Venues Guide - Leiria

DR MAGALHAES PESSOA STADIUM

Venue Capacity: 30,000

Cost: £31.6m

Home Club: Uniao de Leiria

Enlarge Image

Situated by the River Lis and in the shadow of Leiria Castle, the stadium is set in an intriguing location.

A revamp which involved building three new covered stands boosted capacity at the venue from 11,000 to 30,000 seats.

Such crowds are a rarity, with the home club's Division One games attracting an average attendance of just over 2,000.

Thanks to the stadium's undulating roof, fans can still catch a look at the castle, which overlooks the stadium from the top of the hill.

Euro 2004: Leiria fixtures

---

Focus on Leiria

The skyline of Leiria is dominated by the walled castle that houses the ruins of a Gothic church, and has a balcony which gives great views over the city.

Leiria's old town is an attractiive mix of cobbled streets, splendid gardens and old squares, while there are plenty of bars around Largo Candido dos Reis.

On the city outskirts is an impressive pine forest, planted in the 13th century, which supplied timber for shipbuilding during the Portuguese maritime discoveries.

One of the world's most famous Catholic shrines is 25km south east of Leiria at Fatima. It attracts millions of pilgrims each year, and has welcomed the Pope several times.

Country profile: Portugal

---

Fixtures (Kick-off times BST)
Sun 13 June: Switzerland v Croatia 1700
Thu 17 June: Croatia v France 1945

---