The World Cup draw has been very favourable for the arena, whose four group games will involve a tournament favourite and a number of insider tips from Europe and South and Central America. And the quarter-final match could be a classic.

World attention will focus on the Arena on the very first day of the tournament on 9 June when, after the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica in Munich, the two remaining sides in the group, Poland and Ecuador, clash in Gelsenkirchen (kick-off: 2100 CET).

Three days later, on June 12, the Arena will host a Group E match between the Czech Republic and the USA (kick-off: 1800 CET). On Friday, 16 June, Argentina take on Serbia & Montenegro in Group C (kick-off. 1500 CET), making it a home game for Schalke defender Mladen Krstajic. The final group game takes place on Wednesday, 21 June, when Mexico meet Portugal.

And then there is the quarter-final match on Saturday, 1 July. If the group favourites win through, the game could involve England, Germany, Sweden or Poland on the one hand and Mexico, The Netherlands, Portugal or Argentina on the other.