Arena Varna

Full name	Arena Varna
Location	Varna, Bulgaria
Coordinates	43°13′16″N 27°56′35″E / 43.22111°N 27.94306°E / 43.22111; 27.94306
Owner	Chimimport AD (65%) Varna Municipality (35%)
Operator	Sports Complex Varna AD
Capacity	22,441[2]
Field size	105 × 68
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	September 12, 2008
Opened	TBD
Construction cost	€ 35 million
Architect	Gerkan, Marg and Partners, Proin Plus AD
Structural engineer	schlaich bergermann partner, Tanyu Dimitrov & Partners AD [1]
General contractor	Planex Holding OOD, Tehnoimporteksport AD
Tenants
PFC Cherno More Varna (TBD)

Arena Varna (Bulgarian: Арена Варна) is a new multi-purpose all-seater stadium currently under construction in Varna, Bulgaria, which is going to be built directly, just rotated to lie on the north-south axis, in the place of the former Yuri Gagarin Stadium. Once finished, the stadium will be used mostly for football matches and will also be the new home ground of the local Cherno More Varna. The venue will have a capacity of 22,441 spectators.^[2] Due to financial crises in Bulgaria, the stadium’s construction has been put on hold multiple times. As of August 2023^[update], the stadium is yet to be completed.

History

Project

It was due to open in 2013 and would have a capacity of 30,000 spectators with a possible expansion to 40,000. The stadium, as part of Sport Complex Varna, will have an underground parking area, convertible roof covers, office lounges, two-tier stands and four 50-metre (160 ft) towers, which will block the pressure of the terrain and bring the stadium in a shape of a ship. The convertible roof covers would be made of transparent panels, which would allow the light of the floodlights to stream inside the pitch during night matches. The venue would be awarded with an elite stadium rating by UEFA.^[3]

The sport complex and its concept were designed by the German architectural company GMP International GmbH, which built several stadiums for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, including the renovation of the Olympiastadion in Berlin and the construction of the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt respectively. The stadium was also proposed to support a possible bid as a venue for the Euro 2020, which Bulgaria and Romania were planning to host.^[4] The construction officially started on September 12, 2008, with the demolishing of the former Yuri Gagarin Stadium.

In the follow-up years, the initial project by GMP International GmbH was partially redesigned due to the financial crisis in 2009 that affected the stadium's construction. As a result, the capacity of the stadium was reduced to 22,000 spectators, the transparent roof covers were replaced and the roof towers were removed from the original design.

Construction

The start of the stadium's construction was placed on hold in 2009, due to a credit crunch effect of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which resulted in a lack of funding. However, in the summer of 2015, after the public pressure and debates for the need of a new stadium in Varna, the local governors, who also represented a minority stake in the stadium’s ownership, secured 30% of the required funding through the sale of an adjacent land lot. Consequently, the new stadium's construction finally commenced, with the Bulgarian construction company Planex serving as the principal contractor.^[5] The completion of the works was expected by the fall of 2018, with the inaugural match to be played in early 2019.^[6] As of summer 2023, the stadium remains under construction.^[2]