10 Global stadiums outside United States that could host WrestleMania

There wouldn’t be many counter arguments if a wrestling fan comes out and says that WrestleMania is a global phenomenon. It is hands down one of ‘the’ most awaited yearly event in the wrestling community and hosting the same is a privilege that every venue would want.Despite the pay-per-view being a ‘global’ phenomenon, WWE for some reason decides to keep WrestleMania within the United States venues. It is a trend that needs to be broken in the near future and there are a lot of possible venues outside the United States that could host the granddaddy of them all. Some of the venues in the list might sound like a very long shot, but no one is going to keep tabs on our imagination, are they?

#10 Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata

WWE has a large unexplored market in India and they have realized it recently. The effort to make Raw live in the country was probably the first major indicator for this and WrestleMania 31 being shown live was another major one. The next step to attract the Indian fans would be to host some live events and pay-per-views in India.

And if that pay-per-view is WrestleMania, then it is going to be a memorable day in WWE’s history. The next obvious question will be regarding the venue that could host the show. There wouldn’t be a better answer than the Salt Lake Stadium for that. Opened back in 1984, the stadium can hold up to 120,000 spectators and would prove to be a great venue for Mania.

#9 Maracan Stadium, Brazil

South America is one of those markets that WWE is yet to explore. Bringing WrestleMania to Brazil might just do the trick. The country hosted the 2014 FIFA world Cup and though there were a lot of protests in between the nation, the event ended up impressing everyone.

Brazil does have a lot of black mark to wash out after the FIFA world cup and an event like WrestleMania would be perfect. The amount of fans that will show up for the event is indeed a concern but we have never tried it so we never know. The stadium now has a capacity of 78,838 and has a history of holding nearly 199,854 back in 1950.

#8 MCG, Melbourne

Taking a break from all those football stadiums, we are going to take a look at a cricket stadium now. And the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground is just the apt choice for that. The stadium was opened back in 1854 and hosts different sports like soccer, cricket and even American Rules football. It is, however, known for the cricket tales and hosted in the Summer Olympics in 1956 as well.

WWE has been looking to tap into the Australian market for a long time and letting them host a WrestleMania might just do the trick. MCG has a capacity of 100,018 which is never a small number.

#7 Soccer City, Johannesburg

Just like South America, Africa is also an unexplored territory for WWE. Wrestling has a big fan base in the continent if you didn’t know and tapping into the same could be made easier with a pay-per-view like WrestleMania.

And speaking about countries that could host the event, South Africa comes out on top. The nation successfully hosted various big events including the ICC Cricket World Cup and the FIFA world Cup and WrestleMania could turn out just the same. The soccer city is the prime venue for the pay-per-view and the capacity of 94,736 is just what WWE would need.

#6 Eden Gardens, Kolkata

WWE’s love for the Indian Market was mentioned earlier and Eden Gardens would serve as a great alternative to the Salt lake stadium. The Gardens might not have the big capacity like Salt Lake, but it is legendary on its own right.

Known for hosting many memorable cricket matches and the Indian Premier League, Gardens is an attraction on any day. It has been hosting cricket matches from 1934 and is the second biggest cricket ground after MCG. It has a capacity of 90,000 which is just perfect for the WrestleMania conditions. Once again, India would accept the pay-per-view with warm hands just like it has with all the other global events.

#5 Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, North Korea

The Rungnado May Day stadium in North Korea is a modern day marvel. It was built in May 1, 1989 as the name suggests and has undergone some modification since. The stadium is known for hosting the Arirang festival on a regular basis while it also plays home for some soccer matches as well.

With a capacity of 150,000, it is one of the largest stadiums in the whole world and though North Korea is not one of the place you would expect filled out arenas, WWE won’t have much trouble selling out tickets for WrestleMania as the North Koreans are known for their brilliance in making events a big success.

#4 Camp Nou, Barcelona

The football fans out there wouldn’t have any hard time recognizing this as it is the home ground of Spanish giants Barcelona. The ground is known for hosting a string of legendary footballers including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and many more and would have no trouble playing in hosting the legendary WrestleMania as well.

Spain is a country where WWE only hosts live events and a WrestleMania at Camp Nou might only serve as an experiment. The stadium can hold up to 98,797 fans and was opened back in 1975 before it underwent renovation in 1982 and 2008 respectively.

#3 Beijing National Stadium, Beijing

The Beijing national stadium will be better known around the world for hosting Olympics. It is also known as the ‘Bird’s Nest’ due to the design in which it is built and can hold more than 100,000 fans at a time. WWE’s fan base in China was there to be seen when the company visited the country back in 2010.

WrestleMania will have no trouble drawing crowds in China and thanks to their successful hosting of the summer Olympics, China could take up the event with full confidence. And with the population that China has, WWE could add a big chunk of new members to their WWE Universe if they pull off the event right.

#2 Azadi Stadium, Tehran

If there is any sports arena worthy of holding WrestleMania in Western Asia, it has to be the Azadi Stadium. The stadium can hold up to 85,000 fans and being the birthplace of WWE Hall of Famer Iron Sheik adds to the whole scenario. The stadium is part of the Azadi Sports Complex which could come in handy when hosting the events that come along with WrestleMania.

Another great thing about the stadium is its big screen that measures 3,000 square feet. Almost everyone in the arena will get a view of the event in such a screen and the way in which the design manages the noise levels is just perfect for hosting WrestleMania.

#1 Wembley Stadium, England

The old Wembley stadium has a history of hosting SummerSlam and it would only be fitting for the new one to host an event like WrestleMania. WWE knows how crazy the fans in United Kingdom are and they could expect a full house for the pay-per-view it happens at the Wembley.

The legendary status of the venue will go hand in hand with the legendary status of WrestleMania. The stadium has a capacity of 90,000 and knowing the fans in UK, it might not be enough. The weather here would be a concern, but since WWE has a history of holding WrestleMania in open stadiums, Wembley is not a bad choice after all.