King Baudouin Stadium is the national stadium of Belgium, a 50,093-capacity ground on the Heysel plateau in the north of Brussels that is the home of the Belgian national football team, the Red Devils, and the country's biggest athletics and concert venue. Demand for King Baudouin Stadium tickets is driven above all by Belgium's home internationals, their World Cup and Nations League matches against the leading European sides, along with the annual Memorial Van Damme athletics meeting and the major concerts that fill the ground. The stadium, known in French as the Stade Roi Baudouin and in Dutch as the Koning Boudewijnstadion, was rebuilt in the 1990s and sits beside the Atomium in one of the best-connected parts of the city. 1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace established in 2006, with seat-level detail at checkout and a 150% money-back guarantee if a ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.
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This guide is written for the supporter making the trip, not the browser. It covers the metro out from central Brussels, how the oval bowl and its running track are arranged, where visiting supporters sit, the bag rules and the entry process, the food, beer and chocolate of Brussels, and the long history of one of Europe's landmark stadiums. By the end you should know how a matchday at the Stade Roi Baudouin runs.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | King Baudouin Stadium, the Stade Roi Baudouin |
| Location | Avenue de Marathon, Heysel, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium |
| Capacity | 50,093, the largest in Belgium |
| Opened | 1930, rebuilt in 1995 |
| Surface | Natural grass with an athletics track |
| Primary Use | Belgium national football team, athletics and concerts |
| Landmark | The historic Marathon Tower entrance |
| Nearby | The Atomium and Brussels Expo |
| Owner | The City of Brussels |
| Nearest Metro | Heysel and Roi Baudouin on line 6 |
King Baudouin Stadium sits on the Heysel plateau in Laeken, in the north of Brussels, around six kilometres from the centre, in a district it shares with the Atomium, Mini-Europe and the Brussels Expo exhibition halls. The great advantage of the ground is that it is served directly by the metro, so reaching it from the centre of Brussels is quick and simple, and the club and the venue encourage supporters to travel by public transport on event days. The address is on the Avenue de Marathon, a name that reflects the ground's Olympic and athletics heritage.
The metro is by far the easiest way in, with line 6 serving two stations right by the ground, Heysel and Roi Baudouin, a short walk from the turnstiles. The metro runs frequently from the centre of Brussels and takes around fifteen to twenty minutes, so simply ride to Heysel or Roi Baudouin and follow the crowd to the stadium. On a matchday the metro is the natural choice, and the two stations spread the arriving supporters across the site.
Several tram and bus routes also serve the Heysel area from around the city, including tram lines 7, 51 and 93 and various buses, giving alternatives to the metro. The public-transport network in Brussels is dense and easy to use with a ticket or the local travel app, so combining trams and the metro is straightforward. Follow the signs from the nearest stop to the ground on a busy day.
Brussels has excellent rail connections, with the main stations of Brussels-Midi, Central and Nord linked to the metro out to Heysel, and the city is a hub on the European high-speed network, connected to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne. Brussels Airport at Zaventem is a short train ride from the city centre, from where the metro runs out to the ground, so the stadium is very accessible for overseas visitors. Arriving by train into the centre and taking the metro north is the usual approach.
Driving to the ground is not recommended on event days, as parking around the Heysel plateau is limited and the roads are busy when a big event is on, though the exhibition-centre car parks in the area are sometimes used. There is no simple dedicated stadium parking for a sell-out, so with the metro running right to the ground, public transport is far easier than driving into this part of Brussels. Drivers should use a park-and-ride on the edge of the city and take the metro in.
Parking at King Baudouin Stadium is limited on event days, and although the Heysel plateau has the large car parks of the Brussels Expo exhibition centre nearby, these fill quickly and are not a reliable option for a sold-out international or concert. There is no simple dedicated matchday car park at the stadium itself, and the roads around the site are busy before and after an event. With the metro serving two stations right by the ground and the wider Brussels public-transport network so dense, arriving by metro, tram or train is much easier than driving. Drivers coming from outside the city are best using a park-and-ride on the metro and completing the journey underground.
King Baudouin Stadium is an athletics stadium as much as a football ground, so it is a continuous oval bowl with a running track around the pitch, which means the seats are set a little further back from the play than at a dedicated football stadium. The main grandstand runs along one side, with the curved ends behind the goals and the long stand opposite, and the historic Marathon Tower marks the original entrance. The 1990s rebuild modernised the ground while keeping its oval athletics form, giving good sightlines around a large bowl.
