Rungrado May Day

The Rŭngrado May First Stadium, or May Day Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, completed on May 1, 1989. It is regarded as the largest stadium in the world by capacity.
It is currently used for football matches, a few athletics matches, but most often for Arirang performances (also known as the Mass Games). The stadium can seat 150,000,which is the largest stadium capacity in the world and the world's 12th largest sporting venue.
Its name comes from Rungra Islet in the Taedong River, upon which it is situated, and May Day, the international labour day. Its scalloped roof features 16 arches arranged in a ring, and it is said to resemble a magnolia blossom. It is not to be confused with the nearby 50,000 capacity Kim Il-sung Stadium.
It hosts events on a main pitch sprawling across over 22,500 m² (242,200 ft²). Its total floor space is over 207,000 m² (2.2 million ft²) across eight stories, and the lobes of its roof peak at more than 60 m (197 ft) from the ground.
While the stadium is used for sporting events, it is most famous as the site of massive performances and shows celebrating Kim Il-sung and the North Korean nation. In June–July 2002 it was the site of the colossal and meticulously choreographed "Arirang" gymnastic and artistic performance (often referred to elsewhere as "mass games"). The extravaganza involved for the first time some 100,000+ participants—double the number of spectators and was open to foreigners, a rare occurrence. These performances are now an annual feature in Pyongyang, usually in August and September. The Guinness Book of Records has recognized these events as the largest in the world.

Salt Lake

The stadium is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world and the largest in the Indian sub-continent. It is currently used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 people in a three-tier configuration.
It is situated approximately 10 km to the east of the Kolkata downtown and is elliptical in shape. The roof is made of metal tubes and aluminum sheets and concrete. There are two electronic score boards and control rooms. The lighting is uniformly distributed to facilitate nocturnal sports. There are special arrangements for TV broadcasting.
The stadium covers an area of 76.40 acres (309,200 m2). It was inaugurated in January, 1984. The salient features of the stadium are unique synthetic track for athletic meets, electronic scoreboard, main football arena measuring 105m x 70m, elevators, VIP enclosures, peripheral floodlighting arrangement from the roof-top, air conditioned VIP rest room and Conference Hall. Other features of the stadium are also commentary boxes for All India Radio and TV along with several platforms for TV cameras, press boxes, dormitories and AC. rooms, player's changing rooms, practice grounds for football, cricket and khokho, volleyball field and an ultra-medium gymnasium. The stadium has its own water arrangements and standby diesel generation sets.
The floodlights which illuminate the stadium consist of 624 bulbs of 2 kW each and two electronic scoreboards consisting of 36,000 bulbs of 25 watt each. The four underground reservoirs have unique fire-fighting arrangements with a capacity of 10,000 gallons. The architectural and structural design of the stadium was the work of the Joint Consultants viz., M/S. Ballardie, Thompson & Matthews Pvt. Ltd. and M/S. H.K. Sen & Associates – both from Kolkata, West Bengal. The track was prepared by Reckortan Tartan Track, Germany. The electronic scoreboards were supplied by Electro Impex of Hungary.
After its inauguration in January, 1984 with the Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup Soccer Tournament, the Salt Lake Stadium has hosted several important international tournaments or matches such as The Pre-World Cup Tournament in 1985, Super-Soccers in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1994, 3rd S.A.F. games in 1987, U.S.S.R. Festival in 1988, Charminar Challenger Trophy in 1992, Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup in 1995. The chief engineer of the stadium is Somnath Ghosh.
The stadium also hosts different kinds of cultural programs such as dance and music concerts.
There is a climbing wall at the northern side of the stadium, it is maintained by the West Bengal Mountaineering and Adventure Sports Foundation under the Youth Service Directorate of the Government of West Bengal.

Aztec

Estadio Azteca (Spanish pronunciation: Aztec Stadium) is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.
The stadium was the venue for football in the 1968 Summer Olympics.
It has the honour of being the only stadium in the world to have hosted two FIFA World Cup Finals. In the 1970 World Cup final, Brazil defeated Italy 4–1 and in the 1986 World Cup final, Argentina defeated West Germany 3–2. It also hosted the 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England in which Diego Maradona scored both the "Hand of God goal" and the "Goal of the Century". The stadium also hosted the "Game of the Century", when Italy defeated West Germany 4–3 in extra time in one of the 1970 semifinals. With a capacity of 105,064, it is the third largest stadium in the American continent, fifth largest in the world and the largest association football-specific stadium in the world.

