Warsaw - Warsaw signed a deal Monday with one of Europe's largest construction firms to build a stadium for the Euro 2012 football championship.

The National Sports Centre - created to build and manage the stadium - signed a deal with Alpine Bau, a consortium of Austrian, German and Polish companies.

The stadium in Warsaw will be built in two years at a cost of some 285 million euros (376 million dollars.) It's set to be completed a year before the tournament kick-off, officials said.

The stadium will seat some 55,000 people and is designed in the red and white stripes of the Polish flag. It will include underground parking for 1,700 cars, restaurants and a fitness centre.

Alpine has built stadiums in Munich and the world's largest sports centre in Dubai.

Poland and co-hosts Ukraine were unlikely choices in 2007 to host the prestigious tournament. They have both since faced worries about their ability to build infrastructure in time for the games.

UEFA president Michel Platini recently gave the thumbs up after inspections of both countries' progress.

The football association will make their final cut on May 12 out of some dozen candidate cities on where to hold the tournament. (dpa)