The main grandstand along one side holds the premium and hospitality seating, the media positions and the best central views along the pitch, and it is the most sheltered and comfortable part of the ground. As the principal stand it carries the higher-priced seats and the best facilities, and for a clear view of the whole pitch and the shape of a match the central rows of the main stand are the pick of the ground. It looks out across the bowl towards the opposite stand.
The curved ends behind the goals are where the most vocal Belgium supporters gather, the home of the Red Devils' following who bring the flags, the singing and the red, yellow and black colour to an international night. These are the sections to target for the fullest atmosphere at a Belgium match, though the running track means they sit further from the goal than a football-specific end. The long stand opposite the main grandstand completes the bowl with a good elevated view across the pitch in a calmer setting.
For international matches the visiting country's supporters are given a designated section of the ground, with the exact location and allocation set for each fixture, so away fans should check the details for their specific game. The ground has accessible provision, including positions for wheelchair users with companion spaces and step-free access, improved in the recent renovation work, though published detail on exact numbers is limited, so supporters with access requirements should contact the venue before the match. The table below matches a section to what you want from the day.
| Priority | Recommended Sections |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | The curved ends behind the goals |
| Tactical overview | Main grandstand, central rows |
| Shelter and comfort | Main grandstand under cover |
| Calmer view | The long stand opposite the main grandstand |
| Budget-friendly | Upper rows and the corners |
| Visiting fans | Designated away section (confirm per fixture) |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair-user bays with companion spaces (request at purchase) |
Brussels has a mild, changeable maritime climate, with cool winters, moderate summers and rain possible in any season, so a matchday at the Stade Roi Baudouin can be wet and breezy as easily as bright. The roof covers much of the seating and keeps most of the crowd dry, though as a large oval bowl with open corners some seats are more exposed to wind and rain than others. For an autumn or winter international a warm and waterproof layer is sensible, especially in the more open sections, while summer fixtures and the athletics meetings are usually comfortable under the covered stands.
Like other international grounds, King Baudouin Stadium runs a firm bag policy with searches on entry, so the sensible approach is to travel light. Large bags and rucksacks are best left at your accommodation, since oversized bags are refused and there is no guarantee of a bag store. Standard prohibited items apply, including bottles, cans, outside alcohol, pyrotechnics and flares, and any object judged dangerous. The concourses take card and contactless payment. Check the venue's guidance for the current bag size limit before you travel, and arrive early to clear the search on a busy day at a big international or concert.
Brussels is one of the great food and drink cities of Europe, famous for its beer, its chocolate, its chips and its cuisine, and although the ground is out at Heysel the whole city is a short metro ride away. The area around the stadium has the attractions of the Atomium and the exhibition halls rather than a dense bar scene, so most supporters build the day around the centre.
Brussels is renowned for its beer culture, with hundreds of Belgian beers from lambics and gueuze to trappist ales, served in the cafes and bars of the old centre around the Grand-Place, along with moules-frites, waffles, chocolate and fine dining. The historic centre is full of atmospheric bars and brasseries, and a meal and a beer in the city before the metro out to the ground is one of the pleasures of a football trip to Brussels. The choice runs from traditional estaminets to modern restaurants.
The Heysel plateau around the stadium is more about the Atomium, Mini-Europe and the exhibition centre than nightlife, with some cafes and eating options but a quieter feel than the centre. A few spots near the ground and the metro serve supporters on a matchday, but most gather in the centre and travel out. The area is worth arriving early for to see the Atomium, the giant model of an iron crystal that is one of the symbols of Brussels.
Inside the stadium the concourses serve Belgian matchday and event fare, including the national staple of chips, with card and contactless payment throughout. For a fuller meal, eat in the centre of Brussels beforehand, where the beer cafes, the brasseries and the chocolate shops offer the best of the city, then take the metro out to the ground. The food is far better in town than at the stadium, so build the day around the centre.
Belgian football and events use modern digital ticketing, so for most fixtures the ticket sits in your phone wallet or an app and is scanned at the entrance. Load the ticket, charge your phone and turn the screen brightness up before you reach the turnstile, since a saved screenshot can fail to scan when a barcode refreshes. Gates open ahead of kick-off to let the crowd filter in, and with a bag search and a crowd arriving by metro at once, the entrances get busy in the last half hour. Aim to be at the ground in good time rather than joining the final rush from the metro, particularly for a sold-out international or a concert.