History 

The opening game was between Club América and Torino F.C. on May 29, 1966, with seats for 107,494 spectators. The first goal was scored by Brazilian Arlindo Dos Santos Cruz and the second one by Brazilian José Alves "Zague"; later, the Italians tied the game, which ended 2–2. Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz made the initial kick and FIFA president Sir Stanley Rous was the witness.
A modern illumination system was inaugurated on June 5, 1966 with the first night game between Valencia C.F. and Necaxa. The first goal of the game was scored by Honduran José Cardona. In this game Roberto Martínez o Caña Brava scored the first goal made by a Mexican. The final score was 3–1 in favor of Valencia C.F..
There is a commemorative plaque with the names of the first goal scorer in the first daylight match and in the first night game.
Estadio Azteca is also the site in which Pelé and Diego Maradona (during the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cup) lifted the trophy for the last time (The Jules Rimet Trophy and the current FIFA World Cup Trophy, respectively).
The stadium has also hosted international club tournaments such at the Copa InterAmericana and the Copa Libertadores de América.
Mexico have historically had a significant home-field advantage at the stadium. They were 23–0–1 against the United States until August 2012 when the US won a friendly 1–0.
Estadio Azteca has also been used for musical performances throughout its history. Michael Jackson (5 sold-out shows in 1993), U2 (in 2006 and 2011), Luis Miguel (in 2002), Elton John, Maná, Juan Gabriel, Gloria Estefan, Jaguares, Lenny Kravitz, *Nsync, Hanson, Ana Gabriel, and The Three Tenors all have become part of the stadium's main spectacle. The stadium has also been used for political events, including Mexican president Felipe Calderón's campaign closure in 2006, as well as religious events, like the appearance of Pope John Paul II in 1999.

Bukit Jalil

National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, located in the National Sports Complex to the south of the capital city of Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur is a 100,000 capacity all-seater of multi-purpose stadium it was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia's Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad on 1 January 1998 based in 1998 Commonwealth Games it was officially opening ceremonies.

History 

The stadium was built in 1 January 1997 to host the 1998 Commonwealth Games. It finished exactly a year in 1 January 1998. After the 1998 Commonwealth Games ended in September, The stadium became the Home stadium for the Malaysia national football team, replacing the Shah Alam Stadium and the Merdeka Stadium. It also served as the main stadium of the 2001 Southeast Asian Games.
The Bukit Jalil's capacity makes it the 25th largest stadium in the world and the 9th largest football stadium in the world. It is also the largest stadium in Southeast Asia. It was built by United Engineers Malaysia, Bhd, and completed three months ahead of schedule. Designed to host a multitude of events, the National Stadium is the central and most prominent sports venue at the 1.2 km² National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil.
The stadium is considered the best stadium in Malaysia and is home of the Malaysian national football team. Initially built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, when it hosted the opening/closing ceremonies and the athletics competitions, the stadium is now used for a variety of events, most recently being one of the venues for the AFC Asian Cup 2007. There were many other sports venues that were built for the Commonwealth Games, such as Bukit Kiara Sports Complex and the National Sports Complex, Malaysia.
Malaysia's previous national stadium was the Merdeka Stadium before the Bukit Jalil sports complex was constructed. Malaysia also uses other stadiums for their football matches such as KLFA Stadium, MBPJ Stadium and the Shah Alam Stadium.

Bung Karno

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, officially Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Indonesia. It is named after Sukarno, Indonesia's first President. It is mostly used for football matches and has seating capacity for over 80,000.

History 

Construction began on the stadium on February 8, 1960 and finished on July 21, 1962.' in time to host the fourth Asian Games held in Jakarta in 1962. Its construction was partially funded through a special loan from the Soviet Union. The stadium's original capacity of 100,800 people was reduced to 88,083 as a result of renovations for the 2007 Asian Cup. It is divided into 24 sectors and 12 entrances, and into upper and lower stands. The special feature of this stadium is the huge steel roof construction that forms a gigantic ring called temu gelang (joined ring). Other than to shade the spectators in all sectors from the heat of tropical sun, the purpose of this giant ring construction is also to emphasize the grandeur of the stadium.

Azadi

The Azadi Stadium formerly Aryamehr Stadium is Iran's national stadium and the largest in the country. The Azadi stadium was built to host the 1974 Asian Games and had a capacity of 100,000 people; today, after the renovations in 2003, the stadium has a seating capacity of 90.000 people. The stadium is part of the much larger Azadi Sports Complex, and is surrounded by a rowing river, football training pitches, a weightlifting complex, swimming facilities and indoor volleyball and futsal courts, among many other amenities. Azadi Stadium is the fifth biggest association football stadium in the world, fourth in Asia and first in West Asia.
Azadi Stadium hosts most of Iran's national games, and is the home arena for Persepolis F.C. and Esteghlal F.C. in the Iran Pro League.
The stadium is located in the West of Tehran, and is easily accessible for most people living in the city. Opposing teams often find it difficult to play their best game, when the stadium is full, as the noise level becomes very high. According to Goal.com, Azadi Stadium was voted most intimidating in Asia.
The stadium hosted two West Asian Football Federation Championship in 2004 and 2008. The stadium also hosted the Asian Club Championship in 1999 and 2002 where the hosts Esteghlal and Persepolis finished second and third. In 2008 AFC forced Sepahan to play the home matches in AFC Champions League in this stadium. The stadium also is the regular host for Iran U-23 for the Olympics football qualifying.
Azadi Stadium is the biggest stadium in West Asia.
Azadi Stadium is set to have another round of renovations in 2013.

