Aaron S.
Yelp
Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, or as it is otherwise known, Estádio da Luz is the largest football stadium in Portugal and in the top 25 largest stadiums in Europe, it is home to Benfica with a capacity just shy of 65,000.
The stadium has hosted the UEFA Champions League Final on two occasions, since opening in 2003, hosting the 2014 and 2020 Finals. It also hosted matches during Euro 2004, including the Final and will highly likely host games in the FIFA World Cup 2034 when it is played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
It is a large and modern stadium, easily accessible by the metro from the city centre, it is also right by the large Colombo Shopping Centre in case you want to kill some time and grab a bite to eat while waiting for traffic to die down after the game.
I visited the stadium during my 2023 trip to Lisbon, the stadium is certainly very pretty, the arches at the top of the stadium in Benfica's red colours remind me of a smaller version of what you might find at Wembley, there is a red theme around the stadium with it being the colour of Benfica.
The facilities at the stadium are amongst what you'd expect at the best clubs and stadiums across Europe, including a themed cafe, store and museum.
The underpass approaching the stadium from the shopping centre is very unique in modern stadia, it gives you that 80's / 90's feel of walking through the terraces, it's decorated in art and graffiti all related to Benfica and just feels that good kind of old school which you don't get in the modern stadia anymore. I do think the walking route to the stadium could be better signposted, however, as I did struggle to find a safe and possible route.
4* - Amongst the top stadiums in Europe, which we will hopefully see host further big games in the future.