The options for the new stadium included adding a third tier to the existing National Stadium, or moving to a new site. Access to the ground was also very restricted with the main entrance being a narrow opening in Westgate Street to the east which was shared by both vehicles and spectators alike. It was only fully visible from across the River Taff in the west. In addition to the problems of capacity, the National Stadium was also very well hidden by the neighbouring buildings to the south in Park Street, Wood Street and to the east in Westgate Street, and also by Cardiff Rugby Ground in the north. 11,000 of 53,000 capacity was on the East Terrace and the conversion to an all-seater stadium would have reduced the stadium capacity still further to just 47,500. The original capacity of the National Stadium was 65,000, but this had been reduced to 53,000, due to the Taylor Report. France was also about to build the Stade de France, which would have a capacity of more than 80,000 for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 1995, the National Stadium, which was designed in 1962, only had a capacity of 53,000 other nations' stadia, such as Twickenham (England) with a capacity of 75,000, and Murrayfield Stadium (Scotland) with a capacity of 67,000, had overtaken it. The remaining North Stand of the National Stadium, which would form the North Stand of the Millennium Stadium In 2015, the Welsh Rugby Union announced a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Principality Building Society that saw the stadium renamed as the "Principality Stadium" from early 2016. Listed as a category four stadium by UEFA, the stadium was chosen as the venue for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, which took place on 3 June 2017. It is also the second-largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature. In addition, it is the third-largest stadium in the Six Nations Championship behind the Stade de France and Twickenham. With a total seating capacity of 73,931, it is the largest stadium in Wales and the fourth largest (and second largest outside London) in the United Kingdom by total capacity. The Millennium Stadium opened in June 1999 and its first major event was an international rugby union match on 26 June 1999, when Wales beat South Africa in a test match by 29–19 before a crowd of 29,000. The total construction cost of the stadium was £121 million, of which the Millennium Commission funded £46 million. The structural engineers were WS Atkins and the building contractor was Laing. The architects were Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture. The stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc, a subsidiary company of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). It also hosted FA Cup, League Cup and Football League play-off finals while Wembley Stadium was being redeveloped between 20, as well as football matches during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Initially built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it has gone on to host many other large-scale events, such as the Tsunami Relief Cardiff concert, the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain, the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain and various concerts. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held Wales national football team games. The Millennium Stadium ( Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( Welsh: Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales.
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