Football or soccer is the held to be the most popular sport in the world....
It has simple rules and few essential types of equipment that make it possible to be played almost anywhere like in the beaches, streets, parks, gymnasium, and school grounds.
According to the world’s football governing body FIFA, there were about 250 million soccer players and more that 1.3 billion people who had an interest in the sport in 2000. In 2010 FIFA world cup, there were more than 3.2 billion audiences watching football on television.
In world cup 2014 FIFA generated more than $1.7billion in broadcasting rights. Therefore, football or soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world that transcends race, culture, gender or age. It has been referred as the game that unifies humanity.
The Largest Football (Soccer) Stadiums In The World
Rungrado May Stadium
Rungrado May Stadium is the largest football stadium in the world found in Pyongyang, North Korea. It has the capacity of 150,000 spectators. Its construction was completed in 1989, and it is used mainly for soccer matches, some athletic events, and mass games.It has a roof that features 16 curves that are arranged like a ring and has a space floor of around 2.2 million ft squared and a roof peak of over 197 ft from the ground.
Camp Nou
Camp Nou is the second largest football stadium in the world found in Barcelona, Spain. Since 1957, this stadium has been the home of the Barcelona FC.It has a seating capacity of 99,354 and the largest football stadium in Europe. It has hosted many popular sports such as the 1992 Olympics, and finals of the UEFA Champion Leagues.The stadium took a span of three years to be constructed at a cost of around 288 million pesetas.
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca stadium in Mexico City is the third largest football stadium in the world with a seating capacity of 95,500. Its construction began in the 1960s. It was intended to accommodate the increasing support of the Club America and also was also Mexico’s venue for the World Cup in 1970.It was officially opened in 1966. Although the stadium can support a capacity of 115,000, it has been reduced because of the safety measures.
Azadi Stadium
Azadi stadium was initially known as Aryamehr Stadium, and it is the fourth largest football stadium in the world found in Tehran, Iran. It was opened in 1971. It is home stadium of the National Iran Foot team.The capacity of the stadium is 95,225, although it can hold more than 100,000spectators. The stadium is part of Azadi Sports complex and has several other sporting facilities outside of the stadium.Its construction was part of hosting the 1974 Asia Games.
It has hosted AFC Asian Cup in 1976, AFC champion’s league in 1999 and 2002.
FNB Soccer City Stadium
It is the largest football stadium in Africa, and the fifth largest stadium in the world found in Johannesburg, South Africa with a seating capacity for 94,736 fans. Besides, it is located next to the headquarters of the South African Football Association.The stadium staged and hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between Netherlands and Spain. The stadium featured the last public appearance of Nelson Mandela during the final closing ceremony of the world cup.In 1990, it became famous for the first speech of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg immediately after his release from prison.
Importance of football
In conclusion, football plays a significant role in promoting international relations between countries because of its popularity over the world.For instance, the International Olympic Committee has more than 200 member countries, more than the total number of UN member states that has 192 member countries.
Further, football plays a vital role in impacting international relations as it brings people all over the world through media and technology, where people sit and watch major football matches such as FIFA World Cup at the same time. Thus, football paves the way for people to display their nation's believed superiority to their counterparts.
The Largest Football (Soccer) Stadiums In The World
| Rank | Stadium | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rungrado May Day Stadium | 114,000 | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| 2 | Camp Nou | 99,354 | Barcelona, Spain |
| 3 | FNB Stadium | 94,736 | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 4 | Rose Bowl Stadium | 92,542 | Pasadena, United States |
| 5 | Wembley Stadium | 90,310 | London, England |
| 6 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | 89,411 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 7 | Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium | 88,083 | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 8 | Estadio Azteca | 87,000 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 9 | Borg El Arab Stadium | 86,000 | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 10 | Salt Lake Stadium | 85,000 | Kolkata, India |
| 11 | ANZ Stadium | 84,000 | Sydney, Australia |
| 12 | Croke Park | 82,300 | Dublin, Ireland |
| 13 | Signal Iduna Park | 81,360 | Dortmund, Germany |
| 14 | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis, France |
| 15 | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | 81,044 | Madrid, Spain |
| 16 | Luzhniki Stadium | 81,006 | Moscow, Russia |
| 17 | Shah Alam Stadium | 80,372 | Shah Alam, Malaysia |
| 18 | Estadio Monumental "U" | 80,093 | Lima, Peru |
| 19 | Stadio Giuseppe Meazza | 80,018 | Milan, Italy |
| 20 | Guangdong Olympic Stadium | 80,012 | Guangzhou, China |
| 21 | AT&T Stadium | 80,000 | Arlington, United States |
| 22 | Stade des Martyrs | 80,000 | Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 23 | Beijing National Stadium | 80,000 | Beijing, China |
| 24 | Maracanã Stadium | 78,838 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 25 | Azadi Stadium | 78,116 | Tehran, Iran |
| 26 | Atatürk Olympic Stadium | 76,092 | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 27 | Old Trafford | 75,731 | Manchester, England |
| 28 | Allianz Arena | 75,024 | Munich, Germany |
| 29 | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 75,000 | Kochi, India |
| 30 | Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium | 75,000 | Isfahan, Iran |
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