After 50 years of calling the Estadio Vicente Calderón its home, Atlético Madrid is "set to inaugurate" its new stadium, the Wanda Metropolitano, when it hosts Málaga this weekend, according to Alberto R. Barbero of MARCA. Atlético started its La Liga campaign with three away matches. The team will have 12 hours of "planned festivities" to celebrate the opening. The 67,703-capacity Wanda Metropolitano will be Atlético's fourth permanent home. While recent pictures "have depicted a spectacular stadium, the venue has yet to be fully completed, with works set to continue until Christmas." The pregame activities will include a children's fan zone on the northeast side of the stadium, a music festival on the southeast side, and a Walk of Legends on the west side, "featuring a presentation of the club's most historic players." The club's official store will also open at 10am local time (MARCA, 9/14). AS reported Atlético President Enrique Cerezo said, "It is pretty, the best in Europe. I have seen many and not one like this." Cerezo added, "Now we have a fantastic stadium for which Atleti paid €170 million ($202.2M) of the total cost of €310 million ($369M), the rest is compensation for the Calderón's land." Atlético is hoping its new stadium will be selected to host Spanish national team games and the Champions League final in '19 (AS, 9/14).
