10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation
Europe is a continent of many different kinds of sports and tournaments. Starting from being the inventor of the classy sport of cricket to being the masters of soccer, from being the breeding ground of well-known hockey players, to being the homeland of top track runners, sports of various kinds are played, and loved by almost all the countries of Europe, all pursued with great fervour, and the people of all major sports nations are the world’s greatest football fans. They ensure that their teams receive all the moral boosting they can get, by being present in the stadiums during the games. Of course, the stadiums are built in such a way that they can accommodate the maximum number of football fans as possible. Let’s take a look at the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation.
10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation
10. Atatürk Olympic Stadium
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, in the İkitelli district near Istanbul, Turkey, is the largest-capacity stadium in Turkey. With a capacity of 76,092 since 2005, it is inducted in the 10th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. Its construction was started in 1999 and finished in 2002. It took 140 million USD to build the stadium. With a 5-star sports complex title, it has hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final played between Liverpool and Milan. With a certification as a first-class venue for track and field, it has hosted several European athletic competitions, except the Olympics, though it was originally conceived for the 2008 Olympic Games bid which the city lost. It has two steel roofs and a glass surface. Its 134 entrances and 148 exit gates allow 80000 people to evacuate in 7.5 minutes.
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9. Luzhniki Stadium
The Luzhniki Stadium, in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug in Moscow, Russia, is one of the major stadiums of Europe. With a current seating capacity of 78,360, it is inducted in the 9th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. Its construction was done in 1955-56 and was officially opened in 1956 as the Central Lenin Stadium, the bational stadium of the Soviet Union, and is now the national stadium of Russia. It is mainly a football ground. It is noted for hosting important events, the chief ones of them being the 980 Summer Olympics, where the spectator capacity was 103,000, as well as 1999 EUFA Cup Final, 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, etc. Keeping in mind the harsh winters, the stadium uses artificial pitch.
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8. San Siro
San Siro, or Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, in San Siro district near Milan, Italy, is home to AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano. With a capacity of 80,018 since 2011, it is inducted in the 8th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. Its construction was started in 1925 and inaugurated in 1926. It has been renovated several times, increasing its capacity from 26000 to where it is today. Initially started as a private venue for only football, the renovations added features for the stadium to host other sports, as well, such as rugby, and boxing, and even for music concerts. It enjoyed the the UEFA five-star stadium status, which was superseded. It has a distinctive protruding red girders and a Desso GlassMaster surface.
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7. Westfalenstadion
Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany is an association football stadium which is home to Borussa Dortmund football team. It is the biggest stadium in Germany. With a capacity of 81,264 since 2012 in League matches, and 65,590 in International matches, it is inducted in the 7th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. Its construction was started in 1971 and cost approximately $18 million. It has a record of the attendance of 1.37 million spectators, as it broke its own record which it set in 2004-2005 season. The stadium’s South Bank is the largest extant terrace for standing spectators in European soccer, and is noted for the intensity that it breeds in its atmosphere, due to which it is nicknamed Yellow Wall. It has hosted important events like matches of the 1974 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, 2001 UEFA Cup Final, etc.
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6. Stade de France
Stade de France, in France, near Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, is an all-seater stadium, and is home to the French national teams of both rugby as well as football. With a capacity of 81,228, it is inducted in the 6th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. It was constructed for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and is a category four stadium as listed by UEFA, noted for hosting some of the greatest events and matches. Matches of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 1999 Rugby World Cup, 2003 World Championships in Athletics and 2007 Rugby World Cup. In fact, it is the only stadium in the world which has hosted the World Cup tournaments of both football as well as rugby. It also hosted the UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2006, Race of Champions auto race in 2004-2006, the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, and the annual Meeting Areva athletics meet since 1999.
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5. Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium, in Twickenham Stadium, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, UK, is the largest of stadiums that are dedicated to rugby union, and is the 2ns largest in the UK. With a capacity of 82,000, it is inducted in the 5th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. It is home to the Rugby Football Union, and is noted for hosting the home test matches of the English national rugby team. It also hosts the matches of Middlesex Sevens, the Aviva premiership final, LV Cup, Heineken Cup matches and the home matches of Barbarian FC. It is an iconic rugby stadium, and has also hosted a number of concerts, with stars like Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, etc., performing there.
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4. Croke Park
Croke Park, in Dublin, Ireland, is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is the largest of stadiums that are not usually used for association football. With a capacity of 82,300, it is inducted in the 4th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. It is most noted for hosting the All-Ireland finals in football and hurling. The opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics was hosted by this stadium, and so was the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, where Pope Benedict XVI addressed about 80,000 people over a video link. It has a Hall of Fame, opened in 2013, in the museum section, and it has been decided that the new inductees will be chosen in 5-year intervals.
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3. Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, on the Paseo de la Castellana in the district of Chamartín in Madrid, Spain, is considered as the most famous and prestigious soccer stadium in the world, and is the second largest Spanish stadium, as well as the second-largest one, which is home to a top-notch European club, i.e. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. With a capacity of 85,454, it is inducted in the 3rd place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation. This all-seater stadium was constructed in 1944-1947, and was inaugurated in the year 1947. This stadium is one of the main attractions of Milan, and is the favourite choice for football fans to watch a good game. It is noted for hosting some of the biggest events like the EURO 1964, 1982 FIFA World Cup, etc.
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2. Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, in Wembley Park of London, England, is a well-known football stadium. With a capacity of 90,000, it is inducted in the 2th place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation, and is the largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It was opened in 2007, in the site of the original stadium after it had been demolished in 2003. One of the most prominent features of this stadium is its retractable roof and the Wembley Arch of 134 meters. The construction of the stadium cost £798 million. The stadium is known for hosting the FA Cup Final, season-opening FA Shield, League Cup Final, Football League Trophy, and Football play-offs. It also hosted the UEFA Champions League Finals in 2011 and 2013, the gold medal matches of the 2012 Olympic Games football tournament, etc.
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1. Camp Nou
Camp Nou, in Barcelona, Catalonia of Spain, is a football stadium, and has been home of Futbol Club Barcelona since 1957. With a capacity of 99,354, it is inducted in the top place in our list of the 10 Largest Stadiums in Europe in Terms of Accommodation, and is the largest stadium in Spain, as well as the 4th largest stadium in the world. Its construction was started in 1954, before a crowd of 60,000 fans of Barcelona, and this is considered one of the most precious moments in soccer history. With the final cost being 288 million pesetas, the construction was 336% over the budget. The stadium is noted for hosting some of the most important and prestigious matches and tournaments, such as two UEFA Champions League finals, as well as the football competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
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As the athletes work hard to train themselves, and play a great game to make the nation proud, it is the people who take pride in the achievements of the players. The fans can make or break the morale of the players. Their presence in the stadiums makes a huge difference to the athletes, and the largest of stadiums are thus places that have seen some of the greatest moments, in sports history, in the presence of cheering fans.