History 

Iran – South Korea match, 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Azadi Sport Complex was constructed for the 7th Asian Games in 1974 with international criteria. Its land measurement is 450 Hectares and it is located in West Tehran. This sports complex not only has the ability to put in effect different local sport fields, but also is a proper place to have celebrations, meetings, different ceremonies of governmental and ordinary organizations, and sporting camps.
Though a simple bowl concrete structure, the stadium is a breathtaking site. Situated west of the capital, an arching, slightly raised outer shell appears to give way as sweeping stands sink down to pitch side, as if the ground collapsed during building. The stadium was the focus point in 1977 of the Tehran bid for the 1984 Olympic Games, in which it would have only required slight moderations to become the main Olympic Stadium, if Tehran had won the 1984 bid. Eventually political issues saw Tehran drop its bid for 1984, leaving the eventual host, Los Angeles, the only city left bidding.
In 2002, the lower level of the stadium had seats installed, the pitch was replanted along with the installation of an underground heating system. Stadium management also plans to later install seats in the upper level of the stadium. The renovations were completed in 2003, reducing the capacity of the stadium to 90,000 (from 100,000) as the lower level of the stadium was refurnished with 35,000 seats. Despite its reduced capacity, Azadi Stadium has been filled over capacity at times such as the Iran-Japan World Cup 2006 qualification match in March 2005 which resulted in the deaths of seven people. In 2004 a large jumbotron television was added, replacing the original scoreboard. This giant screen with a total area of about 300 square meters and screen area of 104 square meters (20m by 7.5m) is one of the biggest in the world.
The stadium was originally called Aryamehr Stadium but then changed to Azadi Stadium after the Iranian Revolution; "Azadi" means freedom in Persian.
With an official capacity of 90,000, on the big occasions the crowd swells well beyond that. The design of the stadium amplifies the noise across the pitch. The famous 2006 film, "Offside", starring Sima Mobarak Shahi and Ida Sadeghi, about girls trying to get in the stadium to watch a football match, was filmed there.

Camp Nou

Camp Nou is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain which has been the home of Futbol Club Barcelona since 1957.
The Camp Nou seats 99,354, reduced to 96,336 in matches organized by UEFA, making it the largest stadium in Europe and the 11th largest in the world in terms of capacity. It has hosted numerous international matches at a senior level, including two UEFA Champions League finals and the football competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

History 

The construction of Camp Nou started on 28 March 1954 as Barcelona's previous stadium, Camp de Les Corts, had no room for expansion. Although originally planned to be called Estadi del FC Barcelona, the more popular name Camp Nou was used. The June 1950 signing of László Kubala, regarded as one of Barcelona's greatest players, provided further impetus to the construction of a larger stadium.
Construction of Camp Nou began on 28 March 1954 before a crowd of 60,000 Barça fans. The civil governor of Barcelona, Felipe Acedo Colunga, presided at the laying in place of the first stone, with a blessing from the Archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego. Construction took three years, going 336% over budget for a final cost of 288 million pesetas. The stadium was officially opened on 24 September 1957. Handel's Messiah was performed at the opening of the stadium. Barcelona then defeated Legia Warsaw 4-2 in a friendly match.

Soccer City

 FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City, is a stadium located in Nasrec, the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located next to the South African Football Association headquarters (SAFA House) where both the FIFA offices and the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were housed. Designed as the main association football stadium for the World Cup, the FNB Stadium became the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,736. However its maximum capacity during the 2010 FIFA World Cup was 84,490 due to reserved seating for the press and other VIPs. The stadium is also known by its nickname "The Calabash" due to its resemblance to the African pot or gourd. 

It was the site of Nelson Mandela's first speech in Johannesburg after his release from prison. It was also the site of Chris Hani's funeral.

History 

The stadium underwent a major upgrade for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with a new design inspired by the shape of an African pot, the calabash. The South African main contractor GLTA, part of the Aveng Group in a joint venture with the Dutch company BAM who had a 25% stake, constructed the upgrade, which was designed by the architects HOK Sport (renamed Populous in January 2009) and Boogertman + Partners. The upgrade included: an extended upper tier around the stadium to increase the capacity to 88,958, an additional 2 executive suites, an encircling roof, new changing room facilities and new floodlights. The number of suites in the stadium was increased to 195. Grinaker-LTA and BAM international won the R1.5 billion tender to upgrade the stadium. The construction was completed on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 and was marked by a huge celebration at the stadium.

