AVIVA STADIUM

The Aviva Stadium is home to the national soccer and rugby union teams, as well as the famous Leinster club. The 50,000-seat stadium was inaugurated on May 15, 2010. This ultramodern showcase has replaced the mythical yet dilapidated Lansdowne Road Stadium. Built in 1872, the latter was the oldest stadium of its size in Europe, and still retained a few wooden seats and a railway line running under the presidential stand. A simple facelift would not have sufficed, so the stadium was razed to the ground in 2007. Before moving to Croke Park, the national rugby team beat the Pacific Islands (61-17) in their last appearance on this magical pitch in November 2006. The new stadium bears the name of the famous insurance company, with whom a ten-year, 44 million euro sponsorship agreement has been signed. But nostalgic fans need not worry: the adjacent street is still called Lansdowne Road! And while things didn't get off to a good start for the Shamrock XV, with a narrow defeat in the test match against the South African Springboks (21-23) on November 6, 2010, Ireland is determined to make it a hostile ground for its visitors. And the first official competitive match took place during the 2011 tournament against... the French team!

Capacity. 50,000 seats.

Record attendance. 53,500 (at Lansdowne Road) for the soccer match Ireland - France (2-3) on October 14 1981.