Editing BayArena (section)

==History==
The stadium was originally known as ''Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion'' ({{IPA|de|ˌʔʊlʁɪçˈhaːbɐlantˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn|pron|}}; {{langx|en|Ulrich Haberland Stadium}}), named after a former chairman of [[Bayer|Bayer AG]], the club's founders.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bevec |first=Benedikt Dorian Franziskus |date=2015 |title=The smart arena – An analysis of how Bayer 04 Leverkusen can use smart products to enrich the user experience and improve revenues during football matches in their BayArena |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279187738_The_smart_arena_-_An_analysis_of_how_Bayer_04_Leverkusen_can_use_smart_products_to_enrich_the_user_experience_and_improve_revenues_during_football_matches_in_their_BayArena |journal=Munich Business School |pages=10–11 |via=Research Gate}}</ref> Its original capacity was 20,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The BayArena: A guide to the house that Bayer Leverkusen built |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/the-bay-arena-a-guide-to-the-house-that-bayer-leverkusen-built-6657 |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=www.bundesliga.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1986, a rebuilding project began to convert it into a modern facility; the project continued over the following decade and was completed in 1997, creating a modern all-seater stadium with a capacity of 22,500.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bay Arena: A Stadium With a Long History |url=https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/news/bayer04/bayarena-a-stadium-with-a-long-history |website=bayer04.de |publisher=Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH}}</ref> The stadium was renamed ''BayArena'' in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoogerwaard |first1=Stephan |title=BayArena - Bayer 04 Leverkusen |url=https://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/bayarena-bayer-04-leverkusen |website=Stadium Journey |publisher=Stadium Journey LLC |access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref> The former name was then used for the youth team stadium next to it.

In 1999, a hotel attached to the stadium was completed, with some rooms having a view of the pitch.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoogerwaard |first1=Stephan |title=BayArena - Bayer 04 Leverkusen |url=https://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/bayarena-bayer-04-leverkusen |website=Stadium Journey |publisher=Stadium Journey LLC |access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref> The stadium complex also includes a restaurant, which also overlooks the pitch, and conference facilities.

The city of Leverkusen originally bid to become a venue for the [[Football World Cup 2006|2006 World Cup]], with an expanded Bay Arena as the site.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} However, the city, Bayer Leverkusen, and the German [[2006 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee|organizing committee]] soon agreed that expanding Bay Arena to the [[FIFA]]-mandated minimum 40,000 capacity for [[Football World Cup|World Cup]] matches would not be practical, and the city withdrew its bid.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Instead, it was agreed that Bay Arena  would be the main training facility for the [[Germany national football team|German national team]] during the 2006 finals.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} [[Jürgen Klinsmann]], former national coach, however decided against Leverkusen and opted for Berlin as the main training facility.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} As compensation, BayArena would supposedly host two national matches, though they were never played.