Wembley

Wembley Stadium is a football stadium located in Wembley Park, in the Borough of Brent, London, England. It opened in 2007 and was built on the site of the previous 1923 Wembley Stadium. The earlier Wembley stadium, originally called the Empire Stadium, was often referred to as "The Twin Towers" and was one of the world's most famous football stadia until its demolition in 2003.
It is a UEFA category four stadium. The 90,000-capacity venue (105,000 combined seating and standing) is the second largest stadium in Europe, and serves as England's national stadium. It is the home venue of the England national football team, and hosts the latter stages of the top level domestic club cup competition, the FA Cup. It is owned by English football's governing body, The Football Association (The FA), through their subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL).
Designed by Foster and Partners and HOK Sport (since renamed Populous), it includes a partially retractable roof. A signature feature of the stadium, following on from the old Wembley's distinctive Twin Towers, is the 134-metre-high (440 ft) Wembley Arch. With a span of 317 metres (1,040 ft), this steel arch is the longest single-span roof structure in the world and, uniquely for a stadium, requires beacons for low-flying aircraft. The stadium was built by Australian firm Multiplex at a cost of £798 million. The old Wembley closed in October 2000, with demolition originally intended for that December and the new stadium due to open in 2003. After delays to the project, with demolition first started in September 2002, the old Wembley was not completely demolished until February 2003, with the new stadium scheduled to open in time for the 2006 FA Cup Final. After further delays, the stadium was delivered nearly a year late, leading to legal disputes between WNSL and Multiplex, who ultimately made a significant loss on the project. The stadium was handed over on 9 March 2007, in time to host the 2007 FA Cup Final.
In international football, the stadium was a central component of the failed English 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids. In 2012 it hosted the football finals of the London Olympics. In club football, in addition to the FA Cup the stadium hosts the showpiece season-opening game the FA Community Shield match, played in August between the winners of the FA Cup and the top-level Premier League. In mid-season it also hosts the finals of the Football League Cup and Football League Trophy. At the end of the domestic season, the stadium also hosts the finals of the Football League play-offs. In European football, it hosted the 2011 Champions League Final, and will host the final again in 2013. In friendly tournaments, since 2009 it has been the venue of the summer Wembley Cup. Outside of football, the stadium also hosts major rugby league games, such as the Challenge Cup and International Rugby League. The stadium is also an annual regular season venue for the American National Football League's International Series, the first such venue outside North America. Non-sporting uses include large music concerts such as Concert for Diana, Live Earth and the Summertime Ball.

History 

Wembley was designed by architects Foster + Partners and Populous (known as HOK Sport at the time of the design phase and construction) and with engineers Mott Stadium Consortium, who were a collection of three structural engineering consultants in the form of Mott MacDonald Ltd, Sinclair Knight & Merz and Aurecon. The design of the building services was carried out by Mott MacDonald Ltd. The construction of the stadium was managed by Australian company Brookfield Multiplex and funded by Sport England, WNSL (Wembley National Stadium Limited), the Football Association, the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the London Development Agency. It is one of the most expensive stadia ever built at a cost of £798 million (After New Meadowlands Stadium) and has the largest roof-covered seating capacity in the world. Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners was appointed to assist Wembley National Stadium Limited in preparing the scheme for a new stadium and to obtain planning and listed building permission for the development.
The all-seater stadium is based around a bowl design with a capacity of 90,000, protected from the elements by a sliding roof that does not completely enclose it. It can also be adapted as an athletic stadium by erecting a temporary platform over the lowest tier of seating. The stadium's signature feature is a circular section lattice arch of 7 m (23 ft) internal diameter with a 315 m (1,033 ft) span, erected some 22° off true, and rising to 133 m (436 ft). It supports all the weight of the north roof and 60% of the weight of the retractable roof on the southern side. The archway is the world's longest unsupported roof structure. Instead of the 39 steps climbed, in the original stadium, to enter the Royal Box and collect a trophy, there are now 107.
A "platform system" has been designed to convert the stadium for athletics use, but its use would decrease the stadium's capacity to approximately 60,000. No athletics events (track and field) have taken place at the stadium, and none are scheduled. The conversion for athletics use was a condition of part of the lottery funding the stadium received, but to convert it would take weeks of work and cost millions of pounds.

Borg El Arab

The Egyptian Army Stadium or Borg El Arab Stadium is a stadium commissioned in 2006 in the Mediterranean Sea resort of Borg el Arab; 50 km west of Alexandria, Egypt. It is the largest stadium in Egypt and the third largest in Africa (the first being Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and the second being Soccer City in Johannesburg) with a capacity of 86,000[2] and is an all-seater. It is also the 27th largest stadium in the world, and the 10th largest association football stadium in the world. It is located on the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway 10 km from Borg El Arab Airport and 15 km from Alexandria's city centre. A running track runs around the pitch, and the ground has four large floodlights. Only one stand is covered by a roof.

History 

The Stadium was originally commissioned as part of an ambitious 5 international-standard stadiums project for Egypt's bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[3] It is also expected to be one of the venues for the Egyptian National Football Team along with the Cairo International Stadium, and the Mubarak Stadium at the city of Giza; 25 km south of Cairo. There is much speculation on whether any of the local (northern Egypt) football clubs will play their home matches in the stadium as they already fail to reach the 20,000+ mark in any of their current games. It is thought that the final matches of the Egyptian Cup might be held there every year.
The Stadium is unique in that it was designed and built completely by the Egyptian Armed Forces Corps of Engineers (EAFCE). It is thought that the EAFCE might be willing to participate in the construction of future stadiums.

ANZ

The ANZ Stadium, also known as Stadium Australia, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to simply as the "Olympic Stadium", was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$690 million to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. Every year since the stadium was built, the New South Wales rugby league team's home games in the State of Origin series have been played there. Also since then the stadium has since hosted the annual National Rugby League grand final. Stadium Australia also hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals and Bledisloe Cup matches.
The stadium was originally built to temporarily hold 110,000 spectators, making it the largest Olympic Stadium ever built as well as the largest stadium in Australia. In 2003 reconfiguration work was completed to shorten the north and south wings, and install movable seating. These changes reduced the capacity to 83,500 for a rectangular field and 82,500 for an oval field (making it the second largest stadium in Australia after the Melbourne Cricket Ground). Awnings were also added over the North and South stands, which means that now most of the seating is under cover. The stadium was also engineered along sustainable lines for example with the low use of steel in the roof structure in comparison to the Olympic stadiums of Athens and Beijing.

