Rheinstadion, football stadium

The Rheinstadion was a football stadium with an athletics track in Stockum, Düsseldorf, demolished in 2002 and replaced by the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Its second version, rebuilt from 1968 to 1975 to designs by Friedrich Tamms and Erwin Beyer, had 62 angled binders on its exterior, four floodlight masts 48 m tall and a drained pitch. Capacity reached 68,400 for the 1974 World Cup.

The Rheinstadion was built in the 1920s and became one of the main sports venues in the region over the following decades. It was renovated and expanded in the 1970s to host matches during the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

The stadium's name comes from the Rhine, which flows beside the Stockum site. Fortuna Düsseldorf played home games there from 1953 to 1970 and again from 1972 until 2002, and from 1995 the Rhein Fire American football team also used it. The last football match, on 3 March 2002, ended 1:1 with Ganiyu Shittu scoring the final goal.

The Rheinstadion no longer exists: it was demolished in summer 2002 and replaced by the Merkur Spiel-Arena, opened in 2004. The former grounds are now part of the Arena-Sportpark, which covers all the sport areas of the old site. Visitors reach the area in Stockum, in Düsseldorf's north, by public transport.

The Rheinstadion hosted not only football matches but also athletics meetings and concerts over the years, making it a true multi-use venue. Its name comes from the Rhine River, which flows just a short walk away from the site.