Kaftanzoglio Stadium (
Greek: Καυτανζόγλειο στάδιο) is a sports
stadium in
Thessaloniki,
Greece. The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, in honour of
Lysandros Kaftanzoglou, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the
Balkans.[2] It currently has 27,770 seats, owing to conversion of terraces to
seats in 2000 and a comprehensive renovation before reopening to host
football matches for the
2004 Summer Olympics, which was centered in
Athens.[3] It was the largest stadium in
Greece until 1982, but has since been surpassed in capacity by the
Olympic Stadium in Athens.
On 15 October 1969, the attendance record was set with 47,458 fans present for a
FIFA World Cup qualifying match, witnessing
Greece defeat
Switzerland by a 4–1 score. In 1973 it hosted the European
Cup Winners Cup Final, which resulted in a 1–0 victory for
AC Milan over
Leeds United.
The complex has become increasingly dilapidated and derelict following the 2002–2004 renovations, with the stadium being temporarily closed after failed safety inspections concurrently with the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex, which includes the
Olympic Stadium. Iraklis temporarily relocated football activities to
Chalastra Stadium for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.