Bilino Polje Stadium - Bosnia and Herzegovina Stadium Guide

Bilino Polje first opened in 1972 in order to replace NK ?elik’s previous ground known as Blatuša. Capable of accommodating 15,600 supporters, the old stand was beginning to show its age as a result of the wooden building materials and was slowly beginning to decay after almost 30 years of use.

The project was largely financed by the company Željezara who wanted to use the promise of high-quality football as a pull factor for workers around the local region. Historically an industrial city, Zenica’s best known football team, NK ?elik were competing within the Yugoslav First League which was the highest tier of football back then.

Constructed over a period of 8 months, it was completed in time to host to host matches of the Mitropa Cup which features clubs from across Europe. NK ?elik defeated ACF Fiorentina in order to retain their title, and christen their new ground with an impressive victory.

Built very much in the English model, the rectangular arrangement of stands is still somewhat uncommon on Bosnia and Herzegovina to this day. Stadion Bilino Polje is arguably the most celebrated stadium in the country despite not being located in the capital city or boasting the largest capacity.

The first international match of Bosnia was played against Albania in 1996, and for the next 10 years Bilino Polke Stadium became known as a fortress. Across 15 matches, Bosnia’s national team was undefeated until a Euro 2008 qualifier against Hungary.

View of Bilino Polje Stadium

Stadion Bilino Polje is comprised of four unique stands: North, East, South and West

Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the Stadium.

The standard away ticket allocation appears to be between 660 and 700 – at least for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier against Wales. To be fair to Bosnia, they probably anticipate low levels of demand due to the large distance between some European countries.

As we couldn’t find any pubs online our only advice would be to walk around the city. It’s fairly compact so there’s no real danger of getting lost, and you should be able to find somewhere to drink within 5-10 minutes max.

There is a McDonalds within the city centre!

We don’t currently have this information, however for International Matches you shouldn’t expect to find a full array of (official) merchandise. You should still be able to purchase a programme however.

There isn’t a stadium tour currently available for Bilino Polje.

For home matches of NK Čelik Zenica you can usually purchase tickets on the day of the match either at the box office or on the turnstile.

When it comes to International fixtures tickets should be purchased through your country’s football association who are allocated a certain portion tickets per match

Bilino Polje Stadium is located centrally within the compact city of Zenica which is the fourth largest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From the city centre as defined by Google the stadium is walk able within 7 minutes or less with practically no need for public transport.

The stadium’s address for satnav is as follows:

• Bulevar Kulina bana, Zenica 72000, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Car Parks

Situated within a largely residential area on one side, and the river Bosna on the other Bilino Polje Stadium lacks its own on-site parking facilities. You should be able to find a parking space within a 5-10 minute radius of the ground however.

The closest airport, Sarajevo International, is 78k south-east of Zenica, accessible via the A1 stretch of motorway. It is the largest airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has many flights to and from Western Europe.

Upon landing you can get a taxi to “Glavna Autobuska Stanica” bus station, and then catch the bus to Zenica.

The three main hotels of Zenica for foreign visitors are Hotel Internacional 2 minutes north of Stadion Bilino Polje on Bulevar Kulina bana, Hotel Dubrovnik 2 minutes south on Školska, and Hotel Zenica just across the bridge.