⚽ CBS ARENA ⚽

Coventry City FC – Your Complete Travel Guide for 2026-27

ℹ️ 2026-27 Season Guide: All information has been researched and verified for the 2026-27 Premier League season. Always check ccfc.co.uk for the latest ticketing and matchday updates before you travel. Coventry returned to the top flight for the first time in 25 years after winning the 2025-26 Championship title with 95 points, and the club completed its first-ever purchase of the stadium in August 2025 — a genuinely historic season for the Sky Blues.

🏟️ ABOUT THE CBS ARENA

The Coventry Building Society Arena, still widely known by its former name, the Ricoh Arena, has been Coventry City’s home since 2005, following a turbulent period that even saw the club groundshare at Northampton’s Sixfields Stadium for a season. Located just off Junction 3 of the M6, the stadium sits within a wider complex including an exhibition hall, hotel and casino, and can hold up to 32,609 for football.

The ground is a modern, fully enclosed bowl with four clearly defined stands. The West Stand is the only two-tier section, housing the premium hospitality areas, while the East, North and South stands are single-tier. The East Stand generally offers the strongest combination of atmosphere and view, while the North is more family-focused. In a significant landmark for the club, Coventry City completed the purchase of the CBS Arena in August 2025, securing ownership of their home ground for the first time in the club’s history, as the stadium celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Away fans are housed in the South Stand, typically in blocks 6-9, with a standard allocation of around 3,000 seats. Views are unobstructed throughout, and safe standing areas are now in place in blocks 6 and 7. As part of the club’s Premier League compliance work, new camera gantries have had to be installed for broadcast requirements, resulting in a small reduction in overall seating.

Founded in 1883, Coventry City are known as the Sky Blues and play in sky blue and navy. The club’s sole major honour remains the 1987 FA Cup, but 2025-26 was a season to remember regardless — the Sky Blues went unbeaten in the top two from September onwards, scored 97 league goals, and clinched the Championship title with three games to spare, ending a 25-year absence from the Premier League.

A bronze statue of club legend Jimmy Hill, who managed Coventry to their first top-flight promotion in the 1960s, stands at the stadium entrance, funded entirely by supporter donations. The ground has also hosted Olympic football, England Under-21 fixtures, and major concerts from the likes of Take That and the Spice Girls.

📊 STADIUM SPECIFICATIONS – 2026-27

🚗 GETTING TO THE CBS ARENA

The CBS Arena sits about four miles north of Coventry city centre, just off Junction 3 of the M6 — making it easy to reach by car. There’s also an on-site railway station, Coventry Arena, right next to the ground, plus a subsidised matchday shuttle bus from the city centre. Whichever way you travel, allow extra time as the surrounding streets have strict resident-permit parking schemes.

🗺️ STADIUM LOCATION MAP

CBS Arena Address: Judds Lane, Longford, Coventry, CV6 6GE | Satnav: CV6 6GE

🚂 BY TRAIN – An On-Site Station

Why Trains Work: Coventry Arena station sits right next to the stadium, just a five-minute walk away, with regular services from the city’s main Coventry station. There’s no special matchday timetable, so check times in advance, and consider whether the main Coventry station (with more connections) or Coventry Arena suits your journey better.

Journey Times to Coventry Station:

Getting from Coventry to the CBS Arena

🔗 Train Times & Tickets: nationalrail.co.uk | thetrainline.com

🚗 BY CAR – Easy Access Off the M6

The CBS Arena is one of the easiest Premier League grounds to reach by car, sitting less than a mile from Junction 3 of the M6. That said, surrounding streets are protected by strict resident-permit parking schemes and monitored by automated cameras, so plan your parking properly rather than chancing it on nearby roads.

If You’re Driving:

• From the North/South (M6): Leave the M6 at Junction 3 and follow signs for the Arena — you’ll be parked within minutes of leaving the motorway.
• From the South (M1/M6): Join the M6 from the M1 and follow the same Junction 3 exit.
• From Coventry City Centre: Follow Sky Blue Way and Jimmy Hill Way, signposted from the Ring Road.

Parking Options:

• Car Park C (Recommended for Away Fans): Around 900 spaces, accessed via Jimmy Hill Way and the closest official car park to the South Stand away end. £15.50 booked in advance or £20 on the day, subject to availability.
• Car Parks A & B: On-site via the main Judds Lane entrance, similarly priced.
• Arena Park Shopping Centre: Spending over £25 in the retail park typically gets you free parking — useful if you fancy a Tesco run before kick-off.

💡 Top Tip: Post-match road closures apply around the stadium for safety reasons, and vehicles in on-site car parks are held until away coaches have safely left — factor this into your journey home.

🍺 PUBS & DRINKS NEAR THE CBS ARENA

👍 No Dedicated Away Pub, But Options Exist: The club doesn’t operate a dedicated away fans’ pub, and the immediate area around the Arena — just off a motorway junction — isn’t exactly packed with options. Most away fans either head into Coventry city centre beforehand or use the ground’s own concourse bars.

🍺 Near the Ground

🍻 At the Stadium

🍴 Food Options: The Arena Park Shopping Centre next to the ground has a large Tesco, Burger King, Pizza Hut and other chains for a pre-match bite. Inside the stadium, concourse food includes loaded fries, hot dogs and burgers.

🏭 Local Tip: If you’d rather avoid club colours around the ground, keep it low-key — the area is quiet on matchdays outside the immediate stadium footprint, and there’s little in the way of rival banter given the retail-park setting.

🏨 WHERE TO STAY IN COVENTRY

You’ve got a genuine choice between staying right by the Arena for maximum convenience, or basing yourself in Coventry city centre for a fuller day out with the cathedral, museums and nightlife on your doorstep.

💷 Budget Options (£45-75 per night)

💷💷 Mid-Range Options (£75-120 per night)

💷💷💷 Luxury Options (£120+ per night)

🎯 THINGS TO DO IN COVENTRY

Coventry’s history runs deep; it was briefly the capital of England during the Wars of the Roses, and the city centre offers a genuinely rewarding day out beyond the football, from a haunting wartime ruin to the largest publicly owned vehicle collection in the world.

Nearby

🏆 THE COVENTRY EXPERIENCE

⚽ THE MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE

💭 FINAL THOUGHTS

The CBS Arena is one of the more accessible modern grounds in the Premier League — easy off the M6, with an on-site train station and clean sightlines from every seat in the South Stand. It won’t be a ground steeped in centuries of atmosphere in the way some rivals are, but Coventry’s remarkable rise back to the top flight gives this season a genuinely special edge.

Beyond the football, Coventry city centre rewards a proper look — the Cathedral ruins are genuinely moving, the Transport Museum is a world-class collection, and FarGo Village offers a great spot for a pre-match pint. With the club now owning its own ground for the first time in its history, there’s a real sense of a fresh chapter for the Sky Blues.

Come prepared, be respectful, and enjoy a proper Midlands away day. ⚽

💙 Up the Sky Blues 💙

📞 USEFUL CONTACTS

⚡ QUICK REFERENCE – CBS ARENA

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