O2 Arena (formerly Sazka Arena, stylised as O₂ arena) is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

, in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It is home to HC Sparta Prague of the

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga ( cs, Extraliga ledního hokeje, ELH) is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created by the 1993 split of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League following the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The le ...

and is the second-largest ice hockey arena in Europe. It has hosted important sporting events such as two

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...

( 2004 and 2015), the first edition of the prestigious tennis

Laver Cup The Laver Cup is an international indoor hard court men's team tennis tournament between Team Europe and Team World, the latter of which is composed of players from all other continents except Europe. Usually held annually since 2017, the tournam ...

, the

European Athletics Indoor Championships The European Athletics Indoor Championships is a biennial indoor track and field competition for European athletes that is organised by the European Athletic Association. It was held for the first time in 1970, replacing the European Indoor Games ...

, the Euroleague Final Four 2006, the World Floorball Championship, the Davis Cup finals, as well as a handful of

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

and

KHL The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs b ...

games, including a 2014 Gagarin Cup final. It can also host stage shows, such as concerts, and other large-scale events.

History

The idea of building a new arena in Prague came on the heels of the "golden era" of Czech

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

: winning the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and three gold medals in a row at the

. The arena was proposed to be built in time to host the

2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2003 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 67th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The competition also served as qualification for division placements in the 2004 competition. Canada won the gol ...

, but due to unforeseen complications with the investors, the ice hockey governing body had to switch that tournament to

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The arena's main backer then became Sazka a.s., a Czech betting company. The construction of the arena (which began in September 2002) was not without problems, but it was finally finished in time to host the

2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships was the 68th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams participated at several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for division placements in the 2 ...

. In March 2008, the building was renamed O2 Arena. In March 2011, Sazka filed for insolvency due to debts from building the arena. From its opening until 2015, it was home to HC Slavia Prague of the

. Slavia won the national championship on home ice in Game 7 of the 2008 Extraliga finals against

HC Karlovy Vary HC Energie Karlovy Vary is a professional ice hockey team based in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. They play in the highest-level national league, the Czech Extraliga. The club The history of the ice hockey in Karlovy Vary dates back to the 1932, w ...

4–0 in front of a then-league-record crowd of 17,117. In 2015, Slavia was relegated to the 1.liga, and the club chose to move back to the smaller Zimní stadion Eden, the team's former home and current training centre. In its place, O2 Arena reached an agreement with cross-town rivals Sparta Prague on 24 June 2015. Sparta ownership cited the need for significant renovations at Tipsport Arena as the main reason for the move. For two seasons, 2012–13 and 2013–14, O2 Arena also hosted occasional home games of HC Lev Prague of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

. The club played its home games of the 2014 Gagarin Cup Finals at O2 Arena, attracting the three largest crowds in league history. In 2015, O2 Arena co-hosted the IIHF World Championship with ČEZ Aréna in Ostrava for the second time. This time, the tournament re-established the record for World Championship attendance. In 2017, it hosted the 1st edition of

international indoor hard court men's tennis tournament between Europe and Team World. In 2021, the venue was scheduled to host some group phase matches at the FIBA EuroBasket 2021, which the country was to cohost with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. The event was canceled.

Notable events

* On 6 & 7 September 2006 Madonna performed there during her

Confessions Tour The Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, launched in support of her tenth studio album, ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). The tour began in Inglewood on May 21, 2006, and ended in Tokyo on ...

. The concert was attended by 18,628 spectators, the biggest number of spectators in the arena's history. She performed again at the arena on 7 & 8 November 2015 as part of her

Rebel Heart Tour The Rebel Heart Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer Madonna, staged in support of her thirteenth studio album, ''Rebel Heart'' (2015). Comprising 82 shows, the tour visited North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It began on S ...

selling out crowds of over 16,000 patrons. * On 12 May 2008, Kylie Minogue performed there as part of her KylieX2008. She performed again at the arena on 2 March 2011 as part of her

Aphrodite World Tour Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, also known as Aphrodite Live, was the twelfth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'' (2010). The tour was officially announced in Sep ...