Leaving the ground is straightforward given the two metro stations right beside it, which carry the crowd back into the city quickly.
Most supporters walk the short distance to Heysel or Roi Baudouin and take the metro back towards the centre, with the trams a further option. The stations are busy immediately after a sold-out event, so either move quickly with the first wave or give the crush a few minutes to clear before heading down. The frequent metro service means you are quickly back in the centre of Brussels for the evening, one of the better transport setups for a large stadium.
Drivers who used a park-and-ride should take the metro back to their car on the edge of the city, avoiding the busy roads around Heysel after an event. Few come by car given the metro links. Walking back into the centre is a long way at around six kilometres, so most take the metro, though a stroll around the Atomium and the Heysel park is a pleasant way to let the initial crowd clear before heading down to the station.
The natural way to end a matchday is to take the metro back into central Brussels and settle into a beer cafe or a brasserie around the Grand-Place, in one of the great cities of Europe for beer and food. The simplest way to beat any post-event crowd is to let the first wave clear before heading down to the metro, then enjoy the short ride into town. An evening among the bars and restaurants of the old centre is a fine end to the day.
The stadium opened in 1930 as the Jubilee Stadium, built on the Heysel plateau to mark the centenary of Belgian independence, and it soon became the national stadium and a major venue for football and athletics. Renamed the Heysel Stadium after the district, it hosted European finals and internationals for decades, but it is also the site of one of the darkest days in the game, the Heysel disaster of 29 May 1985, when 39 supporters, most of them Juventus fans, died before the European Cup final against Liverpool after crowd disorder and the collapse of a wall. The tragedy led to lasting changes in stadium safety and to English clubs being banned from European competition for years, and it is remembered with a memorial at the ground.
By the 1990s the old stadium was outdated and tainted by the disaster, and it was comprehensively rebuilt on the same site, reopening in 1995 as a modern ground renamed the King Baudouin Stadium in honour of King Baudouin of Belgium, who had died in 1993. The rebuilt stadium kept the historic Marathon Tower entrance from the original 1930 ground while modernising the bowl, and it returned to service as the home of the national team and the country's leading athletics and concert venue. The renaming and the rebuild marked a deliberate new chapter for a ground with a heavy history.
Since the rebuild the stadium has hosted many of the biggest occasions in Belgian sport. It staged five matches at the 2000 European Championship, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, including the opening game, when Belgium beat Sweden, and a semi-final between France and Portugal. It is the annual home of the Memorial Van Damme, one of the leading meetings on the international athletics circuit, named after the Belgian runner Ivo Van Damme, and it has hosted major concerts by some of the biggest names in music, confirming its place as the national stadium of Belgium.
The stadium's history, verified by contemporary records, spans triumph and tragedy. Its football highlights since the rebuild include the 2000 European Championship matches, among them the opening game and the France against Portugal semi-final, and the many home internationals of Belgium's Red Devils during their rise to the top of the world rankings. The 1985 disaster remains the ground's most solemn memory, marked by a permanent memorial. On the athletics track the Memorial Van Damme has produced world records and golden nights, giving the stadium a place in the history of the sport as well as of football.
King Baudouin Stadium remains the national stadium of Belgium, and after years of uncertainty over whether the country would build a new national ground, the stadium has continued as the settled home of the Red Devils, with renovation work carried out to keep it up to standard. Its future lies in continuing to host Belgium's internationals, the Memorial Van Damme athletics and major concerts, as the leading large venue in the country. While debate over a possible future national stadium has come and gone, the King Baudouin Stadium remains the home of Belgian football and athletics, a historic ground with a modern role at the heart of the nation's sport.
King Baudouin Stadium has accessible provision, including positions for wheelchair users with companion spaces and step-free access, improved by the recent renovation work at a ground that dates in its rebuilt form to 1995. The exact number and location of accessible spaces are not widely published, so supporters with access requirements should contact the venue well before the match to confirm the available seating, arrange any companion ticket and check the route into the ground. The two metro stations right beside the stadium, on a step-free line, make reaching the ground more manageable than at many older venues, and the operator can advise on the most suitable arrangement for a given event.
