Situated just outside the prefectural Capital City of Sendai, Miyagi Stadium is a striking and versatile stadium that will provide spectators with an unparalleled view of the action, and the warm welcome offered by the citizens of Miyagi will make visitors from around the world feel at home.

Miyagi is an area blessed with scenic mountain vistas and picturesque coastline, a rich blend of traditional and modern arts, and thriving electronic, agricultural, and fishing industries.

Located 300 km north-east of Tokyo, Miyagi lies in the central part of the Tohoku region and is home to the Japanase League second division team Vegalta Sendai. Sendai is a modern city with a population close to one million and is the political and economic heart of the region. It was here during Japan's feudal period that the powerful Date clan built their castle and ruled over the region.

In 1613, the San Juan Bautista set sail from present-day Miyagi bound for Europe. On board were envoys sent by Masamune Date, lord of Sendai, to establish trade relations with the outside world. The group visited several European cities, including the Vatican, where they presented a formal letter to Pope Paul V.

This enthusiasm and eagerness to look beyond their borders and welcome the world has continued to this day, and Miyagi Prefecture has established official ties with the province of Jilin in China and the state of Delaware in the United States.

Numerous international exchanges are being promoted at the municipal level as well. Given the keen desire of its people to reach out to the world, it is fitting that Miyagi will be the focus of global attention as one of the host venues for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The 49,291-seat Miyagi Stadium is one of the stages upon which the drama of the 2002 FIFA World Cup will unfold. Completed in March 2000, the stadium boasts state-of-the-art facilities while paying homage to the area's historical heritage with an innovative design combining the traditional and the modern.

Partially built into a hillock to maximise cost efficiencies, the stadium layout also effectively brings all main facilities together into one area. Following universal design principles, the stadium boasts an array of features to ease access for the physically disabled and elderly fans.

The stadium features a sweeping crescent-shaped grandstand reminiscent of the headpiece worn on the battle dress helmet of the ruling Date clan during Japan's feudal period. This time the stadium is the elegant setting for battles of the
sporting variety, as teams fight to advance during the FIFA World Cup.

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