. On 21 October 2014 Minogue performed again as part of her

Kiss Me Once Tour The Kiss Me Once Tour was the fourteenth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her twelfth studio album, '' Kiss Me Once'' (2014) and visited Europe, Australia and Middle East. Rumours of plans to tour ...

. * On 26 June 2008

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

performed there during

Taking Chances World Tour The Taking Chances World Tour is the ninth concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion, in support of her thirteenth French-language and twenty-second studio album '' D'elles'' (2007). tenth English-language and twenty-third studio album ''Takin ...

. * In October 2008, the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

opened the

2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation (91st season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the sea ...

at O2 Arena with two games. Two years later, the NHL returned, with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and Phoenix Coyotes playing twice. * In November 2008, the French electronica pioneer

Jean Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...

performed his ''

Oxygène ''Oxygène'' (, en, Oxygen) is the third studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976 by Disques Motors, and distributed internationally in 1977 by Polydor Records. J ...

'' album live at the arena, as part of the second leg of the Oxygène 30th anniversary tour. * In December 2008, the arena played host to the playoff matches of the 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships, including Finland's 7–6 victory over Sweden in the final. * In April 2009,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

performed concert as part of European leg of the Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour * Sting performed during his

Symphonicities ''Symphonicities'' is the tenth studio album by English musician Sting, released on 13 July 2010 on Deutsche Grammophon. This is his first studio album featuring new recordings of existing songs (the second one to date being the 2019 studio alb ...

Tour on 22 September 2010, along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. * In November 2010,

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

performed there during her Monster Ball Tour.On 7 December 2011, Rihanna performed there during her

Loud Tour The Loud Tour was the fourth overall and third world concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour was launched in support of Rihanna's fifth studio album '' Loud'' ...

. * The

Czech Republic Davis Cup Team The Czech Republic men's national tennis team represents the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup and is governed by the Czech Tennis Federation. The Czech team was started in 1993, following the break-up of Czechoslovakia. The team competed in t ...

defeated

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in the 2012 Davis Cup Final. * On 26 October 2012, Jennifer Lopez performed a sold-out show during her

Dance Again World Tour Dance Again World Tour was the first worldwide concert tour by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. Throughout the majority of her music career, beginning in 1999, a world tour by Lopez was anticipated, though it never materialized. Following t ...

. * On 22 November 2012,

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

performed there during their

The 2nd Law World Tour The 2nd Law World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of lit ...

. * On 5 October 2014,

performed there as part of Artrave: The Artpop Ball tour. * On 9 November 2014, the Czech Fed Cup team defeated the German Fed Cup team in the final of the 2014 Fed Cup. * On 17 February 2015,

Queen + Adam Lambert Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

performed there as part of their Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014-2015. The group returned to the arena on November 1, 2017, to kick off their 2017 European tour. * On 23 February 2015, Katy Perry performed there as part of

Prismatic World Tour The Prismatic World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her fourth studio album, '' Prism'' (2013). The tour began on May 7, 2014, in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Odyssey Arena, concluding on October ...

. * On January 30, 2016, Ellie Goulding performed there as part of Delirium World Tour. * On November 12, 2016,

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

performed a sold-out show during his

Purpose World Tour The Purpose World Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, in support of his fourth studio album '' Purpose'' (2015). The tour started on March 9, 2016, in Seattle, Washington, and concluded on July 2, 2017, in London, ...

. * On July 27, 2016, Rihanna performed there as part of

ANTI World Tour The Anti World Tour (stylized as ANTI World Tour) was the seventh concert tour by Barbadian singer Rihanna, in support of her eighth studio album, '' Anti'' (2016). The tour was announced on November 15, 2015 and began on March 12, 2016, in Ja ...

. * Gorillaz performed at the arena on 14 November 2017, as part of their

Humanz Tour The Humanz Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their fifth studio album '' Humanz''.Sources for shows in North America: * All except where noted: * 2nd San Francisco date: * Austin City ...

