The Estadio Mestalla was inaugurated with a friendly match on 20 May 1923 between Valencia CF and Levante UD . The new stadium had a capacity of 17,000 spectators , which was increased to 25,000 four years later . During the Civil War , the Mestalla was used as a concentration camp and storage warehouse . It would only keep its structure , since the rest was an empty plot of land with no terraces and a grandstand damaged during the war . During the 1950s , the Mestalla was renovated , resulting in a stadium with a seating capacity of 45,500 spectators . It was severely damaged by the flood of October 1957 when the Turia River broke its banks . The stadium soon returned to operational use with some more improvements , such as the addition of artificial lighting , and was inaugurated during the 1959 Fallas festivities
flood of October 1957
1957 Valencia flood
Mestalla Stadium