BAM to replace Heysel ground with Belgium’s national ‘Eurostadium’

The city council of Brussels has chosen a team led by Dutch contractor BAM and Belgian developer Ghelamco as preferred bidder to build, finance and operate the national “Eurostadium”, which will replace the King Baudouin Stadium in the suburb of Heysel. 

The consortium will build a 60,000 capacity venue, as well as exhibition palaces, a shopping centre, a 5,000 capacity conference hall and a 15,000 capacity theatre.

The plan is to have the stadium completed in time to host the opening match of the 2020 European championships. 

The BAM-Ghelamco consortium won against a rival team led by Flemish group Denys, Spanish contractor FCC and Australian funder Macquarie Group.

The redevelopment will remove the ground that witnessed “the darkest hour in the history of the UEFA competitions” in May 1985, when a cinder-block wall collapsed during a European cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. Thirty-nine fans, mostly from Juventus, died and 600 were injured.  

Construction is due to start in 2016. The contract is not yet finalised and is open to changes. 

Images: Artist’s depiction of the Eurostadium (BAM)