History 

In October 2001, major reconfiguration work on the stadium was commenced to allow for sports that require an oval field, such as cricket and Australian rules football, to be played at the ground. The two wing stands were removed as well as the athletics track and a movable seating section was introduced in its place. New roofs were built over the two ends and seats that had a poor view of the field were removed. The reconfiguration reduced the capacity to 83,500 for the rectangular field and 82,500 for the oval field at a total cost of $80 million. The construction work was carried out by Multiplex.
The reconfiguration work was completed in October 2003 in time for the 2003 Rugby World Cup where the then Telstra Stadium hosted the opening game, two other groups games, both semi-finals, the third-place play-off and final matches of the competition. In the first semi-final on 15 November 2003, Australia beat New Zealand 22–10 and then in the second semi-final the following day England beat France 24–7. In the final, on 22 November, England beat Australia 20–17 in extra time.
The Sydney Swans v Collingwood AFL match at the Stadium on Saturday 23 August 2003 set an attendance record for the largest crowd to watch an AFL game outside of Victoria with 72,393 spectators (near capacity) attending and was the largest home-and-away AFL crowd at any Australian stadium for 2003.
2 October 2005 saw 82,453 attend the NRL grand final in which the Wests Tigers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 30–16.
16 November 2005 saw 82,698 attend the second leg of the Oceania-South America Qualification Playoff game for qualification to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Australia defeated Uruguay 1–0, which led to a penalty shootout as Uruguay had won the first leg of the playoff 1–0. Australia won this shootout 4–2, and the penalty spot where John Aloisi's spot kick secured victory has been permanently preserved and is on public display at the stadium.
In February 2009, the stadium replaced its existing two television screens with new Panasonic HD LED video screens that measure 23x10m – 70% larger than the original screens, and 50% larger than the screens in the Beijing National Stadium, whilst consuming less power than the old screens. Additionally, an LED perimeter screen showcasing ANZ advertising has been installed on the second level from the 30m line to the 30m line.
30 September 2012 saw the largest ever rugby league crowd since reconfiguration when 82,976 attended the NRL grand final to see the Melbourne Storm defeat the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs 14–4. This number was nearly reached in the 2009 NRL Grand Final between the Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels, with 82,538 in attendance. On 13 and 14 December 2010, a U2 concert, one of the biggest in history, was held at the ANZ Stadium.

Westfalenstadion

Westfalenstadion is an association football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund football team playing in the German Bundesliga.
The stadium is officially named Signal Iduna Park under a sponsorship arrangement lasting from December 2005 until 2021, giving naming rights to the Signal Iduna Group, an insurance company. The older name Westfalenstadion derives from the former Prussian province of Westphalia, which is part of the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia. It is one of the most famous football stadiums in Europe and was elected best football stadium by The Times for its renowned atmosphere.
It has a league capacity of 80,720 (standing and seated) and an international capacity of 65,718 (officially seats only). It is Germany's biggest stadium and the sixth biggest stadium in Europe. The stadium established the European record in average fan attendance in 2004–2005 with a total of 1.354 million fans. The stadium broke this record in the 2011–2012 season with almost 1.37 million spectators. The supporters' enthusiasm increasingly produces over 50,000 sold season tickets. Regularly 24,454 fans on the famous terrace called Südtribüne, fill the largest still existing standing area in European football. Famous for the intense atmosphere it breeds, the south terrace has been nicknamed "Yellow Wall". The stadium hosted matches of the 1974 FIFA World Cup and of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Various national friendlies and qualification matches for World and European tournaments have been played there as well as matches in European club competitions. Borussia Dortmund lost to Juventus in the UEFA Cup finals of 1993, only to win the UEFA Champions League final against them in Munich in 1997. Dortmund hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup Final.

History 

Plans to construct a new stadium were drawn up in the 1960s, as the need arose to expand and refurbish the traditional ground of Borussia Dortmund, the Stadion Rote Erde ("Stadium Red Land"). Following the historic triumph in the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup (Dortmund was the first German team to win a European club title), it became clear that the Stadion Rote Erde was too small for the increasing number of Borussia Dortmund supporters. The city of Dortmund, however, was not able to finance a new stadium and federal institutions were unwilling to help.
In 1971, Dortmund was selected to replace the city of Cologne, which was forced to withdraw its plans to host games in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The funds originally set aside for the projected stadium in Cologne were thus re-allocated to Dortmund. However, architects and planners had to keep an eye on the costs due to a tight budget. This meant that plans for a 60 million DM oval stadium featuring the traditional athletic facilities and holding 60,000 spectators had to be discarded. Instead, plans for a much cheaper 54,000 spectator football arena, built of pre-fabricated concrete sections, became a reality. Ultimately, the costs amounted to 32.7 million DM, of which 1.6 million DM were invested in the refurbishment of the Stadion Rote Erde. The city of Dortmund, initially burdened with 6 million DM, only had to pay 800,000 DM, and quickly profited from the stadium's high revenues.
In the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the Westfalenstadion hosted 3 Group games and 1 Final Group game, during which the stadium was almost always filled to its maximum capacity of 54,000.
On 2 April 1974, Borussia Dortmund officially moved into their new home and has played in the Westfalenstadion ever since. Having been relegated in 1972, BVB was the only member of the 2. Bundesliga (second Division) to host the 1974 World Cup games in a completely new stadium. In 1976, after promotion to the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund played its first game in Germany's highest division in their new home stadium.

