Europa Point Stadium, Gibraltar
Europa Point Stadium is part of Europa Sports Park and is used for rugby, cricket and international football featuring the Gibraltar national team. The stadium has a capacity for 2,100 spectators and is mainly used by Gibraltar's four rugby union teams.
History
The idea for a new national stadium emerged after Gibraltar joined UEFA in 2013, which meant it needed an arena meeting international standards. At the time, Gibraltar's main soccer venue (Victoria Stadium) did not meet UEFA requirements, so matches had to be played overseas, mainly at the Estadio Algarve near Faro in Portugal.
An initial plan to build an 8,000 capacity stadium at Europa Point faced local opposition and was shelved. A new plan for a multi-purpose stadium was agreed and was built on a site that was previously a basic Ministry of Defence (MOD) cricket field.
The stadium opened in stages but was complete for the 2019 Island Games held in Gibraltar.
The first international football match to be held at the new ground was Gibraltar v Estonia in a qualifying match for Euro 2020. The hosts lost 0-1 in November 2019 and indeed lost all 8 of their qualifying matches for that tournament.
The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque (King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Mosque) is adjacent to the ground. Completed in 1997, it is one of the largest mosques in a non-Muslim country and is a prominent landmark, along with the lighthouse, at the southern tip of the peninsula. It serves the Muslim community in Gibraltar and was a gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
Football in Gibraltar
Gibraltar is the second-smallest UEFA member by population, only San Marino has fewer people, and it is the smallest in terms of land area.
Founded in 1895, the Gibraltar Football Association ranks among the ten oldest football associations still active in the world.
After joining UEFA in 2013, the national team Gibraltar achieved their first win as a FIFA member in 2018 in a friendly against Latvia at Victoria Stadium, winning 1-0 with a goal from Liam Walker. In Qualifying Group H for World Cup 2018 in Russia, Gibraltar lost all 10 games scoring just 3 and conceding 47. However, that was an improvement on qualification for Euro 2016 in France when the team again lost all 10 matches, scoring 2 and conceding 56.
There are 12 teams competing in the Gibraltar Football League at present. All 12 clubs share the 2,000 capacity Victoria Stadium. Recently Lincoln Red Imps have been serial winners. They became the first team from Gibraltar to play in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League in 2014 and made the group stage proper of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2021.
Players & Coaches
Midfielder Liam Walker is the nation's most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer. Walker had two short spells in English football with Portsmouth and Notts County.
Policeman Lee Casciaro netted Gibraltar's first ever goal in a full international competitive match, an equaliser against Scotland in a 6-1 Euro qualification thrashing at Hampden Park.
Tjay De Barr, now at Lincoln Red Imps, had a spell at Wycombe Wanderers and was once a regular for the national side.
James Scanlon on loan at Swindon Town from Manchester United is an exciting prospect.
Former Manchester United defender Danny Higginbotham played 3 times for the national team, making his debut in 2013 at age 34.
Scott Wiseman is the interim head coach of the Gibraltar men's national Team. Though born in England he represented the national team as a player.
Access - Getting There
The stadium is best reached on the number 2 bus to the last stop, Europa Point, though for international games the Gibraltar FA lays on shuttle buses from Market Place and back after the game.
Nearby Hotels
Some hotels to choose from in Gibraltar include the Rock Hotel, the Eliott Hotel and the Bristol Hotel.
See a listing of hotels in Gibraltar
All photos by Ross Clegg
World Stadiums
Tosu Stadium (Ekimae Real Estate Stadium)
Estadio Nuevo Colombino Huelva
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