The fixtures that move King Baudouin Stadium tickets fastest are Belgium's home internationals, especially the World Cup and Nations League matches against the leading European sides. The full home programme sits on the Belgium tickets page, with individual matches such as the Belgium vs France tickets fixture, the meeting with their neighbours and one of the biggest draws, listed as they are confirmed. Visiting fans following France tickets and the other major nations swell the demand for the marquee games. Belgium's World Cup qualifying nights, part of the wider World Cup tickets road, are among the biggest occasions of all. International tickets in Belgium are reasonably priced by European standards, but the games against the strongest opponents sell out, so the marquee nights are the ones to book early. Secondary-market prices move with demand, so treat any figure as indicative rather than fixed and buy early for the key matches.
1BoxOffice is a verified secondary marketplace that has operated since 2006, showing seat-level detail before you pay and backing every order with a 150% money-back guarantee if a ticket fails to grant entry on matchday. The eight steps below cover the process from finding a fixture to tracking your order.
Step1
Find the fixture
Go to the King Baudouin Stadium listing on 1BoxOffice and select the match or event you want. Each fixture shows the available stands, rows and current pricing before you commit to a seat.
Step2
Check the seat detail
Use the stand and price filters to compare sections. Seat location and row are shown against the venue layout, so you can weigh a curved end behind the goal against a sheltered main-grandstand seat before deciding.
Step3
Confirm the supporter section
Make sure the block matches who you are travelling with. For internationals, home and visiting-supporter areas are listed separately, and visiting fans are routed to the designated section confirmed for each fixture.
Step4
Review before checkout
Check the delivery method and the kick-off time against your travel plans. International and Nations League kick-off times can shift with scheduling, so verify the date and time before you book travel or a hotel, especially for a trip to Brussels.
Step5
Create your account
First-time buyers should create an account to complete checkout and receive the ticket. Returning customers simply log in. An account keeps your order and delivery details in one place.
Step6
Complete payment
All major credit and debit cards are accepted. The 150% money-back guarantee applies automatically to every order if the ticket fails to grant entry on matchday.
Step7
Receive your ticket
Tickets for Belgium matches and events are typically issued digitally. Keep the live ticket in your wallet or the relevant app ready to scan, and avoid relying on a saved screenshot that may fail at the turnstile.
Step8
Track your order
Follow delivery status and manage your booking through track order. Digital tickets arrive ahead of the match so you can travel with everything ready.
Brussels makes a rewarding football trip, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, a compact and historic city famous for its beer, chocolate and food and superbly connected to the rest of Europe. Fly into Brussels Airport at Zaventem and take the train into the centre, or arrive by high-speed train from Paris, London, Amsterdam or Cologne, then reach the ground by metro line 6 to Heysel or Roi Baudouin. Base yourself in the centre near the Grand-Place, with the metro out to the stadium on matchday, and remember that the ground is a historic athletics stadium with the seats set back a little from the pitch, and that a warm layer helps for an autumn international. Brussels pairs a match with one of the best short breaks in Europe.
With the city and the country rewarding a longer stay, many supporters build a trip around the match. If you are lining up other fixtures, the football tickets hub, the wider football tournaments calendar and the venues tickets directory show what else is on. The stadium itself has staged European Championship football, including a semi-final featuring Portugal, and it belongs to a ground with a long history of hosting the finals of the Champions League tickets and the Europa League tickets competitions in their earlier forms. In Brussels, the Grand-Place, the Atomium by the ground, the museums and the beer cafes all reward a matchday visit.
King Baudouin Stadium holds 50,093, making it the largest stadium in Belgium. It is an oval athletics stadium with a running track, rebuilt in 1995, used for the Belgium national team, the Memorial Van Damme athletics and major concerts. The running track means the seats sit a little further from the pitch than at a football-specific ground.
The stadium is the home of the Belgium national football team, the Red Devils, who play their major World Cup and Nations League home matches there. It is a national stadium rather than a club ground, also used for the annual Memorial Van Damme athletics meeting, occasional rugby internationals and major concerts.
Take the metro, line 6, to Heysel or Roi Baudouin, both right by the ground and around fifteen to twenty minutes from the centre of Brussels. Trams and buses also serve the Heysel area. The metro is by far the easiest way in, and the venue encourages supporters to travel by public transport on event days, as parking is limited.
Parking is limited on event days, and although the Brussels Expo exhibition car parks are nearby, they fill quickly and are not reliable for a sold-out event. There is no simple dedicated matchday car park at the stadium. With the metro serving two stations beside the ground, arriving by public transport or a park-and-ride is much easier than driving.