Santiago Bernabéu

The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators.
El Bernabéu, renamed in honour of their former chairman Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, is one of the world's most famous and prestigious football venues. It has hosted the European Cup final on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980, and the UEFA Champions League Final in 2010. The finals for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 World Cup have also been held at the Bernabéu.

History 

On 22 June 1944, the Banco Mercantil e Industrial bank granted a credit to Santiago Bernabéu and Rafael Salgado for the purchase of the land adjacent to the old Estadio Chamartín. On 5 September 1944, architects Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler were hired and the structure on the site began to give way to the new stadium. On 27 October 1944, construction work on the stadium began.
The Nuevo Estadio Chamartín (English: New Chamartín Stadium) was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 with a match between Real Madrid and the Portuguese side Os Belenenses, which resulted in a 3–1 victory for Los Blancos.[5] The stadium had an initial capacity of 75,145 spectators, 27,645 of which had seats (7,125 covered) and 47,500 for standing fans. Sabino Barinaga was the first player to score in the new stadium.

Monumental "U"

Estadio Monumental (Monumental Stadium), is a football stadium in the district of Ate in Lima, Peru, home ground of the football Club Universitario de Deportes, which opened in 2000 to replace the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez. Designed by Progreso International and Gremco S.A., Uruguayan architect Walter Lavalleja Sarriés led the construction of the stadium. It is Peru’s largest stadium and also the second largest in South America, behind Brazil's Maracanã. It has a spectator-capacity of 80,093; 59,177 seated in the four stands and 20,916 in luxury box suites known as palcos. The stadium was built in accordance with FIFA’s manual of technical specifications for World Cup finals.
The stadium has hosted some of the Peru national football team's international matches including FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. It also hosted the Finalisima of the 2008 Copa Perú. However, the Monumental was absent from the organization of the 2004 Copa América because of conflicts between the club and the organizers. In addition, between its opening in 2000 until 2007, only one edition of Peru's most important derby was played due to security concerns; however in late 2008, the derby returned to the stadium.

History 

Located on Avenida Prolongación Javier Prado Este, the 80,093-spectator stadium and the surrounding sport complex cover an area of 186,542 m². There are 3 fields; the stadium field and two training grounds. The stadium is divided into two main sections; the lower section of stands for the general public and the upper section of 6 floors of luxury boxes. The lower section of the stadium consists of four stands—known as Norte, Sur, Oriente, and Occidente (North, South, East, and West respectively)—each having its own entrance. The east and west stands are all-seaters, while the north and south stands have standing terraces. Behind the western and eastern stands, there is a handicapped zone. In the center of the western stand the Palco Oficial is situated for about 600 spectators, which has a private entrance and commodities such as bathrooms and a cafeteria. Together, these four stands can receive 59,177 spectators. The upper section consists of the luxury box suites which are 1,250 in total for 20,916 spectators; the suite owners have a private parking lot.
The main field is 18 meters below ground level and from the outside the stadium, only the luxury suites are visible. The field is 105 x 70 meters in size. Modern floodlighting was installed, with a total of 160 Ultra Sport General Electric spotlights of 2000 watts with four levels of illumination. Above the northern stand, an LED display electronic scoreboard stands which measures 8 x 10 meters. Above the southern stand, a Philips screen is situated that measures 10 x 6 meters. Above the western stand, a surveillance room with eight security cameras monitoring the interiors and exteriors of the stadium. The field is watered by sprinkler irrigation.
The stadium has four changing rooms which are below the western stand; two of them are the main changing rooms for the main game the stadium hosts, while the other two are for teams participating in a preliminary match. The changing rooms include showers, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and massage rooms. The main changing rooms have an office for the manager of the team. There is also an anti-doping room, a referees changing room, and a chapel. Below the southern stand is a changing room for musical concert personnel.
In the western stand–Occidente–the first floor of the upper section was exclusively made for the media and press. There are 168 positions for newspaper journalists in addition to 32 cabins for radio broadcasts as well as 5 specially-made positions for television broadcasts. Two photography laboratories are available. Several rooms are also available for the press, press conferences, telecommunications, and accreditation.

San Siro

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. On 3 March 1980,[2] the stadium was named in honour of Giuseppe Meazza, the two-time World Cup winner (1934, 1938) who played for Internazionale, and briefly for Milan, in the 1930s and 1940s. It held UEFA five-star stadium status which was superseded by a new system of classification.

