England
The New Wembley Stadium (London, England)
Capacity: 90,000
Inauguration: 2007
Cost: $1.25 billion
The New Wembley Stadium now stands at the site of the original
Wembley Stadium which was opened in 1923. The original Wembley, while not quite
one of the oldest stadiums in England, certainly does not lack in its history.
This was the venue that hosted the annual FA Cup, five European Cup Finals, and
the Three Lions’ World Cup triumph on home soil in 1966. This stadium is so iconic,
that the legend that is Pele admits that the biggest regret of
his career was never having played there; the “cathedral of football” as he
described it. In 2003, Wembley was demolished for redevelopment.
Four years later, The New Wembley Stadium was opened. Wembley
is now the world’s most expensive soccer
stadium, and has established itself as one of the premier sporting venues in
the world. The English National Team moved back to the site of their original
home shortly after its reopening. Since it reopened in 2007, Wembley is once
again the site of the annual FA Cup Final as well as the FA Community Shield.
While its modernization makes it lose a bit of its charm, after all, part of
the mystique of a cathedral is its antiquity, the New Wembley Stadium will
likely be home to some of this generation’s most memorable soccer moments.
Be sure to check out part 2 in this
series.
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