Stadion Galgenwaard (ˈstaːdiˌjɔn ˈɣɑɫɣə(n)ˌʋaːrt) is a football stadium in Utrecht

Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

 that has been the home of the football club FC Utrecht since 1970. The stadium, which underwent a renovation starting at the beginning of the 21st century, has a capacity of nearly 24,500 spectators.

The New Galgenwaard Stadium was opened in 1982. At the time it was one of the most modern stadiums in the world, especially due to the moat around the pitch. After twenty years FC Utrecht felt the need for expansion and renewal. The main stand was moved to the North side and opened for the start of the 2001–2002 season.

The old main stand was rebuilt after that and a year later FC Utrecht had two new stands along the sides of the pitch. Last season, the goal stands were replaced, and the stadium now has 24,426 seats. The stadium was given its current name, Stadion Galgenwaard, in January 2002.

Seven international matches of the Dutch national football team

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 were played in the stadium, the first one being on April 27, 1983: a friendly against Sweden

Sweden national football team

The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

 (0–3). The last one, played on September 3, 2004, was also a friendly: a 3–0 win against Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein national football team

The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...

.

The stadium was also the host of 2 World Cup finals. In 1998 The Dutch Hockey squad

Netherlands national field hockey team

The Netherlands national field hockey team is the national team of the Netherlands that participates in international field hockey matches and tournaments...

 became World Champion, beating Spain

Spain national field hockey team

The Spain national field hockey team represents Spain in the international field hockey competitions. The team, coached by Dutchman Maurits Hendriks since 2002, competed in every World Cup since the first edition in 1971. Spain is ranked fourth in the world, as of June 30, 2008...

 in the final (3–2). In 2005, the final of the Football World Youth Championships

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship

The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...

 was played in the Galgenwaard. Argentina

Argentina national under-20 football team

The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....

 won the final, beating Nigeria

Nigeria national football team

The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...

 2–1, with 2 goals from Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...

.