The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa (English: Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Stadium) is a football stadium in Leiria, Portugal, built as a venue for the UEFA Euro 2004 finals held in Portugal. It is the home for Leiria's main football club, União de Leiria. It was designed by Tomás Taveira in 2003. The stadium contains different coloured seats as well as an athletics track and has a capacity of 23,888 seats.[3]
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 Interactive map of Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa | |
Former names | Estádio Municipal de Leiria |
|---|---|
| Location | Leiria, Portugal |
| Owner | Municipality of Leiria |
| Capacity | 23,888[1] + 5,478 (provisional bench) |
| Surface | Grass |
Record attendance | 29,160 (17 June 2004) Croatia 2–2 France |
Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1958 2003 |
| Opened | 19 November 2003 |
Cost | €83.207 million[2] |
| Architect | Tomás Taveira |
| Tenants | |
| União de Leiria (2003–2011, 2013–present) Portugal national football team (selected matches) | |
The stadium has hosted the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (the Portuguese Super Cup) in 2006 and 2007[4] and the final of the Taça da Liga (the League Cup) in 2014 and from 2021 to 2026.[5]
The stadium was severely damaged in January 2026 as a result of Storm Kristin. [6]
Games held
editDuring the UEFA Euro 2004 finals, the stadium hosted Croatia's matches against Switzerland in a 0–0 draw and France in a 2–2 draw in Group B.[7]
It also hosted the 2006 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira where Porto defeated Vitória de Setúbal 3–0 with goals from Anderson, Adriano and Vieirinha. The following year, in 2007, it again played host to the Supertaça, but this time Sporting CP won the title over Porto by a score of 1–0.
This venue has hosted numerous Portuguese League Cup finals that have crowned various champions, such as Benfica, Sporting CP, FC Porto, Braga and Vitória SC.
Design
editThe Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa intends to complement its surrounding territory with a part of the stadium that opens towards the scenery and another part that shows the defence wall of a medieval castle dominating the city. The project, created by architect Tomás Taveira, consists of continuous tiers that run a wavy course. The tiers are highest at the main stands (in the center of the stadium) and gently wind down in correspondence with the south stand behind one of the goals. This leaves an opening towards the city, the woods and the castle that overlooks the stadium.
The roof follows the course of the tiers which are placed according to an elliptical framework that is brusquely interrupted at the north stand. The north stand contained a temporary and uncovered tribune that ran parallel to one of the playing field's short sides.
The seats are of different colours, placed randomly. The use of different tint colours characterizes the entire stadium. The roof is constructed with a transparent material that has external light filtered which makes the yellow colour of the metallic structure stand out. The roof appears to float on the tiers; it is, however, hanging on steel tie-beams (in blue) and tall pennons (in red) that are only located above the main tribunes. The external perimeter is characterized by squared panels of lively tints placed on a natural white background separated by the red metallic pillars.
UEFA Euro 2004
editThe following UEFA Euro 2004 matches were held in the stadium.
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 June 2004 |  Switzerland | 0–0 |  Croatia | Group B | 24,090 |
| 17 June 2004 | Croatia | 2–2 |  France | 29,160 |
Portugal national team matches
editThe following national team matches were held in the stadium.
| # | Date | Score | Opponent | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 November 2003 | 8–0 |  Kuwait | Friendly |
| 2. | 8 September 2004 | 4–0 |  Estonia | World Cup 2006 qualification |
| 3. | 17 November 2007 | 1–0 |  Armenia | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 4. | 26 March 2011 | 1–1 |  Chile | Friendly |
| 5. | 26 May 2012 | 0–0 |  Macedonia | Friendly |
| 6. | 5 March 2014 | 5–1 |  Cameroon | Friendly |
| 7. | 25 March 2016 | 0–1 |  Bulgaria | Friendly |
| 8. | 29 March 2016 | 2–1 |  Belgium | Friendly |
| 9. | 14 November 2017 | 1–1 |  United States | Friendly |
| 10. | 10 June 2026 | 2–1 |  Nigeria | Friendly |
References
edit- ↑ "Estádio Municipal de Leiria". União de Leiria (in European Portuguese). 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ↑ "Fact Check. Estádios de Leiria e Aveiro tiveram custo de 180 milhões para construção e custam 8 milhões a manter?". Observador (in Portuguese). 27 January 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ↑ "Estádio Municipal Dr. Magalhães Pessoa - Leiria Desporto" (in European Portuguese). 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ↑ "Dr. Magalhães Pessoa. Um estádio a ganhar mofo". ionline (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
- ↑ "Leiria volta a receber «final four» da Taça da Liga em 2025". Maisfutebol. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
- ↑ "Leiria volta a jogar 'em casa' longe de casa por danos da tempestade". Sapo. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ Lusa (2009-12-29). "Câmara de Leiria admite vender estádio construído para o Euro 2004". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-02-03.