Benfica home to make room for milling crowds

Article posted by Coliseum, January 6^th, 2025

Image: Estádio da Luz, Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Primeira Liga team Sport Lisboa e Benfica iconic home ground – the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal – is set to expand its capacity to 70,000 seats as the President of Benfica Rui Costa announced the capacity rise plans keeping in mind the top-tier club’s huge fan base.

The above announcement was made by Costa at an event held recently to celebrate the Luz’s 70th anniversary. The stadium was originally built in the year 1954.

As most matchups of Benfica are a total sellout a lot of fans are left disappointed as they do not get tickets.

‘nogomania’ stated that the Estádio da Luz, home to Benfica and the largest stadium in Portugal with its current 65,592-seat capacity, is set to get bigger. Despite its size, the stadium is often unable to accommodate all of the club’s fans as Benfica boasts a massive supporter base enjoying over five million fans in Portugal alone.

The Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football.

The 65,592-capacity Estádio da Luz, officially named the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multipurpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches hosting the home games of the Portuguese club Benfica.

Bursting-at-seams Crowd

Costa highlighted the incredible average attendance numbers at the Estádio da Luz which often surpasses 60,000 spectators per game – a remarkable figure for Portuguese football – “Most of our matches are sold out and thousands of fans are left outside without tickets. This goes on to demonstrate Benfica’s popularity. That’s why we want a bigger stadium. Benfica and its fans deserve the best and we want to accommodate the maximum number of supporters possible.”

Rich History

‘nogomania’ further stated that the Estádio da Luz, originally built in 1954, underwent major makeover in 2003 ahead of EURO 2004 when it served as a key venue. Prior to the 2003 repurposing work, the stadium could hold up to 120,000 spectators and its official record attendance was set in 1987 when an incredible 135,000 fans watched Benfica face their peer team FC Porto in a derby match (a match between two local sports teams, especially ones from the same City or region).

While the present-day regulations and modern stadium designs limit capacities to ensure that the safety and comfort quotients are high the above expansion will further consolidate Luz’s status as one of the most historic and fan-packed arenas in European football.

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