The Stadiums of Benfica
From the towering old Stadium of Light — once the largest in Europe — to the modern cathedral that hosts Champions League finals, and the Seixal campus where the Eagles of tomorrow are forged. This is where Benfica lives. Carrega Benfica!
Estádio da Luz Since 2003
Inaugurated on 25 October 2003 with a match against Uruguay’s Nacional, the new Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica — “A Catedral” — rose on the site of the original ground. Designed around light and transparency, it is one of Europe’s great football cathedrals and the beating heart of Lisbon’s red half.
- Opened25 October 2003
- Capacity68,000
- ArchitectPopulous (HOK Sport) · Damon Lavelle
- Construction Cost€160 million
- UEFA RatingElite (Category 4)
- Hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 final and the 2014 & 2020 UEFA Champions League finals.
- The eagle Vítor soars over the pitch before every home match.
- Famed for one of the most intense, roaring red atmospheres in European football.
- Voted among the most beautiful stadiums in the world on its opening.
Old Estádio da Luz 1954–2003
Opened on 1 December 1954, the original Stadium of Light grew through the club’s golden years into a colossus. With its third tier completed in 1985 it could hold up to 120,000 — the largest stadium in Europe and one of the biggest in the world.
- Opened1 December 1954
- Peak capacity~120,000
- Third tierCompleted 1985
- Last match22 March 2003 vs Santa Clara
- Demolished2003
- Stage for the Eusébio era and Benfica’s back-to-back European Cups of 1961 & 1962.
- Its vast terraces made it one of the most feared grounds in Europe.
Benfica Campus Seixal · 2006
Opened on 22 September 2006 in Seixal, the Benfica Campus (originally the Caixa Futebol Campus) is the club’s training ground and youth academy — one of Europe’s most acclaimed talent factories, home to the first team, the reserves and every youth level.
- Opened22 September 2006
- LocationSeixal, Portugal
- Area19 hectares
- Pitches9 (incl. Benfica B ground, 2,644 seats)
- On-site Hotel86 rooms
- Develops home-grown stars who shine across Europe.
- Renamed from Caixa Futebol Campus to Benfica Campus in 2019.
The early grounds
In its first half-century Benfica played across several Lisbon grounds — from its founding pitches to the Campo Grande — before the club finally built a permanent home of its own at the Luz in 1954. Every ground since has carried the same roar: E Pluribus Unum.