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Football is one of the sports where the home ground factor is of the highest importance to the teams. The clubs leave no stone unturned to make their players feel "at home".
The world is decorated with some architectural marvels. While the common crowd hails the London eye, the football fans go week in their knees seeing the Wembley crown. Europe undoubtedly has the finest stadiums in the world.
With the power of media, the clubs manage to create a worldwide fanbase. Week in and out, the fans turn up in large numbers to watch their team play. The clubs thereby have a responsibility to accommodate the fans so they can get behind their teams.
Here, we take a look at the 5 biggest football stadiums across Europe, in terms of capacity.
#5 Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow, Russia)
Club: None
Opening: 1956
Capacity: 81,000 seats
The stadium was used for the 1980 Olympics. Till 1990, its capacity was 100,000 which was reduced after the stadium was renovated to add a roof.
An unfortunate incident popularly known as the Luzhniki Disaster occurred during a UEFA Cup tie between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem, where a lot of lives were lost. The rush to leave the stadium saw a chaos begin at the stairs. As a result, people were crushed and reported dead.
The Luzhniki Stadium would be hosting the final of the FIFA World Cup, 2018. It was at this ground where Manchester United beat Chelsea in 2008, courtesy of the 'John Terry slip'.
#4 Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain)
Club: Real Madrid CF
Opening: 1947
Capacity: 81,044 seats
Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is the fortress of the Spanish Champions, Real Madrid. The stadium is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Madrid.
Santiago Bernabeu was initially called Nuevo Estadio Chamartin but received the name of the club-president eight years later.
The renovations over the course of history have seen the stadium's capacity reduce from an initial 100,000 to 81,044.
The FIFA World Cup final in 1982 between Italy and West Germany was played on this ground. Estadio Santiago Bernabéu has hosted three European Cups, a UEFA Euro and a Champions League final.
#3 Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Opening: 1974
Capacity: 81,360 (25,000 standing)
Known as The Westfalenstadion before 2005, Signal Iduna Park is a stadium where every football fan dreams to be. The Yellow Wall at the southern terrace of the arena has the ability to denigrate any visitor.
The stadium served as an inspiration to the upcoming stadia because of its spectacular rectangle shape. It was a one of a kind stadium at that time.
In 2001, Westfalenstadion hosted the UEFA Cup Final. However, the ground was renamed for the event because of sponsorship reasons. The stadium also hosted few group stage matches of the 2006 World Cup.
#2 Wembley Stadium (London, England)
Club: None (Currently occupied by Tottenham Hotspur)
Opening: 2007
Capacity: 90,000 seats
The old Wembley was demolished in 2003 and a massive rebuild was planned. The new stadium was inaugurated in 2007.
Wembley is the standard playing venue for the England Football Team. The stadium annually holds the FA Cup final, League Cup final and the Community Shield. It was the venue for 2011 and 2013 Champions League finals as well.
Its 133-meter tall arch stretches across the arena and adds to the magnificence of the Wembley. Bayern Munich completed a historic treble after beating arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League finals.
#1 Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain)
Club: FC Barcelona
Opening: 1957
Capacity: 99,354 seats
Camp Nou initially consisted of two tiers that could hold 93,000 spectators. It was initially planned to be named as Estadi del FC Barcelona but was anointed the more popular name of Camp Nou.
The stadium is believed to be set for a renovation. The resulting capacity will be slightly higher at a little over 105,000 seats. Works are planned to start in 2017 and gradually performed over four seasons to finish in 2021.
The stadium hosted two European Cup Winners’ Cup finals in 1972 and 1982. In 1989, Camp Nou hosted the European Cup final and the Champions League final in 1999.
