Paris La Défense Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris. Opened in October 2017, it was developed by the rugby union club Racing 92, and replaced Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir as their home field. It is one of the two multi-purpose indoor arena to be built in Europe, along with Telenor Arena and is Europe's largest indoor arena. Its naming rights are held by Paris La Défense, the management company of the nearby La Défense business district.
The venue offers three separate configurations. In its rugby configuration, it has a nominal seating capacity of 30,681. For concerts, it is able to seat 40,000. Finally, a movable stand allows it to also be used for a variety of indoor sports, at various capacities, with a capacity of as low as 5,000 being possible. The venue also includes of office space, 300 student rooms, shops, including a club shop, a brewery and a gourmet restaurant.
It is scheduled to host swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Due to IOC sponsorship regulations, the venue will be referred to as Arena 92.
History
The arena was originally planned to open in 2014, but that date was delayed, due to local protests.
It eventually opened in October 2017, although Racing 92 did not play their first home game in the new arena until they hosted Toulouse on 22 December 2017. The stadium's working name was changed from "Arena92" to "U Arena"; referencing the configuration of the main stands, and the structure's shape, when viewed from the air, in November 2016. The name was changed a second time to the current Paris La Défense Arena on 12 June 2018. This followed a 10-year naming rights agreement with Paris La Défense, the company that manages the nearby La Défense business district.
The venue was originally planned to have a retractable roof, but it was ultimately built with a fixed roof instead.
The Rolling Stones were the first band to ever perform a concert at the venue, closing their Europe-only No Filter Tour, with three shows, on 19, 22, and 25 October 2017. The arena's first rugby union match, took place on 25 November 2017 between France and Japan. On 11 March 2018, the French professional basketball clubs Nanterre 92 and ASVEL Basket, played each other in a LNB Pro A 2017–18 season game. The game had an attendance of 15,220, which was the highest attendance of any game in the league's history. In 2017, the Paris Supercross moved from Bercy to Nanterre, as the venue could host a more traditional Supercross, compared to an Arenacross configuration.