The Volksparkstadion is home to the only ever-present club in the Bundesliga, SV Hamburg, and will have a capacity of just over 45,000 for the World Cup finals.

The original stadium was rebuilt in 1953 and underwent a complete redevelopment starting in 1998, a process that saw the pitch turned around to accommodate the rebuild.

In recent times the ground has become known as the AOL-Arena, joining a number of other Bundesliga stadia in taking up the sponsor's name.

The Northernmost stadium used in the finals, the first game at the Volksparkstadion will be the Group C meeting of one of the favourites, Argentina, and finals newcomers Ivory Coast.

Hamburg will play host to another three group games, before holding a quarter-final clash on June 30.

The other group clashes will see Ecuador take on Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia face Ukraine and the Czech Republic meet Italy, in what could prove to be a crucial Group E encounter.