Arena AufSchalke (German pronunciation: [aˈʁeːnaː ʔaʊfˈʃalkə]), currently known as Veltins-Arena (pronounced [ˈfɛltɪnsʔaˌʁeːnaː]) for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof and pitch, football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Following Schalke 04's 1996–97 UEFA Cup victory and anticipating the club's 100th anniversary in 2004, a contract to build the new stadium was awarded to the German construction firm HBM in 1998.

The Veltins-Arena features a Teflon-coated fiberglass canvas retractable roof that spans the entire venue and is supported by a rectangular truss and 24 steel pylons.

The extensive catering facilities include 15 small restaurants, 50 grilling stations, and 35 cafés, all supplied by a 5km beer-line capable of dispensing 52,000 liters of beer per match day.

The arena has hosted concerts by major artists and bands, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Metallica, AC/DC, Taylor Swift and Rammstein.

Plans to construct a new stadium emerged[vague] in the late 1990s, as fans and managers sought to move out of the outdated Parkstadion, and create a modern multifunctional arena.

The site chosen for Schalke 04's new stadium is in the direct vicinity of the old Parkstadion, on an extensive piece of club owned property known as the "Berger Feld".

The foundation for the stadium was created out of cast concrete and 600,000 cubic metres (21,000,000 cu ft) of packed slag, a waste product from the steel smelting industry.

To reduce the exterior noise of up to 105 decibels during concerts, a second layer of Teflon-coated fiberglass canvas was added over the first, creating a dampening air cushion.

The centrally suspended scoreboard, similar to those found inside indoor sports arenas, was the first of its kind in football stadium, and has since been copied in the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt and the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf.

With 15 small restaurants, 50 grilling stations and 35 cafés, the stadium can serve up to 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) of sausages, 7,000 pretzels, and 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) of pizza in one day.

[citation needed] During the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, the stadium served as the temporary home of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

[4] During the renovation of Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, the Arena served as the temporary home of the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, an American football league.

[citation needed] In June 2009, it was the scene of a world heavyweight championship boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev, which drew an audience of 60,000.

[citation needed] 25,000 fans saw the Grand Prix won by Swedish rider Andreas Jonsson, who beat American Greg Hancock, and Australians, Jason Crump and Leigh Adams in the final.