San Sebastián – Anoeta

Article updated: 22/07/2026

When Real Sociedad moved to Anoeta in 1993, the culture change must have been immense. It was not just a kilometre or so to the south from the centre of this beautiful coastal city, but a world away from the intense and claustrophobic surroundings of Atotxa. The Penas and Ultras, who had been used to standing less than five feet from the goal-mouth action, were now up to 50 metres away.

Work began on the construction of Anoeta in late 1990, on the site of the city’s old municipal athletics stadium, which had originally opened in 1950. The budget for the build was the equivalent of €21m, and the original specification had a capacity of 29,000 seats spread over two undulating tiers. It was inaugurated on 29 June 1993 with the opening of the European Junior Athletics Championships and saw its first football match, a friendly between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid, on 13 August 1993. The first goal was scored by La Real’s forward Loren, and the match finished 2–2. The north and south ends of the ground were further developed in 1998, with the addition of a shallow extra tier between the existing two levels.

Results at home in that first season were better than the last season at Atotxa, but to be honest, “La Real” was already a team in decline. Since moving to the new stadium, Real Sociedad has achieved just two podium finishes, third in 1997-98 and second in 2002-03. The decline cannot be wholly attributed to the move to Anoeta. Since the introduction of the Champions League and individually negotiated TV rights for teams in La Liga, it has become even harder for mid-ranking teams from smaller cities (San Sebatián has 185,000 inhabitants) to compete. Then, in 2007, La Real was relegated from La Primera for the first time in 40 years, and it took them 3 attempts to return. Normality appears to have been restored, as Real Sociedad have clocked up multiple top-ten finishes since their return to the top flight in 2010, along with regular qualification for UEFA competitions.

Anoeta shares much of its DNA with Roger Taillibert’s iconic design for the Parc des Princes in Paris and, until its renovation, was similar in looks, but not size, to the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. I am sure it worked well as an athletics venue, but I don’t recall any major championships being held here. It has held the ubiquitous stadium concerts from U2/Rolling Stones/Springsteen, and Rugby has featured with Bayonne and Biarritz popping over the border from France. Owned by the Municipality, Anoeta had a peak capacity only slightly larger than Atotxa, standing at 32,076. However, all-seater regulations introduced in the mid-1990s saw capacity drop to 26,000. The roof undulated and peaked on each side of the pitch, under which were large tiers of seating. These swept away to the lower ends, which included between their two tiers a third mezzanine level. It did look attractive and weathered surprisingly well, but it was still an athletics stadium with a football pitch in the middle.

Over the years, several plans to convert Anoeta into a football stadium have been considered. Eventually, in 2014, the club chose Izaskun Larzabal’s design. This would involve excavating the playing area, building new end stands and extending the lower tier closer to the pitch. Corporate facilities would be expanded, and the roof would be extended to cover the new seating areas. This would increase capacity to 39,500 and cost €47m. The project was jointly funded by Real Sociedad (€33m), the Basque Government (€10m) and the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council (€4m). Work eventually began in May 2017, with the demolition of the southern end and construction of a new Gol Sud, up tight to the pitch. The project was coordinated so that La Real did not have to play away from Anoeta during the building work. As soon as the Gol Sud was completed in September 2018, work commenced on demolishing the northern end. Just before the project’s completion, Real Sociedad announced a sponsorship deal with Spanish insurance company Reale Seguros, which would see Anoeta renamed the Reale Arena until the end of the 2024-25 season. Finally, thoughts of the athletics track were banished, and symmetry was achieved on 15 September 2019, when La Real hosted Atlético Madrid in the first match at Anoeta with its new configuration.

La Real’s (and the municipality’s) investment has paid dividends. Since the completion of the redevelopment, the club has recorded multiple top-six finishes in La Primera. European football, including the coveted Champions League, has returned to this part of the Basque Country, and the club won its first national trophy in over three decades, beating their eternal rivals Athletic Club 1-0 in the delayed 2020 Copa del Rey final. The Copa was won again in 2026 with victory over Atlético Madrid at La Cartuja. Anoeta also served as temporary home for Athletic Club in August 2013, when they defeated Osasuna 2–0 in a league match while their new San Mamés stadium was undergoing its final finishing touches.

Not surprisingly, Anoeta was included in Spain’s list of venues for the joint hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Morocco and Portugal. During the summer of 2026, Anoeta underwent a €10m expansion to meet FIFA’s hosting criteria. Seating was added to previously unused sections in the upper tiers behind the goals and corner stands, increasing capacity to 41,000. New digital screens were added and repositioned in the upper tiers, whilst press areas and VIP Hospitality also received an upgrade. Work overlapped the start of the 2026-27 season, so La Real played their first three fixtures away from home. Anoeta’s successful redevelopment shows how crucial it is to understand the importance of design and the value of true supporters. The vocal and passionate, as opposed to the wealthy and apathetic. Put simply, Anoeta has finally got a soul.