Estadio Jose Alvalade: Sporting CP

By Gubi104 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Sporting Club de Portugal have called Estádio José Alvalade home since it opened 2003. Although technically they’ve called it their home for a lot longer than that, seeing as the stadium it replaced opened in 1956 and had the same name. It is located within a complex called Alvalade XXI, which also features a shopping centre, a cinema with twelve screens, a health club and an office building.

The stadium was only supposed to have a capacity of 40,000 when it was first designed, but it ended up being able to hold over 50,000. The acoustic engineering of the stadium has been specifically designed to make major concerts sound amazing. As a 5-star stadium according to UEFA’s classifications it can host major matches and has done so in the past, including the 2005 UEFA Cup Final.

Stats

Estadio Jose Alvalade Photos

• View from stands View from stands
• Flying the Flag Flying the Flag
• Estádio José Alvalade Entrance Estádio José Alvalade Entrance
• Exterior of Estádio José Alvalade Exterior of Estádio José Alvalade
• Sugar model of the old Estádio de Alvalade Sugar model of the old Estádio de Alvalade
• East Stand East Stand
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Estadio Jose Alvalade Seating Plan & Where to Sit

The stadium is built in a ‘bowl’ style, as is often the case with continental football grounds. The North Stand, or Norte, is behind one of the goals and is a two-tier structure that houses away fans. The South Stand, or Sul, is a replica of The North Stand but is only for home supporters. The East Stand, or Nascente, runs along the side of the pitch and also has two-tiers that are separated by executive boxes. The West Stand, or Poente, is the same but it houses the dugouts, changing rooms and family area.

Sporting Club de Portugal Ticket Prices

It’s really tricky to get specific information about ticket prices, though we can tell you that members of the club’s supporter group pay less, as do concessions and youths. There are family tickets available and the club also offers a limited number of €5 tickets every game. Prices range from about €17 for tickets high up behind one of the goals and €42 for excellent seats in one of the stands running on the side of the pitch.

How To Get Sporting Club de Portugal Tickets

You can buy your tickets, online, over the phone or by going to the ticket office in person.

Where to Buy

Getting To Estadio Jose Alvalade

As the capital of Portugal it’s reasonably fair to say that access to Lisbon is relatively simple. Here are the standard ways you might want to consider getting there:

Train - It will take you just under 24 hours to get from St. Pancras International to Lisbon. You’ll start in London and head to Paris Nord on the Eurostar from there you’ll make your way to Paris Montparnasse station and get a train to Irun before taking another train to Lisboa Oriente. The stadium is reachable from Campo Grande Station, which is on the Yellow or Green line of the Metro.

Bus - Buses 1, 3, 7, 36, 47 and 77 all stop near the station, to name but a few of your options.

Car - You want the North-South axis of the 2nd circular and then take either the Campo Grande exit or the Telheiras exit. If you’re coming in on the Causeway Carriche then take the Lisbon exit, the Telheiras exit or follow the signs.

By Air - Lisbon Portela Airport, called Aeroporto da Portela in Portguese, is only a few miles from the centre of Lisbon. It is the largest airport in Portugal.

Taxi - From Lisboa Oriente station to the ground your journey will take about ten minutes and should cost around €13.

Parking Near Estadio Jose Alvalade

There is a large car park underneath the stadium that you should be able to leave your car in, should you get there whilst there are spaces.

• See Available Parking Near Estadio Jose Alvalade

Useful Resources

Estadio Jose Alvalade Hotels

Lisbon has got loads of great hotels, ready to welcome the tourists who want to see the country’s capital. Here are some of our faves:

Alvalade II Guest House Lisboa - £40+

Avenida Rio de Janeiro n 25 3 direito, Lisbon, 1700-331

Just over a mile from the ground is this nice little guest house with just six rooms. It’s also got a terrace and a library, though, so it’s not exactly rubbish. More details.

Radisson Blu Hotel Lisbon - £60+

Avenida Marechal Craveiro Lopes, 390, Campo Grande, Lisbon, 1749-009

This member of the Radisson chain of hotels has a restaurant, a bar, a business centre, a conference space, self-parking and free Wi-Fi. It’s also less than a mile from the stadium. More details.

Hotel 3K Europa - £75+

Avenida da República, nº 93, Lisbon, 1050-190

This unusually named hotel is about a mile and a half from Estádio José Alvalade and boasts a bar, a conference space, free newspapers in the reception, self-parking and, surprise surprise, free Wi-Fi. More details.

Pubs & Bars Near Estadio Jose Alvalade

Lisbon has any number of great little bars and more tourist friendly places. Here are some of the best:

Facilities

The stadium has brilliant facilities, not only in a footballing sense but also throughout the nearby complex. Views are good from most seats and there are all of the usual kiosks and such from which you can buy food and drinks.

Hospitality

There are a number of executive boxes around the ground that provide an excellent hospitality experience. If you’d like to know more about what exactly it all entails or more then your best bet is to contact the club.

Private Hire

Any number of facilities are available for hire at Estádio José Alvalade, including the press conference room, an auditorium with 70 seats and multimedia capabilities and the executive boxes.

Stadium Tours & Museum

You can tour the ground and go into the museum or, if you’d prefer, just do one or the other. The stadium is well worth having a look around, but the museum is a bit old-hat when compared to some rival places that tend to have more bells and whistles and interactive exhibitions. Tours are available throughout every day apart from match days when only the very first tour runs. The cost for both the tour and the museum is €14 for adults and €7 for kids and seniors.

About Sporting Club de Portugal

Sporting Club de Portugal is better known as Sporting CP or, often, Sporting Lisbon. The more observant amongst you will have noticed that the name suggests that it’s a large group of sports clubs and you’d be right. The association football club is just one part of the organisation. It was founded in 1906 and is one of the ‘big three’ clubs in Portuguese football. Alongside Benfica and Porto they were one of the founding members of Primeira Liga and have never been relegated from the top-flight.

Sporting are the third most successful side in Portugal, having won 52 domestic competitions and one European one - the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Their domestic trophies include nineteen Primeira Liga titles, seventeen Portuguese Cups and nine Portuguese SuperCups. The youth academy at Sporting has produced a number of world-class players. This includes, but is not limited to, Simão, Luis Figo and some chap called Cristiano Ronaldo.

Estadio Jose Alvalade History

The Travel And Living Channel, better known as TLC and primarily broadcast in Australia and New Zealand, once sent their presenter, Bobby Chinn, to Portugal to film a culinary show called ‘World Cafe’. He went to Estádio José Alvalade and cooked a traditional sweet dish of Portuguese food right in the middle of the pitch. Such is the attraction of the home of Sporting CP that even the Australians want to get in on the stadium’s action.

Built in 2003 and costing €121 million, the stadium’s 5-star UEFA rating means that it can be used for high profile matches. When Portugal was the host nation of the European Championships in 2004 Estádio José Alvalade hosted five matches, including Portugal’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands at the semi-final stage. In 2005 it hosted the UEFA Cup final and Sporting actually played in it, losing 3-1 to CSKA Moscow in their home ground. It has also been used for numerous Portugal international matches.

Future Developments

If a section on a website gets deleted and replaced did it ever exist? This section is currently telling you that Estádio José Alvalade is not due for any developments in the near future, but if that changes we’ll delete this and you’ll never know it was even here. Weird, hey?