Saitama Stadium
Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadiums in Asia. It has hosted the semi-finals of both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the football tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics. It is also the home stadium of Japan national football team in almost every FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.
History
Built by Azusa Sekkei to host matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-host Japan's first match against Belgium.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Urawa Red Diamonds' local derby rival Omiya Ardija hosted matches here along with Urawa Komaba due to expansion of its home Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium.The stadium was also featured in the remastered version of the anime Captain Tsubasa where in the middle school tournament the stadium was mostly shown as the main stadium.
Transport issues
The ease of access of the stadium has been a problem known to the prefectural government, academics and the home team for years, mostly concerning the congested road traffic and the fact that it is 20-minute walk from the nearest station, Urawa-Misono. From Tokyo station, the stadium is 45 minutes by train plus 1.2 km walking on foot, or 40 minutes drive.
A survey in 2017 found that on an international matchday, with typically 60,000 attendance, 60.5% (36,000) arrived by railway, 25.2% (15,000) drove cars, 8.7% (5,200) took intra-prefecture shuttle bus, and 3,300 (5.6%) arrived by bicycle, motorbikes or on foot. On a J. League club match typically with 40,000 attendance, railway usage dropped sharply to 40.6% while usage of all other modes of transport increased.
The road congestion caught international attention in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, scheduled to kick-off at 19:35, October 15, 2024. Australia, staying in the five-star Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in downtown Bunkyō, Tokyo, took 2 hours 9 minutes (16:37-18:46) in their chartered coach to arrive the stadium. Ordinary driving time from Tokyo Station is estimated to be 40 minutes, according to the stadium.
FIFA World Cup
The stadium was one of the venues of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and held the following matches:
| Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 June 2002 |  England |
1–1 |  Sweden |
Group F |
| 4 June 2002 |  Japan |
2–2 |  Belgium |
Group H |
| 6 June 2002 |  Cameroon |
1–0 |  Saudi Arabia |
Group E |
| 26 June 2002 |  Brazil |
1–0 |  Turkey |
Semi-finals |
Olympic Games
| Date | Time (JST) | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2021 | 17.00 |  France |
4–3 |  South Africa |
Group A | 0 |
| 25 July 2021 | 20.00 | Japan |
0–1 |  Mexico |
Group A | 0 |
| 28 July 2021 | 20.00 |  Spain |
1–1 |  Argentina |
Group C | 0 |
| 28 July 2021 | 17.00 | Saudi Arabia |
1–3 | Brazil |
Group D | 0 |
| 31 July 2021 | 19.00 | Brazil |
1–0 |  Egypt |
Quarter-finals | 0 |
| 3 August 2021 | 20.00 | Japan |
0–1 | Spain |
Semi-finals | 0 |
| 6 August 2021 | 18.00 | Mexico |
3–1 | Japan |
Bronze-medal match | 0 |
| Date | Time (JST) | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2021 | 17.30 | Sweden |
4–2 |  Australia |
Group G | 0 |
| 24 July 2021 | 12.30 |  New Zealand |
1–6 |  United States |
Group G | 0 |
| 30 July 2021 | 12.30 | Sweden |
3–1 | Japan |
Quarter-finals | 0 |
Structural design
- Building area: 54,420 m
- Total floor area: 62,674 m
- Covered area: 29,000 m
- Stand inclination: Max. 30 degree angle
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