New Delhi: Come summer 2006, the FIFA World Cup stadium, Cologne will host four group games and a match in the round of sixteen.
The football-mad people of Cologne felt a mixture of relief and exhilaration when their fine new stadium finally opened in the spring of 2004: Germany's fourth-largest city failed to make the cut in 1974 and missed out on that year's FIFA World Cup.
The new 46,000 capacity purpose-built football arena saw the Cologne home this time around against stiff competition from neighbouring cities.
The new arena, constructed on the site of the old Müngersdorfer stadium, staged its inaugural match on 31 March 2004 with a friendly between Germany and Belgium.
The former stadium featured a running track, but the new arena has been designed as a compact, intense space with atmosphere and passion guaranteed.
Visitors approaching the Rhineland metropolis from the West can hardly fail to miss the four towers of light sending out a clear signal: welcome to Cologne!
A clutch of Germany's finest and most loved players including Wolfgang Overath, Toni Schumacher and Pierre Littbarski enjoyed sparkling success at the ground.
The first stadium on the site opened its doors in 1923 before the new arena's predecessor hosted its inaugural match in 1975.
Over the years, the stadium in Cologne has welcomed a vast number of world-renowned personalities ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Pope.
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