Located in the province of Castellón in eastern Spain, the small city of Villarreal lies 65km north-east of Valencia. It is home to Villarreal Football Club which has risen from humble beginnings to become one of the country’s top football clubs. Home matches are played at El Estadio de la Cerámica, a venue which has been the Villarreal football stadium for more than a century.
Villarreal CF might be relative newcomers to the European football scene but they’ve been around for longer than you might think. Founded in 1923, they didn’t turn professional until the 1970s when the club joined the regional divisions. After years of moving between the second and third tiers, Villarreal finally earned promotion to La Liga in 1998. Their first season saw them survive relegation on the last day.
The turn of the century marked a golden era for Villarreal CF. With star players like Riquelme and Forlán leading the attack, and Manuel Pellegrini masterminding from the dugout, the club had their best ever finish in La Liga in 2008 when they finished runners-up. The club also became a force in Europe, winning the Intertoto Cup in 2003 and 2004 and reaching the Champions League semi-final in 2006.
Following relegation from La Liga in 2012, Villarreal bounced back the next season and re-established themselves in Spain’s top tier. In 2021 they won their first major European trophy, the UEFA Europa League, defeating Manchester United in the final on penalties.
On the back of this European success, Villarreal returned to the Champions League in style in 2022. They beat Juventus and then Bayern Munich in the knockout stage to reach the semi-finals where they were finally defeated by Liverpool. This historic run underscored their emergence as one of Spain’s elite clubs.
History of Villarreal CF Stadium
Villarreal CF’s stadium dates back to 1923 when it hosted its first match under the name Campo del Villarreal. The venue was renamed El Madrigal in 1925 since it was situated near an area of the same name. The first match hosted was between two teams from the nearby city of Castellón. In order to generate sponsorship revenue, the stadium was rebranded as Estadio de la Cerámica in 2017 in recognition of the region’s prominent ceramics industry. Located in the Plaza del Labrador, the stadium is municipally owned and has a capacity of 23,000 spectators.
In recent years Villarreal CF has undertaken an ambitious renovation of Estadio de la Cerámica in order to modernize the facilities and create a premier European sporting venue. This €50 million project has seen the entire stadium enclosed under a new roof with cutting-edge amenities throughout the arena. The newly renovated stadium will promote not just the football club, but also the city of Villarreal and the region’s ceramic industry.
Villarreal Football Club: Stadium Tours
Football fans visiting the region can enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal stadium tours are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 5pm, excluding matchdays and the day before or after a game. Visitors can walk through the tunnel to the pitch, sit in the dugout and visit the press room and locker rooms. More exclusive areas will be opened once stadium renovations are complete. Tours are limited to 60 people and last about an hour. Check out the Villarreal Football Club Website for current information on stadium tours.
How to Get Villarreal Football Tickets
You’ll rarely have any problem getting tickets for most matches although they may sell out for matches against FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and, local rivals, Valencia CF. You can order tickets online on the Official Villarreal CF Website. Alternatively, tickets are sold at the stadium store which is open from Monday to Saturday (10am to 6pm) including matchdays. The club also has an official store in the town centre.
