Pancho Aréna

Pancho Aréna is a stadium in Felcsút, Hungary.

It is primarily used for football matches and serves as the home stadium for Puskás Akadémia FC. Between 2015 and 2018, the stadium also hosted the three-time champions Fehérvár FC due to the reconstruction of Sóstói Stadion.

Pancho Aréna
Pancho Aréna
LocationFelcsút, Hungary
OwnerFelcsúti Utánpótlás Neveléséért Alapítvány
OperatorPuskás Akadémia FC
Capacity3,865
Field size105x68m
SurfaceGrass
Field
Construction
Broke ground2012
Opened21 April 2014
Construction costHUF 3.8 billion
ArchitectImre Makovecz
Tamás Dobrosi
Structural engineerLászló Pongor
Tenants
Puskás Akadémia FC
Fehérvár FC (2016–2018)

History

The stadium officially opened on 21 April 2014, featuring the final of the 2014 Puskás Cup.

On 26 April 2014, the first Hungarian League match was played at the stadium between Puskás Akadémia and Videoton. The match ended with 3–1 away win.

On 30 June 2016, the first UEFA Europa League match took place at the stadium when Videoton FC, now MOL Fehérvár FC, and FC Zaria Bălți met in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League. It occurred in Pancho Aréna due to the demolition of Videoton's home stadium, Sóstói Stadion.

Pancho Aréna was listed among the top three most beautiful stadiums of the world according to stadiumdb.com: "The wood-lined curved interior to the stand gives spectators the feeling that they are attending a Sunday church service, not a football match. The 3,500 seater stadium opened in 2014 and was the brainchild of local architect Imre Makovecz".

On 26 March 2018, the first international match was played at the stadium when Bulgaria hosted Kazakhstan in a friendly match. The match ended with a 2–1 win for Bulgaria.

On 31 October 2023, it was announced that the Israel national football team would play their remaining UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Switzerland and Romania at the stadium, a decision influenced by the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas war. On 15 November 2023, Israel hosted Switzerland and drew at the stadium. On 18 November 2023, Israel hosted Romania in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match. Romania beat Israel 2-1 and qualified for the UEFA Euro 2024.

Controversy

Many allegations of corruption have surfaced regarding the stadium,[citation needed] as Hungary's current prime minister, Viktor Orbán (known for his passion for football), spent much of his childhood in the village. Pancho Arena was built just meters away from his Felcsút estate. Although the stadium was not constructed directly using government funds, companies that provided the majority of the funding won several high-value public procurement procedures during Orbán's prime ministership. Additionally, Orbán's government passed laws granting benefits to companies supporting sports investments. Allegations were fueled by the fact that the stadium seats 3,500 people, while the total population of the village is under 1,700.[citation needed]

Milestone matches

v Pancho Aréna  Videoton
26 April 2014 Puskás Akadémia Pancho Aréna  1–3 Pancho Aréna  Videoton 2013–14 Nemzeti Bajnokság I
First Nemzeti Bajnokság I match
Tischler Pancho Aréna  63' (Report) Nikolić Pancho Aréna  20'
Zé Luís Pancho Aréna  74'
Filipe OliveiraPancho Aréna  78'
Attendance: 3,633
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
v Pancho Aréna  Zaria Bălți
30 June 2016 Videoton Pancho Aréna  3–0 Pancho Aréna  Zaria Bălți 2016–17 UEFA Europa League
(First UEFA Europa League match)
[(Report)] Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albanian)
v Pancho Aréna  F91 Dudelange
17 July 2018 (2018-07-17) MOL Vidi Pancho Aréna  2–1 Pancho Aréna  F91 Dudelange 2018–19 UEFA Champions League (first UEFA Champions League match)
20:15
Report
Attendance: 2,514[citation needed]
Referee: Donald Robertson (Scotland)

Milestone matches (youth squad)

v Pancho Aréna  La Fábrica
21 April 2014 Puskás Akadémia Pancho Aréna  0–1 Pancho Aréna  La Fábrica 2014 Puskás Cup Final
(First match)
(Report) Miguel Garcia Pancho Aréna  49' Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
v Pancho Aréna  Celtic
4 November 2015 Puskás Akadémia Pancho Aréna  1–0 Pancho Aréna  Celtic 2015–16 UEFA Youth League
(First international match)
Damásdi Pancho Aréna  20' (Report) Attendance: 1,230
Referee: Vadims Direktorenko (Latvia)

International

v Pancho Aréna  Kazakhstan
24 March 2018 Bulgaria Pancho Aréna  2–1 Pancho Aréna  Kazakhstan Friendly
Popov Pancho Aréna  23'
Bodurov Pancho Aréna  90+4'
(Report) Pancho Aréna  55' Tungyshbayev Attendance: 100
Referee: Pancho Aréna  Bognár

Attendances

    As of 21 December 2018

Puskás Akadémia only played three matches at the Pancho Aréna during the 2013–14 season. This table includes only domestic league matches.

Season Puskás Akadémia FC Ref
Division GP Average Change Highest Gate Lowest Gate
2014–15 NB I 15 1,649 3,812 vs Ferencváros 704 vs Szombathelyi Haladás
2015–16 NB I 16 1,699 +3.0% 3,798 vs Ferencváros 708 vs Paks
2016–17 NB II 15 818 –49.5% 1,537 vs Balmazújváros 460 vs Budaörs
2017–18 NB I 16 1,199 +46.6% 3,127 vs Ferencváros 200 vs Debrecen
2018–19 NB I 17 1,340 +11.8% 3,865 vs Ferencváros 120 vs Kisvárda

References

47°27′50″N 18°35′12″E / 47.4640°N 18.5868°E / 47.4640; 18.5868


Tags:

Pancho Aréna HistoryPancho Aréna ControversyPancho Aréna Milestone matchesPancho Aréna Milestone matches (youth squad)Pancho Aréna InternationalPancho Aréna AttendancesPancho Aréna GalleryPancho ArénaFehérvár FCFelcsútFootball (soccer)HungaryPuskás Akadémia FCSóstói Stadion

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