History 

Construction of the stadium commenced in 1925 in the district of Milan named San Siro, with the new stadium originally named "Nuovo Stadio Calcistico San Siro" (San Siro New Football Stadium). The idea to build a stadium in the same district as the horse racing track, belongs to the man who then was the president of AC Milan, Piero Pirelli. The architects designed a private stadium only for football, without the athletics tracks which characterized the Italian stadia built with public funds. The inauguration was on September 19, 1926, when 35,000 spectators saw Internazionale defeat Milan 6–3. Originally, the ground was home and property of AC Milan. In 1947 Internazionale became tenants and the two have shared the ground ever since.
As well as being used by Milan and Inter, the Italian national team also plays occasional games there and it has also been used for the 1965, 1970, and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals. The stadium was also used for Internazionale's UEFA Cup finals when played over home and away legs but has never featured since the competition changed to a single final structure in 1997–98.
The stadium underwent further renovations for the 1990 World Cup with $60 million being spent, bringing the stadium up to UEFA category four standard. As part of the renovations, the stadium became all seated, with an extra tier being added to three sides of the stadium. This entailed the building of 11 concrete towers around the outside of the stadium. Four of these concrete towers were being located at the corners to support a new roof which has distinctive protruding red girders.

Guangdong

The Guangdong Olympic Stadium, also known as the Aoti Main Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Currently used mostly for football matches, the stadium was built in 2001. It has a capacity of 80,012 with multi-colored seats, positioned in multiple sections, and are connected via a ribbon pattern.

History 

The building of Guangdong Olympic Stadium was started in 1998. It opened to the public for the ninth National Games of the People's Republic of China in 2001. It was originally planned to help host the 2008 Summer Olympics until a decision was made to construct the National Stadium in Beijing. The original design for the Guangdong Olympic Stadium was announced in 1999. Taking Guangzhou's nickname, the Flower City, the American architectural firm of Ellerbe Becket designed Guangdong Olympic Stadium's sunscreen roof to resemble layers of petals on a flower. The design firm stated in its press release: "The stadium bowl grows out of the ground to a sculpted upper edge, like the petals of a flower. Floating above the bowl is a shimmering ribbon of roof flowing like a wave over the seats. It parts at the ends and holds the Olympic flame, suspended between the two ribbons. A hotel surrounds a circular opening in the roof that forms a vertical tower of light, which at night is visible for a great distance."

Stade des Martyrs

Stade des Martyrs of Pentecost, also known as simply Stade des Martyrs and formerly known as Stade Kamanyola is a national stadium located in the town of Lingwala in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is mainly used for football matches and has organised many concerts and athletics competitions.
It is the home stadium of the National Team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and he AS Vita Club and DC Motema Pembe of Championship Democratic Republic of the Congo football. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000, but crowds can sometimes reach 100,000 for some matches.

History 

The Stade des Martyrs was first called Stade Kamanyola at the time of Zaire. From the memorandum of Understanding of May 13, 1987 between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Zaire, construction began on October 14, 1988 and ended on October 14, 1993 The inauguration took place on September 14, 1994, on which a friendly took place after the African Cup of Nations had opposed the Leopards of Zaire and the Malawi team football. Built by the Chinese, like other prestigious achievements of the regime of Zaire, the building is now the venue of the city where the international meetings, as well as many other sporting events of cultural importance. It is considered by many football experts as the Cathedral of African Football in regard to its shape and size. Its construction cost was approximately 38,000,000 US dollars. It replaced the former National Stadium, the Stade Tata Raphael.
In 1997, the stadium was renamed to the Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecote in honour of Jerome Anany, Emmanuel Bamba, Alexandre Mahamba, and Evariste Kimba, who were hanged on June 1966 on the current site of this stadium.
In 2008, the Stadium was renovated by the government following the recommendation of FIFA and now meets international standards (wardrobe, sound, lighting, electronic marker table, numbering of the seats, press gallery, security system and fire...). For this, the state has spent $3,000,000. The Dutch Company Edell Grass came by a lot of containers at the port of Boma and then transported them to Kinshasa by train. The containers contained 140 tonnes of synthetic rollers and 150 tons of sand. The work was conducted by a team of four technicians, including two Dutch, and South African, and one Norwegian.

Shanghai

The Shanghai Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Shanghai, China. It is currently used mostly for football matches.
The stadium was built in 1997 when the 8th National Games of the People's Republic of China was held in Shanghai. It can hold about 80,000 people, so it is also called the "80,000 people's Stadium" (八万人体育场). It is one of the thirty largest football stadiums in the world, and is the third largest stadium in China after the Guangdong Olympic Stadium and the Beijing National Stadium. It was used for football preliminaries at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Shanghai Stadium was also the venue for the Opening Ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Stade de France

The Stade de France  is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 81,338, making it the sixth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for international competition. On 12 July 1998, France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the FIFA World Cup Final contested at the stadium. The Stade de France is listed as a category four stadium by UEFA and has hosted matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, some matches for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, 2003 World Championships in Athletics, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup making it the only stadium in the world to have hosted both a Football World Cup final and a Rugby World Cup final. The facility also hosted the annual Motorsport event Race of Champions in 2004, 2005, and 2006 before the event moved to Wembley Stadium in London. The stadium hosted the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and since 1999 it has hosted the annual Meeting Areva athletics meet.
Domestically, the Stade de France serves as a secondary home facility of Parisian rugby clubs Stade Français and Racing Métro 92, hosting a few of their regular-season fixtures. The stadium also hosts the main French domestic cup finals, which include the Coupe de France (both football and rugby), Coupe de la Ligue, Challenge de France, and the Coupe Gambardella, as well as the Top 14 rugby union championship match. The Stade de France has hosted two UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2006, respectively. The stadium is also used for music concerts and other sporting events. The facility is owned and operated by the Consortium Stade de France.

