History and description

The Estádio Algarve was built in order to be used as one of the playing venues of the Euro 2004 tournament. It officially opened on 23 November 2003 with a friendly between local clubs SC Farense and Louletano DC. The stadium hosted two group matches and the quarter-final between Holland and Sweden during Euro 2004.

The stadium formerly housed both Farense and Louletano, but as these failed to draw large crowds playing in the lower divisions, they instead played most of their home matches in smaller local stadiums, using Estadio Algarve for only important matches.

Algarve Stadium occasionally hosts matches of the Portugal national team, and from 2013 to 2017 was the home of the Gibraltar national team as their traditional home, Victoria Stadium, failed to meet UEFA standards. In 2018 they moved back to a renovated Victoria Stadium after cancelling the Europa Point Stadium project.

The Estadio Algarve, designed by Populous, is best known for its remarkable architecture. Stand-out features are its 73-meter-high curved roofs over two of the stands, which are held up by a steel structure tied to four pillars; this stadium has a total of 320 VIP places.

How to get to Estadio Algarve

It is home to the football club Vitória de Faro. The Estádio Algarve is located about 8 kilometers north of the city of Faro, about halfway between Faro and Loulé. It is home to the football club Vitória de Faro. The stadium has its own train station, Parque das Cidades, which has regular service to Faro, Loulé and other regional destinations. About 10 trains a day run between Faro and Parque das Cidades. The journey takes about 6 minutes, and the walk from the station to the stadium is a further 15 minutes.

Take the first exit, which is for the stadium. The stadium is located next to the A22 motorway, which crosses the Algarve and connects to the A2 to Lisbon further west. From the A22 take exit 13 toward Faro. merge onto the IC-4, and leave the IC-4 again at the first exit (after less than a kilometre). Take the first exit, which is for the stadium.

Address: Estádio Algarve, Parque das Cidades, 8135-014 Almancil

Relevant Internet links

The Parque das Cidades and Estádio Algarve are both official websites of the Parque das Cidades and Estádio Algarve, respectively. The tourist information website, Visitalgarve.pt, provides information about the Algarve region. The check train times and fares website, Cp.pt, can be accessed online.