Spanking new OPAP Arena in Athens to host Greece v Ireland qualifier

The 32,500-seater stadium was opened last year.

GREECE-BOUND: Ireland manager Stephen Kenny. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Greece has selected the brand-new OPAP Arena in Athens to host it’s Euro 2024 qualifiers, including the visit of Ireland on Friday, June 16.

The 32,500-seater stadium – also known by its original name of Agia Sophia Stadium – was opened last year following a €100m construction project and is the home of AEK Athens, who last won the domestic Super League in 2018.

Greece, managed by former Chelsea and Tottenham attacker Gus Poyet, will first use the venue for the upcoming friendly against Lithuania on March 27 – the same evening Ireland host France in their qualification opener at Aviva Stadium.

Greece, fourth seeds in the group drawn last October, will have three days earlier opened their campaign away to Gibraltar in Faro. They are ranked 51 in Fifa’s standings.

The FAI will be entitled to the customary 10% away allocation, although 3,250 might not satisfy demand from fans who may use the favourable climate to make a holiday out of the trip. A good start for Ireland against the French could also spike interest in an away trip.

Stephen Kenny has confirmed that the hot temperature in June, coupled with the gap from the end of the club season, has influenced him to pick Antalya in Turkey as their base for a training camp ahead of the Greece fixture, their second of the campaign. 

They return to Dublin to end the window against Gibraltar on Monday, June 19.