History 

The discussion of a national stadium in France came about as a result of the country's selection to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup on 2 July 1992. As a result of the selection, the country and the France Football Federation made a commitment to construct an 80,000+ capacity all-seater stadium with every seat in the facility being covered. It was the first time in over 70 years since the construction of the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir that a stadium in France was being constructed for a specific event. Due to the magnitude and importance of the facility, the Council of State was allowed first hand approach to how the stadium would be constructed and paid for. The Council sought for the stadium to be built as close as possible to the capital of France, Paris, and that the constructor and operator of the facility would receive significant financial contribution for a period of 30 months following the completion of the stadium. The stadium's design was handled by the team of architects composed of Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Regembal Michel, and Claude Costantini who were associated with CR SCAU Architecture.
The stadium was officially ready for construction following the government's selection of manufacturers, Bouygues, Dumez, and SGE, and the signing of building permits on 30 April 1995. With only 31 months to complete the stadium, construction commenced on 2 May 1995. The laying of the first cornerstone took place five months later on 6 September. After over a year of construction, over 800,000m ² of earthworks had been created and as much as 180,000 m³ of concrete had been poured. The installation of the roof, which cost €45 million, and the mobile platform also took more than a year to complete.
During the developmental phase, the stadium was referred to in French as the Grand Stade ("large stadium" or "great stadium"). On 4 December 1995, the Ministry of Sport launched a design competition to decide on a name for the stadium. The stadium was officially named the Stade de France after the Ministry heard a proposal from French football legend Michel Platini, who recommended the name.
The stadium was officially inaugurated on 28 January 1998 as it hosted a football match between France and Spain. The total cost of the stadium was approximately €290 million. The match was played in front of 78,368 spectators, which included President Jacques Chirac, with France winning the match 1–0 with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal, and the first-ever in the Stade de France, in the 20th minute. Six months later, France returned to the stadium and defeated Brazil in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final to earn their first World Cup title. The national rugby team's first match in the facility was contested five days after its opening, on 2 February, with France earning a 24–17 win over England in front of 77,567 spectators. Philippe Bernat-Salles converted the first ever try at the stadium scoring it in the 11th minute of play.
On 24 May 2000, the Stade de France hosted the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final. In the match, which saw 78,759 spectators attend, Spanish club Real Madrid defeated fellow Spaniards Valencia 3–0. In 2003, the Stade de France was the primary site of the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. Three years later in 2006, the facility hosted another UEFA Champions League final with another Spanish club Barcelona defeating England's Arsenal 2–1. On 9 May 2009, the Stade de France set the national attendance record for a sporting match played in France with 80,832 showing up to watch Guingamp upset Brittany rivals Rennes 2–1 in the 2009 Coupe de France Final. On 22 May 2010, the Stade de France hosted the 2010 Heineken Cup Final. On 11 February 2012, a Six Nations international rugby game between France and Ireland had to be cancelled just before kick-off due to the pitch freezing as the stadium lacks under-soil heating.

Luzhniki

The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium, is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 89,318 seats, all covered(upgraded). The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium. The name Luzhniki derives from the flood meadows in the bend of Moskva River where the stadium was built, translating roughly as "The Meadows". The stadium is located in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow-city. As part of the Olympic complex Luzhniki also have the Palace of Sport at Luzhniki.

History 

Its field is used mainly for football games by Torpedo Moscow club, who also own the sports complex, and Spartak Moscow. It is also one of the few major European stadia to use an artificial pitch, as it installed a FIFA-approved FieldTurf pitch in 2002. The pitch is necessary for the cold Russian climate, as regular grass pitches are often destroyed during a typical winter and must be replaced at high cost. However, a temporary natural grass pitch was installed for the 2008 Champions League Final.
The Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium was the chief venue for the 1980 Summer Olympics, the spectator capacity being 103,000 at that time. The events hosted in this stadium were the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics, Football finals, and the Individual Jumping Grand Prix.
The stadium hosted the 1999 UEFA Cup Final in which Parma defeated Marseille in the second UEFA Cup to be played as a single fixture.
The Luzhniki Stadium was chosen by UEFA to host the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final won by Manchester United who beat Chelsea in the first all English Champions League Final on May 21. Prior to the match some skeptics questioned the state of the pitch and also the ability of Russian authorities to keep order amongst the traveling British fans, however the match passed incident free and a British Embassy in Moscow spokesman said, "The security and logistical arrangements put in place by the Russian authorities have been first-rate, as has been their cooperation with their visiting counterparts from the UK."
The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been awarded to Russia and the Luzhniki Stadium has been selected by the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid as the venue for the final which will be held on July 8, 2018. The stadium will then join Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Munich's Olympic Stadium and London's Wembley Stadium as the only stadia to have hosted the finals of the FIFA World Cup, UEFA's European Cup/Champions League and featured as a main stadium of the Summer Olympic Games.