Euro 2024 stadium took parts from Wembley and had 'unsatisfactory' pitch torn up last week

The Dusseldorf Arena has undergone huge renovations to be ready in time for Euro 2024. The stadium, which will host France’s clash with Austria next Monday, has taken parts from Wembley and had its pitch torn up after being deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ only last week.

The home of Fortuna Dusseldorf, it hosted a Bundesliga relegation play-off on May 27. Fortuna were beaten by VfL Bochum and suffered relegation to the 2. Bundesliga.

A feisty affair which ended with Bochum winning 6-5 on aggregate, the pitch was left in a poor state. UEFA say that it was in an ‘unsatisfactory’ condition and demanded that the grass was replaced only two weeks after being relaid.

Officials were left rushing to prepare the playing surface in time for the tournament, with work now complete.

A UEFA spokesperson told German publication BILD: "Unfortunately, the laying of the new turf following the relegation match in the Arena Dusseldorf did not lead to a satisfactory result. With the involvement of all those involved, we have made the decision to replace the pitch turf again."

They added: "At the heart of this decision is the shared aim of providing the best possible playing surfaces for Euro 2024. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve this standard with the most recently laid turf.

“This is unfortunate, but it is a risk that must be taken into account at all times when working with a natural product. Due to appropriate advance planning, we were able to react immediately to this scenario."

The Dusseldorf Arena holds 54,600 people and will host five matches at this summer’s tournament. After France face Austria on Monday, the ground will be used for Slovakia vs Ukraine (June 21) and Albania vs Spain (June 24), in addition to one last-16 match and a quarter-final.

As part of the renovations, UEFA have moved the press seats from Wembley Stadium and have placed them in the Dusseldorf Arena’s stands. The seats were used for the Champions League final earlier this month and have been reused as part of UEFA’s aim to be sustainable.

The spokesperson added: "We can confirm that the tables used by UEFA, which were also used at the UCL final in London, have been installed in Dusseldorf. In the interests of sustainability, these will be used multiple times for various UEFA events."

Meanwhile, Euro 2024 will get underway on Friday. Hosts Germany will welcome Scotland to Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.