Exactly 25 years to the day, the VELTINS-Arena celebrates its silver anniversary on Thursday (Aug. 13): For 25 years, it has been the soccer home of FC Schalke 04, one of Germany’s most impressive concert venues, and the setting for extraordinary events. It’s time to look back at the milestones and events that have shaped it. At the same time, the arena continues to evolve—so that it remains a special place for all Schalke supporters, fans, artists, and visitors well into the future.
How about a guided tour of the construction site?
With the laying of the cornerstone on November 21, 1998, one of the most significant construction projects in the club’s history began for the Knappen. The new Arena AufSchalke was not only intended to replace the Parkstadion as the team’s home venue—it embodied the vision of a stadium that uniquely combines soccer, entertainment, and state-of-the-art technology. The significance of this project was already evident at the groundbreaking ceremony: More than 300 people gathered at Berger Feld to celebrate the start of a new chapter together. Interest remained high even during the construction phase. As a result, Königsblau offered construction site tours. Over 300,000 people took advantage of this opportunity by the time the project was completed—more than the population of Gelsenkirchen.
After more than two and a half years of construction, the big day has finally arrived: On August 13 and 14, 2001, the arena is officially opened with around 60,000 fans and guests from the worlds of politics and sports in attendance. In addition to a soccer tournament, musical acts provided entertainment—led by pop star Lionel Richie. An interesting side note: Since the first tournament match between FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund ended in a scoreless draw, the first goal in the new stadium wasn’t scored by a professional soccer player, but by the aforementioned Lionel Richie. After a fan threw a plastic ball at him, he promptly kicked it into the net, symbolically scoring the first goal at the Arena AufSchalke.
It has borne the name VELTINS-Arena since July 2005. The legendary handshake agreement between Schalke’s iconic manager Rudi Assauer and VELTINS’ Chief Representative Michael Huber gave rise to a partnership characterized by continuity. Today, the arena is recognized far beyond the borders of the Ruhr region as one of Europe’s best-known and most modern multifunctional arenas—by 2025, it will welcome approximately 2.2 million fans and visitors to some 1,080 events. With its retractable roof, retractable turf, and giant video cube, the arena is considered one of the flagship stadiums of the 21st century.
Is that an earthquake, or is Schalke playing a home game right now?
Since its opening, the home stadium of the Royal Blues has hosted numerous high-caliber and thrilling soccer matches. Even the very first competitive match on August 18, 2001, demonstrated the special atmosphere that reigns in the Knappen’s new home. “It was intense,” recalls former S04 fan favorite Gerald Asamoah of the 3–3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen, “Without the old tartan track, the fans were so close and loud. You could hear every voice; we just kept marching forward.” Less than five years later, these two teams provided another highlight at the VELTINS-Arena: In the 2005–2006 season, S04 pulled off a spectacular 7–4 victory over Leverkusen in a Bundesliga home game—to this day, the highest-scoring match in the history of this soccer temple.
From the heart of the Ruhr region to the big stage: The VELTINS-Arena has hosted unforgettable European Cup nights. Following their thrilling 5–2 victory over Inter Milan in 2011, the Royal Blues followed up with a 2–1 win at home to secure their spot in the semifinals—one of the greatest international achievements in the club’s history, alongside their UEFA Cup triumph.
But the promotions also provide unforgettable, spine-tingling moments: On May 7, 2022, in front of 62,271 fans, Schalke came back from a 0–2 deficit against St. Pauli to win 3–2. Rodrigo Zalazar scored the celebrated winning goal, sealing the team’s immediate return to the top flight. The next chapter followed in 2026: On May 2, captain Kenan Karaman fired Schalke back into the Bundesliga with his 1–0 goal against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Zalazar and Karaman thus join the long line of prominent Schalke goal-scorers who have written decisive chapters in the club’s history with their goals.
