The stadium officially opened on 14 August 1996 with a match between Ajax and AC Milan, the first goal was scored by Dejan SaviΔeviΔ in front of a full house.
It was the first football stadium in Europe with a retractable roof, a feature that takes about 20 minutes to open or close and made the arena suitable for both football and large-scale events. The stands are among the steepest in Europe, with the second tier at an angle of 37 degrees designed to keep the crowd as close to the field as possible.
In 2018, the stadium was officially renamed Johan Cruijff ArenA in honour of the legendary Dutch footballer.
The building functions as a living lab for urban innovation: testing and implementing solutions for mobility, energy, safety and digital connectivity that feed directly into the development of Amsterdam Zuidoost as a smart city district. The arena works with public and private partners to push these developments forward, and has become an international reference point for what a modern stadium can be.
