Budapest’s Puskás Aréna has just won a major international prize for Stadium the Year! Picking up almost exactly 50% of the 30,000-plus votes across more than 100 countries, this recently rebuilt national landmark picked up the annual Public Award organised by Stadium Database. Twenty other candidates were in the running.
Every year, the dedicated team at Stadium Database runs an annual vote to find the best new sports arena to open over the course of the year. Two competitions are set up, one for the public, another adjudicated by a panel of architects. In 2018, the DVTK stadium in Miskolc, Hungary, was selected by the jury. This year, it’s the public who have elected the Puskás Aréna as their favourite.
“We're proud to declare Puskás Aréna our next Stadium of the Year,” said Michal Karaš of the website stadiumdb.com. “Its monumental and classic architecture is a tribute to the legendary Puskás Ferenc Stadion and we can only wish the successor to experience the same glory!”
“Because it's not a commercial project,” explained Michal, “the award doesn't come with financial gratification, just recognition in the media and among the public. We remain faithful to the idea from 2011, that is we set minimal requirements ourselves and let the public and jurors decide”.
The Puskás Aréna stands on the site of the legendary Népstadion opened in 1953. Now named after the most famous Hungarian player of that era, Ferenc Puskás, the new arena is a complete rebuild, accommodating 67,000 spectators. Unveiled in November 2019, it was due to host four matches for this summer’s Euro 2020 football tournament, since rescheduled for 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
