Euro 2012: Venue Guide

Euro 2012 will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Here, we guide you around the grounds being used for the tournament.

Poland

Warsaw

National Stadium, capacity (for Euro 2012): 50,000

Euro 2012 will open at Poland's new National Stadium, which has been built with £255million of government money on the site of the old 10th Anniversary Stadium. Close to the Vistula river, it resembles a wicker basket decorated in a waving Polish flag. Warsaw, despite a turbulent history, is a thriving capital and home to 1.7million people.

Gdansk

Municipal Stadium Gdansk, 40,000

A city that has had several different rulers, Gdansk has played a big role in European history, not least as the birthplace of former Polish president Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement. The Municipal Stadium, home of Lechia Gdansk, is another new venue striking in appearance and is close to the city's waterfront.

Poznan

Municipal Stadium Poznan, 40,000

The home of KKS Lech Poznan, built in 1980, is being renovated ahead of the championship. A venue renowned for its atmosphere, it will be Poland's biggest club ground when complete. Poznan itself, one of the country's oldest cities, was once an island colony on the River Warta before spilling onto the mainland and becoming a major trade centre.

Wroclaw

Municipal Stadium Wroclaw, 40,000

Wroclaw, noted for its Gothic architecture, is a thriving commercial centre built on 12 islands all connected by a web of 112 bridges. The new stadium, for which naming rights will be offered, is situated close to the Sleza river and is home to Slask Wroclaw. Its design resembles a Chinese lantern.

Ukraine

Kiev

Olympic Stadium, 60,000

Ukraine's national stadium - and the championship's biggest venue - is undergoing a spectacular makeover, which will include a transparent roof, to prepare it for group-stage matches, a quarter-final and the final. Dynamo Kiev played European games there prior to closure for renovation. Kiev, on the banks of the Dnieper river, is Ukraine's capital and largest city.

Lviv

New Lviv Stadium, 30,000

As its current name suggests, FC Karpaty Lviv's gleaming new home has been built from scratch for the championship. Naming rights are to be sold in due course. The western city of Lviv, close to the Carpathian mountains, was once part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Polish Football Federation.

Kharkiv

Metalist Stadium, 30,000

Having produced more than 40 Olympic medallists, Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, claims to be its sporting capital. The stadium, built in 1926, is home to Metalist Kharkiv and has been remodelled as a multi-sport complex. It is known locally as the 'Spider Arena' as its pillars make it resemble an arachnid.

Donetsk

Donbass Arena, 50,000

The ultra-modern arena, built at a cost of £255million and completed in 2009, will host three group games, a quarter-final and a semi. Among its impressive features, the home of Shakhtar Donetsk features an illuminated exterior and infrared heating system. It is situated in parkland in the centre of the city.

PA