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In the passionate world of football, it is hard to deny the importance of magnificent, capacity-filled, and expensive stadiums. They bring pride not only to the team's fans but also help improve the image of the home team playing there and represent cities or even entire countries. Naturally, the bigger the football stadium, the more fans can support their teams in it. Football is the most popular sport globally, with over 4 billion fans. For this reason, stadium development and construction are an integral part of football's growth. Below we will review some of the most expensive and largest football stadiums in European cities.
Signal Iduna Park, also known as Westfalenstadion, this football stadium is located in Dortmund, Germany. The stadium's construction was completed in 1974. In today's currency, the approximate cost of its construction was around 200 million euros. The Borussia Dortmund team plays their home matches at this stadium. During football matches, this stadium can accommodate approximately 81,000 fans. This stadium was one of the World Cup stadiums in 2006. In total, it hosted several tournament matches, including Germany losing the semi-final to Italy with a score of 2-0.
Aviva Stadium, this stadium is a true pride of Ireland and an expression of the country's love for football. It is the first recognized UEFA category four stadium in the Irish capital - Dublin. After three years of construction, the grand opening of the stadium took place in 2010. The construction cost was around 410 million euros. The first international football match in this stadium took place between the national teams of Ireland and Argentina, with the visitors winning 1-0. Not only the Irish national football team competes in this stadium, but it is easily adaptable for other sports such as rugby or even American football.
Emirates Stadium, this is the fourth-largest stadium in London, England. It is home to the Arsenal club, known for nurturing deep football traditions. The stadium can accommodate around 60,000 football fans, and its construction cost was about 475 million euros. The stadium's construction began in 2004, and by 2006, the first match was already being played. The first goal in this stadium was scored by Aston Villa's striker Olof Mellberg in the 53rd minute, but an equalizing goal in the same match was scored by Arsenal's player, Gilberto Silva.
London Stadium, also known as the Olympic Stadium, was specially built in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The construction lasted three years and cost approximately 817 million euros. Unlike most Olympic infrastructure dedicated to the Games, this stadium is widely used to this day and has not lost its importance. During sports events, the stadium can accommodate up to 66,000 spectators. It is a multi-purpose stadium where West Ham United plays their home matches.
Wembley Stadium is famous not only for popular sports events but also for grand concerts accommodating almost a hundred thousand fans. Originally, the age of this stadium dates back almost a century, but the construction of the stadium we know today began in 2002. The project was completed by 2007, and the total value of the stadium reached approximately 1.5 billion euros. The stadium incorporates many modern engineering solutions. One of them is an impressive retractable roof, covering an area of approximately 13,000 square meters, designed to allow natural grass to grow with minimal shading and better growth.
The first international match between England and Brazil national football teams took place in this stadium on June 1, 2007. That time, the match ended in a draw. The stadium also hosted many important football tournament finals. In 2011, the UEFA Champions League final match between Manchester United and Barcelona was held there.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is a legendary and one of the most expensive stadiums in Europe. Real Madrid plays their home matches in this stadium. The stadium was built in 1947, but it has been rebuilt and renovated several times. The current total value of the stadium is around 1.7 billion euros. It is a very significant stadium where many important finals and legendary matches have taken place throughout its history.
