Montilivi · Profile

In the summer of 2017, when Girona FC won promotion to the Spanish top flight for the first time, the Estadi Municipal de Montilivi added two retractable stands of 2,000 seats each, one behind the north goal and one along the main side. That took capacity close to 15,000. The stadium belongs to Girona City Council and stands in the Montilivi district, on the avenue of the same name. It has been the club's home since it opened on 14 August 1970.

Construction and opening

From 1930 to 1970 Girona played at the Camp de Vista Alegre. The new ground was designed by architect Josep Ros and cost 28 million pesetas, roughly 168,000 euros at the conversion rate. Its largest crowd came in the early 1970s, when around 25,000 spectators turned up for a match against FC Barcelona. In 2020 the club marked the stadium's fiftieth anniversary.

New stands and a long lease

Promotion to the Spanish second division in 2008 forced the club to fit seats across the whole stand. Between 2009 and 2010 the east stand was rebuilt; it had collapsed in the 1990s and had been hidden behind an advertising banner. The work finished in June 2010, seven months late, and the new side stand could not be used in the 2009-10 season because the access routes were not ready. The first sell-out with individual seats came on 2 March 2011, with a crowd of just over 9,280. On 12 March 2012 the city council granted the ground to Girona for 30 years, renewable up to a maximum of 50.

Into the top flight

On 19 August 2017 Montilivi staged Girona's first ever top-flight match, a 2-2 draw with Atlético de Madrid. Cristhian Stuani scored both home goals in front of 11,342 spectators. The same year a hybrid pitch was laid, 97% natural grass and 3% synthetic fibre, and the ground level was lowered by one metre to improve drainage. In 2018-19 another retractable stand brought 1,000 more seats behind the south goal, along with four 30-metre floodlight towers and 258 LED lamps. The adjoining 90 by 45 metre training pitch was removed to make room for parking. On 31 January 2019, against Real Madrid, the stadium recorded a crowd of 14,158, its highest attendance as an all-seater.

Relegation and return

After relegation in 2019 the temporary stands behind the goals were taken down and capacity fell to 11,286. When the team returned to the top flight in 2022, the stadium was expanded again to 14,624 seats.

National teams at Montilivi

The ground hosts the Trofeo Costa Brava every year. On 28 December 2016 it welcomed the Catalonia team for a friendly against Tunisia. It was the first stadium outside the Barcelona area to host Catalonia, which returned for a 2-1 win over Venezuela on 25 March 2019 and a 6-0 win over Jamaica on 25 May 2022. The first international between FIFA national teams was Trinidad and Tobago against the United Arab Emirates (2-0) on 6 September 2018. In November 2022 Mexico prepared for the World Cup in Qatar there with two friendlies: a 4-0 win over Iraq on the 9th and a 1-2 defeat to Sweden on the 16th.

The Champions League

Girona's qualification for the 2024-25 Champions League raised a problem. UEFA does not allow retractable stands, so the usable capacity for European matches fell below 10,000. In May 2024 it was confirmed that the club's European home games would be played at Montilivi. The stadium hosted its first European match on 2 October 2024, when Feyenoord won 3-2 in the league phase; David López and Donny van de Beek scored for Girona.