Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 21/06/2026 00:03:00

Home to Malaga CF since 1941, the Estadio La Rosaleda stands on the Paseo de Martiricos, beside the bed of the Guadalmedina river near the centre of the city. Its name, meaning the rose garden, comes from the grounds on which it was built. Plans for the stadium were drawn up in the 1930s, and the foundation stone was laid in June 1936, but the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War halted construction for several years. Work resumed at the start of the 1940s to a modified design by the architects Enrique Atencia and Fernando Guerrero-Strachan. The first match was played on 13 April 1941, brought forward after a storm wrecked the club's previous ground by the sea. The official inauguration followed on 14 September that year, with a game against Sevilla, at which the club also took up the name Malaga. From an early capacity of a few thousand, the stadium was expanded over the decades, notably with a two-tier east stand in the 1960s and major works for the 1982 World Cup, during which it hosted three group matches involving Scotland, New Zealand and the Soviet Union. A further redevelopment beginning in 2000 rebuilt much of the ground over several years, improving cover and facilities while settling the capacity at around 30,000 seats, making it one of the larger stadiums in Andalusia. Over more than eight decades it has staged league and cup football, European nights and a number of Spain internationals, and its entrances have been named after players who shaped the club's history. The stadium is owned by a combination of public bodies and used by Malaga CF, and it has been earmarked for a major expansion as part of plans for the 2030 World Cup. Set close to the heart of the city rather than on its outskirts, La Rosaleda has remained the focus of football in Malaga throughout its history.