The stadium was initially commissioned at the start of the 1990s, but was not finished until 2004. It was officially opened on August 17, 2004 with Messina playing host to Juventus in a match they lost 1–0. The first official match was a week later, on August 22, the Coppa Italia match Messina–Acireale (4–0). It replaced the old 11,900 seat Stadio Comunale Giovanni Celeste, which is currently the home ground of the new club of S.S.D. Città di Messina.
