Cegeka Arena

(Redirected from Cristal Arena)

The Cegeka Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Genk, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for association football matches and is the home ground of K.R.C. Genk. The stadium holds 23,718[1] (of which 4,200 are standing places) and was built in 1999. Heusden-Zolder played at this stadium for their single season at the top level in 2003-04. Following the relegation of the club, it moved to Mijnstadion in Beringen. The average home attendance varies from 20,000 to 22,000 supporters who visit the stadium every fortnight.

Cegeka Arena
Map
Former namesThyl Gheyselinckstadion (1990–1999)
Fenixstadion (1999–2007)
Cristal Arena (2007–2016)
Luminus Arena (2016–2021)
LocationGenk, Belgium
Coordinates51°00′18″N 5°32′00″E / 51.00500°N 5.53333°E / 51.00500; 5.53333
Capacity23,718[1]
20,040 (UEFA matches)[2][3]
Field size105 x 68 m
Tenants
K.R.C. Genk

History

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Before the start of the 2007–08 season, the stadium was known as "het Fenixstadion". However, early 2007 Racing Genk signed an agreement with the Alken-Maes brewery to lease the name of the stadium for a 5-year period changing the name to Cristal Arena. In 2016, the name was changed to Luminus Arena, named after Belgian company Luminus, the new stadium sponsor, who signed a four-year deal for the naming rights.[4] In 2021, the name was changed to CegekA Arena, named after the Belgian IT company, the new stadium sponsor, who signed a ten-year deal for the naming rights.[4]

The Belgium national football team played two games at this venue in 2009, a friendly against Slovenia and a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which they lost 2–4.

On 20 November 2018, Italy played a friendly against the United States, and won by a 94-minute goal from Matteo Politano.

References

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  1. ^ a b Luminus Arena krcgenk.be (last check 30/03/2018)
  2. ^ Breaking New Ground Belgium The Netherlands Germany bidding to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 (PDF). FIFA. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/StatDoc/competitions/UCL/01/67/63/78/1676378_DOWNLOAD.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ a b "Belgium: Genk to have carbon-neutral stadium".
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