, but in 2009 a new sponsorship deal was agreed with clothing manufacturer Esprit resulting in ESPRIT Arena. In 2018, the ground got renamed again following a new naming rights deal to Merkur Spiel Arena.

Since 2019, the Merkur Spiel Arena has also been hosting the home matches of KFC Uerdingen while their home Grotenburg-Stadion is being renovated.

The Merkr Spiel Arena is situated in the north of Düsseldorf on the banks of the river Rhine. This venue lies slightly more than 5 kilometres from Düsseldorf's historic centre and almost 7 kilometres from the city's main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). Düsseldorf International Airport is situated just north-east of the ground.

You can reach the ground with metro (U-bahn) line U78. Station Merkur Spiel Arena/Messe Nord is the last stop on the line. The journey from Hauptbahnhof takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The train also passes station Heinrich-Heine-Allee, which lies close to the old town.

Address: Arena Straße 1, 40474 Düsseldorf

The Merkur Spiel Arena is situated in a quiet area with little entertainment around. Düsseldorf's old town, although, is filled with bars and restaurants and only a 15-minute metro ride away.

If you wish to stay as close as possible to the Merkur Spiel Arena, you cannot get it any better than the Tulip Inn, which is situated inside the arena. The restaurant even has a view onto the pitch. The hotel is mainly aimed at business travellers for the nearby conference centre and is accordingly priced. The FFFZ Hotel Tagungshaus is also located at a short walk of the arena and is somewhat cheaper.

There are some further hotels not far north of the ground, which are nicely situated if you have to catch a flight from Düsseldorf Airport the day after the match. Hotel Destination 21 and Air Hotel Wartburg are some of the options. Use the linked guides for other hotels close to the Merkur Spiel Arena.

If you have a bit more time to spare, staying in Düsseldorf's very fine downtown area may be more enjoyable though. Visitors will find a wide range of hotels that come in all pricing categories.

Admission for Fortuna Düsseldorf matches are sold online, at the Fan-Shop at the Paul-Janes-Stadion (Flinger Broich 87), or at one of the other sales points (e.g. At the tourist offices at the Hauptbahnhof and the Marktplatz 6 in the historic centre).

A ticket for the standing terrace costs €13.00. Seats range in price from €17.00 for one at the upper corners to €46.00 for a central seat at the main stand.

The Merkur Spiel Arena offers guided venue tours that include access to the dressing rooms, VIP areas, press room, and players tunnel. The tours run for around 90 minutes.

Tours run at irregular dates, usually on Sunday noon on non-matchdays. For current dates check the website of the arena.

Reservations are required and can be made by email fuehrungen@zecco.de or phone+49 (0) 211 415 542 12. The tour price is €10.00.