The 8 Most Beautiful and Unique Stadiums in the World

This beautiful stadium in Bavaria is home to both Germany and Bayern Munich, one of the most famous teams in European football. Some 70,000 people can relax among the huge halls of the Allianz Arena, officially inaugurated in 2005, ahead of the World Cup in Germany that took place a year later. It is one of the most colorful stadiums in Europe - about 3,000 color changing electric panels make up the outside of the Arena, making it the only stadium on the continent that can change its colors according to the colors of the team playing it.

Get a taste of the Allianz Arena in this spectacular video that will take you right into the stadium:

2. The Float at Marina Bay, Singapore

You don’t need a lot of explanations to understand why this stadium is so special - when have you ever seen such a field floating over gulf waters? The stadium, inaugurated in Singapore in 2007, is the largest of its kind in the world: The floating pitch is 120 meters by 83 meters wide, and can carry up to 1,070 tons of weight - equivalent to about 9,000 people! In the stands on the land, 30,000 people can crowd together and watch the variety of events taking place here, including soccer games, car races, concerts and music performances, and even occasional fireworks.

3. Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Soccer City stadium was first inaugurated in 1989, but before the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 it underwent an unprecedented renovation and facelift that made it the largest stadium on the African continent with more than 90,000 seats! Not only is its terrifying size giving the place its glory - its spectacular design, in the shape of a traditional African pot, adds to its uniqueness. Beyond the World Cup games, the eyes of the entire world were once again on the scene in 2013, when the funeral ceremony of the esteemed South African leader Nelson Mandela was held here.

4. Bird's Nest Stadium, Beijing, China

The small, intimate nest that birds set on the top of trees for their chicks became, in its Chinese version, a huge 90,000-seat stadium which was inaugurated at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Since then, its capacity has been reduced to “only” 80,000, but its unique shape has not been compromised at all. The impressive structure, with its woven steel beams at the forefront giving it its name, cost the Chinese about $450 million. The stadium has hosted a host of top international events, which only served to raise China's prestige.

5. National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

It seems that China’s neighbor, Taiwan, envied their opponents' birds nest and decided to build a stadium that would break its planning and design records. The National Stadium, also known as the World Games Stadium, contains only 40,000 seats, about half the capacity of the Chinese stadium, but its original design - in the form of a formidable dragon - is what gives it its uniqueness. It is built according to the principles of green construction - the raw materials used to create it can all be recycled, and all the electrical energy required to operate it is produced only from sunlight.

6. Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It is impossible to formulate the list of the world's most beautiful stadiums without including this classic stadium, which is the pride of Rio in particular, and of Brazil in general. What had this old stadium not seen in its many days? When it was inaugurated in 1950, it contained an astronomical number of 200,000 seats that were almost all filled during the World Cup final that year between Brazil and Uruguay and became the largest football event ever held.

The first-ever World Cup finals, the 2014 World Cup, the Rio Olympics 2016, the huge performances of Frank Sinatra and Paul McCartney - all were hosted in this wonderful stadium, which now has “only” 80,000 seats and serves as the home of team Brazil.

7. Wembley Stadium, London, England

The football homeland has been blessed with quite a few great stadiums, but this London stadium that serves as home to the English football team surpasses all else. This vast building holds 90,000 seats - making it the second-largest stadium in Europe as a whole! Wembley has a glorious history, during which it underwent a number of incarnations - in 1923 the stadium was first built, with the blessing of King George V, who called it "the sacred turf."

In 2000, after many years of activity and hosting countless historic football games and large musical performances, the old Wembley was completely destroyed and the new and impressive reincarnation of the stadium as it is today was built in its ruins - including the huge arch that rises above it, about 134 meters high.

Feel Wembley in full force with this wonderful video, which summarizes the best events (sports and performances) at the stadium in 2015:

8. Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona, Spain

Camp Nou’s grass has been played on since its inauguration in 1958, the best players in the world have worn the local team’s uniform, which is one of the most popular and successful ever. They do so in front of the crowd-packed stands, which contain 99,354 seats, making Camp Nou the biggest stadium in Europe!

There are those who describe the place as a kind of modern temple, where the religion is football and Leo Messi is God - but even if you’re not a believer, this stadium is definitely worth visiting, if only to absorb the atmosphere.
 

Want to feel what it’s like to be at Camp Nou football stadium during a Barcelona game? This wonderful video, which sums up the team's greatest moments in the stadium during 2011, will show you just that.

Have you ever attended a game or concert held in one of these grand stadiums? Do you know other stadiums worth mentioning like those you've seen here? Don’t hesitate to comment and tell us your impressions and experiences from the stadiums you’ve visited.