Venues

Overview

Twelve cities across the length and breadth of Germany will host the 64 World Cup matches this summer. Having invested more than €1.5 billion to bring the stadia up to scratch, Germany can be proud of the finished product.

Two entirely new venues have been built from scratch - Munich's futuristic Allianz Arena and Gelsenkirchen's cathedral to the beautiful game, the AufSchalke Arena - while the 10 remaining stadiums have been afforded, either lavish facelifts or extensive reconstructions.

The brains behind the new (or late) Wembley will have looked on with envy as Germany's legendary efficiency brought the mammoth projects in on schedule and largely on budget. Indeed, if the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Road runs anywhere near as smoothly, the residents of Dublin 4 will wonder what all the fuss was about.

The jewel in the crown during this summer's tournament will surely be Berlin's Olympiastadion. Despite retaining the historic facade and character of the 1936 Olympic centrepiece, a stunning, modern arena heralding the future of stadium design has been created.

Click on the map opposite for a complete overview to all this year's venues.