RB Leipzig has become the first Bundesliga club permitted to allow fans into its stadium. The city’s health authority has approved up to 8,500 spectators to attend Leipzig’s season-opening match against Mainz on Sept. 20.
The government’s approval is contingent on the rate of COVID-19 infections in the Leipzig region remaining at its current level, according to Reuters. All Bundesliga teams have played without fans since May, when the German soccer league resumed after being suspended for two months due to the pandemic.
RB Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena can normally seat 42,000 fans, meaning the venue plans to welcome roughly 20% of its capacity. Leipzig’s health authority has ruled that visiting spectators will be prohibited, and that only local citizens who provide proof of their local residence will be permitted inside Red Bull Arena. Fans will be required to wear face masks.
