LANXESS arena

Former names	Kölnarena (1998–2008)
Location	Deutz, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Coordinates	50°56′18.59″N 6°58′58.63″E / 50.9384972°N 6.9829528°E / 50.9384972; 6.9829528
Public transit	Köln Messe/Deutz Bahnhof Deutz/LANXESS arena
Owner	Immobilienfonds Köln-Deutz Arena, Mantelbebauung GbR
Operator	Arena Management GmbH
Capacity	20,000 (concerts) 19,500 (handball) 18,500 (hockey)
Surface	Parquetry, ice
Construction
Broke ground	July 31, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-07-31)
Opened	October 5, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-10-05)
Construction cost	€ 153 million
Architect	Peter Böhm[1]
Tenants
Kölner Haie (DEL) (1998–present)
Website
lanxess-arena.de (in German)

Lanxess Arena (stylized as LANXESS arena; originally Kölnarena, German for "Cologne arena") is an indoor arena, in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is known as the 18,500-capacity home of the Kölner Haie.

It is primarily used by Kölner Haie (ice hockey), VfL Gummersbach (handball), Köln RheinStars (basketball), and as a concert venue. Lanxess Arena was the highest-attended arena of 2019, with 699,924 tickets sold.^[2]

The arena is spanned by a steel arch supporting the roof via steel cables. The height of the arch is 76 m (249 ft) and its weight is 480 tons.

On June 2, 2008, it was announced that Kölnarena would be renamed Lanxess Arena, for a period of ten years.^[3] The sponsor, Lanxess AG, is a specialty chemicals group based in the Lanxess Tower in Deutz, Cologne. This naming-rights deal was extended in 2017 until December 31, 2023. Then in October 2023, it was announced that the cooperation between the arena and Lanxess had been extended for another 5 years until 2028.

Lanxess Arena has been one of the top entertainment venues in Cologne since its opening. Many international artists have performed at the venue, spanning a wide range of music genres. Artists that have performed their concerts at the venue are listed in the table below.

The arena was used for the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship, including the third place game and the final game.

On June 13, 2009, the Ultimate Fighting Championships held UFC 99 at the Lanxess Arena.^[31] This was the first time the UFC has made its way to Germany.

On May 29–30, 2010, the arena hosted the EHF Champions League Final Four.

The arena was one of the venues for the 2010 IIHF World Championship, including both semi-finals, the Bronze medal game and the Championship game.

On August 22–23, 2015, the arena hosted ESL One Cologne 2015, one of three major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments to be held throughout 2015.^[32]

On July 5–10, 2016, the arena hosted ESL One Cologne 2016, the second $1,000,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major tournament.

From May 5 to 21, 2017, the arena co-hosted the IIHF ice hockey world championship, including all the final games.^[33]

On July 7–9, 2017, the arena hosted ESL One Cologne 2017, a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament with a prize pool of $250,000.^[34]

From July 6 to 8, 2018, the arena hosted ESL One Cologne 2018. This event earned Lanxess Arena the nickname “The Cathedral Of Counter-Strike”.

On October 8, 2018, the arena hosted an exhibition ice hockey game between Kölner Haie and the Edmonton Oilers, part of the 2018 NHL Global Series Challenge.

On July 5–7, 2019, the arena hosted another edition of the ESL One Cologne, a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament with a prize pool of $300,000.

From July 12 to 13, 2019, the arena will host the 2019 German Darts Masters, part of the Professional Darts Corporation World Series.

From May 22 to 24, 2020, the arena will host the 2020 Euroleague Final Four, part of Euroleague Basketball.

In 2020 the arena hosted back to back ATP 250 events. From October 11–18, Bett1Hulks Indoors and from October 17 to 25, it hosted another ATP 250 event, Bett1Hulks Championship.

From July 15 to 17 2022, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive returned to the arena after a two year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, under the moniker IEM Cologne 2022, as ESL merged their ESL One brand into their Intel Extreme Masters brand. The event offered an increased prize pool of $1,000,000.

The venue will host some group phase matches at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 which the country and Berlin alongside Czech Republic in Prague, Georgia in Tbilisi and Italy in Milan.

The annual Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event, IEM Cologne 2023, returned to the venue on August 4 to 6, 2023, where the prize pool offered was once again $1,000,000, matching that of the previous year's. The winners, G2 Esports, took first place and $400,000.

• 
  Lanxess Arena exterior view
• 
  Lanxess Arena, hockey configuration
• 
  Lanxess Arena inside
• 
  Lanxess Arena during handball match between VfL Gummersbach and Frisch Auf Göppingen
• 
  Lanxess Arena in 2008 during an ice hockey game
• 
  Aerial view of LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany

• List of indoor arenas in Germany
• List of European ice hockey arenas
• List of indoor arenas by capacity

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lanxess Arena.

• Official website (in German)