However, Real Madrid CF is undoubtedly one of the VELTINS-Arena’s most prominent guests: The Royal Blues and the record Champions League winner have faced off exactly four times so far. A home victory against the top Spanish team has yet to happen, but the arena’s 25th anniversary offers the next opportunity: On Sunday (Aug. 16) at 5 p.m., the star-studded squad from Madrid will take the field at the Berger Feld for a friendly match—a fitting setting to celebrate the anniversary with more than 60,000 Schalke fans, club legends, alumni, and guests.
What exactly is “Swiftkirchen?”
But it’s not just soccer fans who get their money’s worth at the VELTINS Arena. For two and a half decades, it has been one of Germany’s most important event venues, impressing millions of visitors year after year with sporting events, concerts, and other events. The list of musical guests reads like a “Who’s Who” of the international music scene: rock icons like AC/DC, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones have brought the arena to a fever pitch with their high-energy shows. Artists and bands like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, U2, Robbie Williams, Pink, and Bruce Springsteen have graced the stage—the list is virtually endless. German artists also regularly thrill audiences at Schalke: Udo Lindenberg, Herbert Grönemeyer, Helene Fischer, and PUR—the band led by frontman Hartmut Engler is a regular at the arena, having performed there 12 times.
One thing is clear: Time and again, the VELTINS-Arena serves as a stage for global superstars—with the highlight coming in the summer of 2024: Taylor Swift will stop at the Berger Feld from July 17 to 19 as part of her acclaimed “The Eras Tour.” Gelsenkirchen was temporarily renamed “Swiftkirchen”; 35 special place-name signs were erected throughout the city and even caught people’s attention as far away as the U.S. Tens of thousands of “Swifties” transformed the VELTINS Arena into a sea of music, light, and emotion. What unfolded there was far more than just a concert: three unforgettable nights that have gone down in history as a very special chapter in the history of the VELTINS Arena.
But the arena has even more to offer: Whether it’s ice hockey, football, or boxing—time and again, this multifunctional arena transforms into a spectacular stage for top-tier competitions. Another highlight is already on the horizon for May 2027: Gelsenkirchen will host the opening game of the Ice Hockey World Championship—and thus, once again, serve as the venue for an international sporting event of exceptional prestige. One winter sports event has long since achieved cult status at Schalke: Biathlon at Schalke. The World Team Challenge has been a fixture on the event calendar since 2002. Year after year, the arena is transformed into a unique setting—making the WTC a true crowd-pleaser even after more than 20 years.
25 years old, yet always one step ahead
For a quarter-century, the VELTINS-Arena has stood for passion, innovation, and the “royal blue” identity. Modernizations keep it at the cutting edge of technology—and make the experience for fans better and better with every step. S04 CEO Matthias Tillmann emphasizes: “For 25 years, our arena has been more than just a stadium: it’s the place where people come together—to meet, cheer, celebrate, and feel at home. To ensure this feeling remains palpable at every home game, concert, and event, we continuously invest and keep the technology at the highest level. We want to inspire people for a lifetime, create unique memories, and thereby strengthen our region in the long term. This also includes making the experience at the VELTINS-Arena more intense, more comfortable, and more distinctive with every step.” With this vision, Schalke is looking ahead: bringing tradition to life—and shaping the future through smart decisions.
Recent measures include, among other things, equipping all kiosks with digital screens and converting individual sales stands into beverage-only kiosks. Combined with additional digital payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, this noticeably speeds up processes and enhances convenience. Modern solutions are also evident at the entrance: NFC-enabled terminals allow for contactless entry via smartphone or chip-enabled season ticket. In addition, as part of the upcoming major overhaul, the renewal of the turf trough and shifting mechanism is on the agenda—a logical step after well over 500 movements of the turf. A recent highlight of the ongoing modernization efforts: In August 2026, PETA Germany once again recognized the VELTINS Arena as the most vegan-friendly stadium.
The VELTINS-Arena looks back on 25 years full of memories—but the journey continues: With new ideas, state-of-the-art technology, and a commitment to continuous improvement, it is well-equipped for the next 25 years.
