FMG Stadium Waikato
Hamilton (Whitiora), Waikato, New Zealand
FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton (Whitiora), New Zealand — opened 1925, as Rugby Park; rebuilt on the same site, new stadium opened 2002, 23 rugby league games hosted, home of Waikato Rugby Union and the Chiefs (Super Rugby), both rugby union, since 2002 — not confirmed as a regular home ground for the Waikato provincial rugby league representative team, whose own documented historical grounds are Trustbank Park, Davies Park (Huntly and Hamilton), Steele Park, Paterson Park and Claudelands.
Sourcing caveat: The specific rugby league fixtures making up this venue's pre-2000 (Rugby Park era) match count are not confirmed, since the Waikato representative team's own documented ground history does not list this venue.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1925, as Rugby Park; rebuilt on the same site, new stadium opened 2002 (A direct Wikipedia check confirmed the full naming history below. FMG's naming-rights deal, agreed as a 10-year agreement from 1 Oct 2015, would have run its original term to around 2025, but no subsequent renaming is documented, so 'FMG Stadium Waikato' remains the name used here.) |
| Home club | Waikato Rugby Union and the Chiefs (Super Rugby), both rugby union, since 2002 — not confirmed as a regular home ground for the Waikato provincial rugby league representative team, whose own documented historical grounds are Trustbank Park, Davies Park (Huntly and Hamilton), Steele Park, Paterson Park and Claudelands |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 23 |
| Top recorded crowd | 25,118 |
| Capacity | 25,800 (current) |
| Test matches hosted | 2 |
| Years used | 1953–2026 |
| Location | Hamilton (Whitiora), Waikato |
Name history
- Rugby Park — 1925-1999
- Waikato Stadium — 2002-2015
- FMG Stadium Waikato — since 1 Oct 2015, current name
Rugby league history
Primarily a rugby union venue (Waikato NPC and the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise), which also hosts major rugby league internationals and NZ Sevens events. This site's own directory records 23 rugby league matches here since 1953, spanning both the original Rugby Park (1925-1999) and its rebuilt successor; the exact rugby league club/competition fixtures behind the pre-2000 portion of that count are not confirmed, since the Waikato representative side's own documented history points to other grounds instead.
Primarily rugby union (Waikato NPC, Chiefs Super Rugby); also NZ Sevens since 2018.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 2017 Rugby League World Cup, two Group B matches, attendances 18,156 and 24,041
- 2019 — Tonga 14-6 Great Britain Lions
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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