The best stadiums in the world from all corners of the globe: this is your ultimate match-going bucket list
90. Villa Park
The sun sets during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham, England (Image credit: Peter Powell/Pool via Getty Images)
📍 Birmingham, England 🏠 1897 🏟 42,657
One of England’s grandest old grounds, Villa Park has hosted the Football League founder members since 1897. Its impressive facilities, and central location, have long rendered it a favourite venue for major events. It has been a home from home for England – tellingly, it was the Three Lions’ first port of call after the old Wembley was demolished, and when Wembley was unavailable for the 2012 Community Shield the FA happily relocated it to Birmingham. – GM
89. Toumba Stadium
The Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece prior to the Europa League match between PAOK and Chelsea in 2018 (Image credit: MB Media/Getty Images)
📍 Thessaloniki, Greece 🏠 1959 🏟 28,701
When you think of pyrotechnics on a European night, the Toumba Stadium will likely come to the forefront of your mind. Built by PAOK fans themselves in 1959, it has one of the most hostile atmospheres in world football once supporters get into their devastatingly passionate rhythm. Even more impressive, considering the lack of a roof keeping the noise in.
Dubbed ‘The Black Hell’, players even walk out of the tunnel to the tune of Hells Bells by AC/DC. It’s certainly more intimidating than the Z-Cars theme tune, that’s for sure. – RD
88. Chang Arena
Borussia Dortmund legends training at Chang Arena in Buriram, Thailand, 2018 (Image credit: Suhaimi Abdullah/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)
📍 Buriram, Thailand 🏠 2011 🏟 32,600
Buriram United’s home is small but perfectly formed. And rapidly formed – it holds the official world record for being the quickest FIFA-standard stadium ever built, taking just 256 days in 2010/11. It is the country’s third biggest stadium, behind Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok and Thinnasulanon Stadium in Songkhla – but although it is barely half the capacity of the Rajamangala, it is the most popular and visited in Thailand because of its exciting atmosphere. – KT
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87. RheinEnergieStadion
The RheinEnergieStadion fills before a friendly match between Koln and Liverpool in 2003 (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
📍 Cologne, Germany 🏠 1923 🏟 50,000
It might have a name to make Cologne fans wince, but their neat RheinEnergieStadion – the third ground on the same patch of land – is one of Germany’s best. It could have been very different had the city got its way to host matches at the 1974 World Cup. Cologne’s bid was rubber-stamped with the promise of a spanking new 80,000-capacity Mungersdorfer Stadion, but spiralling costs – almost four times as much as expected – meant it was finished late.
That’s “late” as in November 1975, meaning poor Cologne didn’t get to welcome World Cup-goers until 2006 when their renovated 61,000-capacity ground was brought down to 50,000 and purpose-built for football. Fit for Joe Cole howitzers against Sweden, for example. – JB
86. Daegu Stadium
The Daegu Stadium plays host to the 2002 World Cup (Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
📍 Daegu, South Korea 🏠 2001 🏟 66,422
Daegu may be known locally for textiles and delicious apples, but in football terms the massive stadium out to the east of Korea’s third-largest city will likely be best remembered for one game.
In 2002, South Korea and Turkey enjoyed what was possibly the best third-place play-off ever, featuring two teams that still couldn't quite believe what had happened over the previous few weeks. In what was perhaps the friendliest atmosphere ever for an international match, Hakan Suker opened the scoring after just 11 seconds – the fastest goal in World Cup history – and Turkey ultimately won 3-2. It was a fittingly attractive fixture for a very eye-catching stadium, nicknamed Blue Arc. – JD
85. Tele2 Arena
Smoke rises out of the Tele2 during the Svenska Cupen Final between Djurgardens and Malmo in 2018 (Image credit: MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Getty Images)
📍 Stockholm, Sweden 🏠 2013 🏟 30,000
Uninspiring name aside, the Tele2 Arena gets it right in just about every category. Built in the Hammarby heartlands of Sodermalm around the corner from their now demolished Söderstadion, it also hosts relocated city rivals Djurgarden – a fan squabble over whose game should open the stadium even led to bomb threats. Taking both sides, the transparent digital façade glows either green-and-white or blue/yellow/red, depending on which club is at home. – LR
84. City Ground
An aerial view of the City Ground prior to the Championship playoff semi-final second leg match between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United in May 2022 (Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Image)
📍 Nottingham, England 🏠 1898 🏟 30,332
Built on the banks of the River Trent, the City Ground is simply unique. Brian Clough’s European success in 1979 and 1980 fittingly built the expensive stand that (after remodelling) bears his name, and stands proud looking across to the Peter Taylor Stand. Perhaps the best feature, though, is the Bridgford End’s bent roof, which keeps nearby houses in direct sunlight. You’d be hard pressed to find something as curious anywhere in the world, while the club’s iconic tree crest is beautifully etched into the seats.
History lingers heavy here, making its proposed redevelopment welcome news amid a potential relocation. – RD
83. Stade Pierre-Mauroy
A general view inside the Stade Pierre-Mauroy prior to the Euro 2016 match between Russia and Slovakia (Image credit: Christopher Lee - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
📍 Lille, France 🏠 2012 🏟 50,186
The Stade Pierre-Mauroy is a stunning technical feat. Clad in an animated façade which projects videos and changes to Lille’s colours on matchday, the bubble-shaped structure bears a retractable roof which weighs 100 tonnes more than the Eiffel Tower. Unsurprisingly, all that tech comes at a cost. The construction required €324m of the metropolitan area’s funds, and Lille are forced to send €4.5m rent in their direction every season to use the facilities.
But for fans of a club who have battled for decades to get a decent, permanent home ground, being able to call a swanky modern ground home will feel worth the effort. – LR
82. Salt Lake Stadium
Kolkata, India's Salt Lake Stadium ahead of the U-17 World Cup in 2017 (Image credit: Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
📍 Kolkata, India 🏠 1984 🏟 85,000
The largest football stadium in India, Salt Lake often attracts huge numbers to the Kolkata derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. When the sides met in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final, a record 131,000 people crammed in to see Indian legend Baichung Bhutia bag a hat-trick as East Bengal won 4-1 – and as recently as 2008, there were 120,000 there to see Oliver Khan’s farewell as Bayern Munich beat Mohun Bagan 3-0. – VV
81. Campo de Futbol de Vallecas
A general view of Campo de Futbol de Vallecas during the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete in June 2020 in Madrid, Spain (Image credit: Baldesca/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
📍 Madrid, Spain 🏠 1976 🏟 14,708
There’s something different about Vallecas; whisper it, something almost British. Nestled in the heart of working-class Madrid, just to the south-east of the city centre, Rayo Vallecano’s home is the team of the people. The ground is so cramped that the southern end has no terrace and backs immediately onto a number of high-rise flats which overlook the pitch, offering quite the view of proceedings come matchday. The noise here, though, is something else. If you want the real Madrid, visceral and authentic, then this is the stadium for you. – AM
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Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
