01
1926
Altabix becomes home
Campo de Altabix was Elche's home for decades and witnessed much of the club's great sporting growth.
ELCHE'S HOME SINCE 1976
ESTADIO MARTÍNEZ VALERO
One of Spanish football's most distinctive homes: built for a growing Elche, a 1982 World Cup venue and still the heart of every franjiverde matchday half a century later.
8 Sep 1976
Inauguration
31.388
Current capacity
108 × 70 m
Pitch dimensions
3
1982 World Cup matches
FROM ALTABIX TO A NEW HOME
The stadium born from the club's ambition
When Altabix became too small, Elche CF needed a bigger home with better connections and room for the future. The result rose in Alzabares in roughly one year.
02
1974
Purchase of Lo Valero
The club acquired around 90,083 m² in Alzabares for 29 million pesetas.
03
18 Aug 1975
Construction begins
Juan Boix Matarredona designed the stadium, SICOP built it and more than 400 people took part in the project.
04
8 Sep 1976
Nuevo Estadio opens
Elche CF and the Mexico national team drew 3–3 in the inaugural match.
05
4 Aug 1988
The name Estadio Martínez Valero
Nuevo Estadio was renamed after Manuel Martínez Valero, one of the driving forces behind the project.
06
2013–2014
Major modernisation
Dressing rooms, offices, VIP areas, stands, toilets, access points and press areas were renovated. Capacity settled at 31,388 seats.
07
2022–2023
A new interior
Video scoreboards, dugouts, the tunnel, dressing rooms and seats transformed the ground once again.
08
2025–2026
Towards the next fifty years
The façade, concrete, seats, lighting, hospitality and surrounding urban area are entering a new phase of modernisation.
Construction by numbers
A huge project for its time, completed at an extraordinary pace.
90,083 m²
Lo Valero site
29 million
Pesetas for the land
40,000 m³
Earth moved
1.6 million kg
Iron
14,000 m³
Concrete
400+
Workers and technicians
SPAIN 1982
Three World Cup matches and a record that still stands
Estadio Martínez Valero was a venue for the 1982 World Cup and hosted three Group 3 matches.
15 June 1982
Hungary 10–1 El Salvador
23,000 spectators
19 June 1982
Belgium 1–0 El Salvador
15,000 spectators
22 June 1982
Belgium 1–1 Hungary
37,000 spectators
Hungary's 10–1 win remains the biggest winning margin in a men's World Cup match. László Kiss also scored a hat-trick after coming off the bench, in just seven minutes.
NIGHTS THAT MADE HISTORY
Great matches at Estadio Martínez Valero
INAUGURATION
8 September 1976
Elche CF – Mexico
3–3
The first night of football at the new stadium.
1982 WORLD CUP
15 June 1982
Hungary – El Salvador
10–1
A match that went straight into World Cup history.
COPA DEL REY FINAL
28 June 2003
Mallorca – Recreativo
3–0
Pandiani and Eto'o led Mallorca to their first Copa del Rey title.
LALIGA
11 May 2014
Elche CF – FC Barcelona
0–0
The point against Barcelona in the penultimate round secured Elche's top-flight status after their return to Primera División.
NATIONS LEAGUE
11 September 2018
Spain – Croatia
6–0
Spain swept aside the recent World Cup runners-up on a spectacular night.
WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
11 October 2025
Spain – Georgia
2–0
28,661 spectators saw Spain's seventh victory in seven senior internationals played in Elche.
Elche · January–February 2011
A Scandinavian winter at Estadio Martínez Valero
Elche CF did not take part, but during the 2011 Copa del Sol the club's home stadium briefly became a stage for elite football from Sweden, Norway and Denmark.Matches played at Estadio Martínez Valero included Tromsø–IFK Göteborg, Molde–Karpaty Lviv, Rosenborg–Spartak Moscow and FC Nordsjælland–Shakhtar Donetsk.
28 JanTromsø IL0–2IFK Göteborg
28 JanMolde FK1–1Karpaty Lviv · 3–4 pens
1 FebRosenborg4–0Spartak Moscow
1 FebFC Nordsjælland1–3Shakhtar Donetsk
La Roja feels at home
Spain's senior men's national team has played seven matches at Estadio Martínez Valero and won all seven. Overall record: 19 goals scored and one conceded.
7/7wins
1986
Belgium
Friendly
3–0
1995
North Macedonia
European Championship qualifying
3–0
2003
Ukraine
European Championship qualifying
2–1
2006
Egypt
Friendly
2–0
2008
Italy
Friendly
1–0
2018
Croatia
Nations League
6–0
2025
Georgia
World Cup qualifying
2–0
THE STADIUM TODAY
Much more than 90 minutes
Estadio Martínez Valero houses club offices, hospitality, press areas, private boxes and the official Elche CF shop. On matchdays, Avenida Manuel Martínez Valero becomes a major franjiverde meeting point.
🛍️
Official Elche CF shop
The stadium shop offers kits, training wear, scarves and merchandise. The club has also opened an additional sales point inside the stadium in Preferencia.
Visit the official Elche CF shop📍
Estadio Martínez Valero
Address: Avenida Manuel Martínez Valero 3, 03208 Elche. The club places the stadium around 15 minutes by car from Alicante-Elche Airport and around 25 minutes from Alicante AVE station, depending on traffic.
Open Estadio Martínez Valero in Google Maps🏟️
3D view & seats
Explore Estadio Martínez Valero in the club's 3D viewer and get an approximate view from different sections and seats.
Open 3D viewBEYOND THE MATCH
Much more than football
Estadio Martínez Valero has also hosted international rugby, major family events and concerts. Shakira and Alejandro Sanz are among the artists to have performed here; Sanz drew more than 33,000 people in 2019.
13 NOV 2025
ARGENTINA
When Argentina and Messi took over Elche
On 13 November 2025, reigning world champions Argentina held an open training session at Estadio Martínez Valero before their friendly against Angola. Lionel Messi and his teammates were welcomed by more than 20,000 fans, turning a training session into one of the stadium's biggest recent events.
20 000+
fans at the open training session
THE FUTURE
50 years and another transformation under way
Estadio Martínez Valero turns 50 on 8 September 2026. The anniversary coincides with a major modernisation of the structure, seating, façade and matchday experience.
Plans include a new exterior image, expanded hospitality, more VIP spaces, commercial areas and a future roof over Tribuna. Some solutions and schedules have had to be revised to suit Elche's climate, making this a multi-year project.
In summer 2026, the lower-ring seats were renewed and the lighting upgraded with 204 LED floodlights. At the same time, almost 25,000 m² of the surrounding area is being redeveloped with roads, pedestrian zones, trees, lighting and parking.
08.09.2026
50
years
Did you know…?
01
Estadio Martínez Valero was a candidate to host the 2006 Champions League final.
02
After the 2013/14 renovation it received AFEPE's Best Stadium in Liga BBVA award.
03
The hospitality area once offered almost 400 places and 27 private boxes.
04
Elche CF has published pitch dimensions of 108 × 70 metres.
05
The first team played its final match at Altabix in August 1976.
Three views of Elche's home
Match night
Estadio Martínez Valero in 2016.
Panoramic view from Tribuna
The stadium before a match in 2021.
Estadio Martínez Valero in 2003
The year of the Copa del Rey final.