. * On 2 April 2018, Metallica performed there as part of

WorldWired Tour The WorldWired Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their tenth studio album '' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', which was released on November 18, 2016. It is also their first worldwide tour after the Wo ...

. * On 16 April 2018 Imagine Dragons performed here as a part of their

Evolve World Tour The Evolve World Tour (stylized as ''ƎVOLVE World Tour'') was the third concert tour by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons in support of their third studio album '' Evolve'' (2017). The tour began on September 26, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona ...

. * On 7 & 8 May 2018, Enrique Iglesias performed there as part of Enrique Iglesias Live. * On 1 July 2018 Pearl Jam performed there as part of

Pearl Jam 2018 Tour The Pearl Jam 2018 Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam. The tour consisted of twenty-seven shows, with five in South America, fifteen in Europe and seven in North America. It was the band's first tour following their Nor ...

. * On 10 October 2018,

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

performed there as part of

Shania Now Tour The Now Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by Canadian recording artist Shania Twain, in support of her fifth studio album '' Now'' (2017). The tour began on May 3, 2018, in Tacoma, and was initially scheduled to conclude in Las Vegas ...

. * On 7 May 2019, Elton John performed there as part of

Farewell Yellow Brick Road Farewell Yellow Brick Road is an ongoing tour by English musician Elton John that began in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 2018 and will end in Stockholm, Sweden on July 8, 2023. It is intended to be John's final tour and will consist ...

* On 4 September 2019, Ariana Grande performed there as part of

Sweetener World Tour The Sweetener World Tour was the fourth concert tour and third arena tour by American singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, ''Sweetener'' (2018) and '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). Led by Live N ...

. * On 16 February 2020,

Twenty One Pilots Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who ...

performed there as part of The Bandito Tour. * On 29 May 2020, Eric Clapton will start his Eric Clapton Summer European Tour 2020, Summer European Tour 2020 at the arena. * * * On 20 December 2021 the mother of Symphonic Metal Nightwish will perform here as part of their long-awaited and postponed "Human:Nature European Tour 2020/21" * On 29 April 2022, 5 Seconds of Summer will perform here as part of their No Shame Tour (5 Seconds of Summer), No Shane Tour. * On 11 June 2022, My Chemical Romance will perform here as part as their My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour. * On 15 July 2022, Harry Styles will perform here as a part of his Love On Tour, Love on Tour. * On 24 February 2023,

will return to the arena to kick off the European leg of her Courage World Tour. * On 12 March 2023,

will perform here as a part of his Justice World Tour. * On 30 & 31 May 2023, Iron Maiden are scheduled to perform here as a part of their The Future Past Tour. * The arena is also the home of Transmission (festival) since 2007.

Technical facts

*Number of floors: 6 *Floor space: 35,000 m² *Capacity: up to 18,000 spectators (depends on event) *Club and Luxury seats: 2,460 *Sky boxes: 66 *Party Boxes: 4 *Seats in bars, restaurants and cafés: 2,900 *Beers that can be tapped in one break: 30,000 *Parking: 280 places *Population of its catchment area: 1.5 to 1.8 million people File:Sazka-arena-02.jpg, Interior of O2 Arena (2007) File:Sazka arena.jpg, View from Českomoravská street File:Sazka Arena Ozzy.jpg, Sazka Arena in June 2007, before Ozzy Osbourne's concert File:2017 European Women Basketball Championship EuroBasket Prague O2 Arena – final ceremony.jpg, Final ceremony of EuroBasket Women 2017 in O2 Arena

References

External links

Official website of the O₂ arena
{{Authority control Sports venues completed in 2004 Indoor arenas in the Czech Republic Indoor ice hockey venues in the Czech Republic Basketball venues in the Czech Republic Sports venues in Prague National stadiums, Czech Republic Music venues in Prague Music venues completed in 2004 2004 establishments in the Czech Republic

History

Notable events

Technical facts

See also

References

External links