Yes, Belgium international tickets are sold to the general public, though the biggest matches against the leading nations sell out and the best sections go first. Public sales can be limited for a sold-out night, which is why a verified secondary marketplace is often the realistic route for visitors, with seat detail shown before you pay.
Travel light, as large bags and rucksacks are refused and there is no guarantee of a bag store. Expect a search at the entrance. Bottles, cans, outside alcohol, pyrotechnics and flares are prohibited. The concourses take card and contactless payment. Check the venue's guidance for the current bag size limit before you travel.
The curved ends behind the goals are where the most vocal Belgium supporters gather, with the flags and singing, so target them for the fullest atmosphere. Bear in mind the running track sets them a little back from the goal. The main grandstand is the most sheltered and best for a clear tactical view of the match.
For international matches the visiting country's supporters are given a designated section, with the exact location and allocation set for each fixture. The arrangement can vary by game, so visiting fans should always check the details for their specific match and follow the guidance issued with the ticket.
Yes. The ground has positions for wheelchair users with companion spaces and step-free access, improved by recent renovation work. The exact number of spaces is not widely published, so contact the venue before the match to confirm the seating and arrange it in advance. The two metro stations beside the ground help with reaching it.
Gates open ahead of kick-off to let the crowd in, typically well over an hour before an international. With a bag search and a crowd arriving by metro at once, the entrances get busy in the last half hour, so aim to arrive in good time. The precise opening time is confirmed with your ticket or event details.
The concourses serve Belgian matchday fare, including chips, with card and contactless payment. The real draw is central Brussels, a short metro ride away, one of the great cities of Europe for beer, chocolate and food, with its cafes and brasseries around the Grand-Place. Eat and drink in the centre before travelling out to the ground.
The ground opened in 1930 as the Jubilee Stadium and was later known as the Heysel Stadium. After a major rebuild it reopened in 1995 renamed the King Baudouin Stadium, in French the Stade Roi Baudouin, in honour of King Baudouin of Belgium, who had died in 1993. All the names refer to the same national stadium in Brussels.
On 29 May 1985, before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at the then Heysel Stadium, 39 supporters, most of them Juventus fans, died after crowd disorder and the collapse of a wall. It was one of the game's darkest days, leading to major stadium safety reforms, and it is remembered with a memorial at the rebuilt ground.
Belgium international tickets are reasonably priced by European standards, with a range of categories from the curves to the main grandstand. Resale prices depend on the fixture, with the games against the strongest nations and the decisive qualifiers the most in demand. Secondary-market prices move with demand, so treat any figure as indicative rather than a promise.
The Memorial Van Damme is a leading annual athletics meeting held at the King Baudouin Stadium, part of the top international circuit and named after the Belgian middle-distance runner Ivo Van Damme, who died in 1976. It regularly attracts the best athletes in the world and has produced world records, making the stadium a landmark venue in athletics as well as football.
Tickets are usually issued digitally, so the barcode sits in your phone wallet or an app and is scanned at the entrance. Charge your phone, turn up the screen brightness and load the ticket before you arrive. A saved screenshot can fail to scan when a barcode refreshes, so rely on the live ticket in the app.
It is a historic athletics stadium with a running track, so the seats sit a little further from the pitch than at a football-specific ground, but the rebuilt bowl has good sightlines and the atmosphere on a Belgium international night is strong. The history and the setting beside the Atomium make it a memorable place to watch football.
The ground is on the Heysel plateau beside the Atomium, the giant model of an iron crystal that is a symbol of Brussels, along with Mini-Europe and the Brussels Expo exhibition halls. Central Brussels is a short metro ride away, with the Grand-Place, the museums, the chocolate shops and the beer cafes all rewarding a matchday trip.
Yes. As the national stadium it hosts the annual Memorial Van Damme athletics meeting, one of the leading events on the international circuit, and major concerts by some of the biggest names in music, as well as Belgium football matches and occasional rugby internationals. It is the country's leading large venue for sport and music alike.
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Sources: King Baudouin Stadium and City of Brussels information, the Royal Belgian Football Association, STIB-MIVB Brussels transport, and Olympic, athletics and stadium reference records. Information was gathered in July 2026 and may change; check sources for the latest details. 1BoxOffice is not affiliated with the King Baudouin Stadium or the Belgium national team. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.