The World Cup is fast approaching and in less than half a year, football stars will battle for the most important trophy given at national team level. Brazil is waiting with open arms hundreds of thousands of spectators, and for the perfect organization made tremendous efforts for restoration or building of stadiums from scratch. Here are some of the most expensive stadiums in the world.
1. Wembley (London / England)
Wembley Stadium officially opened on May 19, 2007, hosting the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United (score 1-0). Before this match of major importance for British football, some other official and friendly matches were held here, starting with the friendly match between England and Italy footballers under 21. The stadium was designed by Foster & Partner and Popoulos companies and its costs are estimated at 757 million pounds. The arena has representative arch 133 meters high.
2. Emirates (London / England)
The first plans for the construction of this stadium appeared in the late 1990s. Highbury became too small and lacking expansion possibilities, surrounded by residential areas. It was considered a move to the new Wembley stadium, but Arsenal preferred a location closer to Highbury, to be primarily closer to supporters. Finally, it was elected a stadium a few hundred meters away from Highbury and, after several delays, the construction of the stadium started in 2004. The total cost of the project revolves around the amount of 390 million pounds.
3. The Mane Garrincha (Brazil)
The construction of the Mane Garrincha stadium in the Brazilian capital was inaugurated only on May 18th. Capacity: 71,000 seats. Cost: 365 million euros, according to the Brazilian Union of Architects and Engineers.
4. Grand Stade Lille (Lille / France)
This multi -functional stadium enjoys a folding roof, a luxury hotel and a restaurant whose construction cost 42 million euros. The new arena can accommodate up to 50,100 spectators. Three internationally renowned companies, Eiffage, Bouygues and Vinci contributed to the huge costs of construction.
5. Donbass Arena (Donetsk / Ukraine)
Donbas Arena, the stadium of Şahtar football club, has a capacity of over 50,000 seats and was built in three years. The investments to build the most modern arena in Eastern Europe, Dombassa Arena, were up to 500 million euros, and funding is exclusively private. The construction began in the summer of 2006 and ended three years later. It has a capacity of 51.504 seats.
6. Lumieres (Lyon / France)
Le Stade des Lumières, whose cost amounts to about 450 million euros, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2015. In this arena, which will have a capacity of 58,000 seats (65,000 for concerts) will host many football matches in the European Championship in 2016.
7. The Maracana (Rio de Janeiro / Brazil)
Originally, the stadium had a capacity of 200,000 seats, but its capacity was reduced. The capacity decreased to 103,000 seats, and after the latest works, the stadium in Rio de Janeiro has a capacity of 82,000 seats. For the World Cup 2014, the stadium’s capacity would be 83,000 seats. The renovation of the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro has been entrusted to a consortium that won the tender with a project investment of 309 million euros.
8. Allianz Arena (Munich / Germany)
Allianz Arena is a famous stadium with a strange look that represents the pride of football in Munich. Bearing the name of a large financial services provider, the Allianz Arena stadium construction began in 2002 and was completed in 2005. With a project that was designed by the famous architectural firm in Switzerland, Herzog & de Meuron, the arena was built to replace an outdated stadium that had been built for the Summer Olympic Games in 1972. Allianz Arena can accommodate 70,000 spectators although it was originally designed only for a capacity of 66,000 seats.
9. St. Jakob Park (Basel / Switzerland)
This stadium hosts the matches of FC Basel. The construction of the stadium cost around 122 million euros and began in 1998.
10. Arena Amazonia (Manaus / Brazil)
The construction of the Arena Amazonia are now 95% ready. Teams working at the are now focusing on introducing the external membrane steel structure, the installation of the last seats in the stands and finishing elements and the additional accessories, lamps, air conditioning and other systems necessary for proper functioning.
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