Football is the most popular sport in the world with 4 billion fans globally, and has evolved to be business ventures with state-of-the-art stadiums.
In this piece, we will examine a few of the most expensive football stadiums ever built in the modern age, from the SoFi in California to Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, costing billions of dollars.
1. SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, US – $5.50 billion
The SoFi Stadium is located in Inglewood, California and is the home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
SoFi Stadium is not only the most expensive stadium in the world, but stands as one of the first indoor-outdoor stadiums to be built.
The SoFi Stadium also sits at the heart of a 298-acre development for entertainment, retail, commercial, and recreational space in the area.
This California stadium also hosted important sporting events in the past, including the 2023 College Football Championship Game and the 2022 Super Bowl LVI.
Apart from being a sports’ venue, it also doubles as a setting for entertainment events, including concerts and shows.
It took six years and at least $5 billion to build this phenomenal stadium, which spans 3.1 million square feet.
Its design honors the “curves” seen along the California coast, which is complimented with its asymmetrical, transparent roof and open-concept stadium sides.
2. MetLife Stadium, New York, US – $2.03 billion
Located in New Jersey’s East Rutherford, MetLife Stadium is home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants.
The MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and has since hosted over 3,000 events, including the Super Bowl XLVIII and WrestleMania 29.
In total, the stadium has a seating capacity of about 82,500 for football and soccer events (or 50,000 seats for concerts).
MetLife Stadium, New York, US
It gulped approximately $1.6 billion to construct this New Jersey stadium and the talent of 360 architects.
Over the years, the stadium was recognized for its high profitability and premier venue space for sports and entertainment.
Overlooking its massive size, the MetLife Stadium was the first NFL Stadium to collaborate with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Sports for Climate Action Framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, US – $1.90 billion
Allegiant Stadium is built in Paradise, Nevada, and the stadium home to the Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Rebels valued at $1.9 billion.
Allegiant Stadium sits adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, boasting a spacious venue for future NFL games and entertainment events. The construction of Allegiant Stadium attracted 28,000 tons of structural steel, alongside 105,000 cubic yards of concrete.
This Las Vegas stadium has a capacity of 65,000 people and is a fully-enclosed (yet temperature controlled) venue. The field event space spans 95,000 square feet, complete with 75,000 square feet of video boards.
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, US
Attendees will hardly miss a second of the game or event, due to the stadium containing over 2,3000 TVs. There are also 44 escalators scattered across the Allegiant Stadium.
Despite its colossal size, the Allegiant Stadium manages to implement sustainable practices throughout its property. On average, 11,000 lbs of food scraps collected from the stadium is diverted from US landfills and converted into livestock feed for local farming activities.
Meanwhile, every month, approximately over 7000 lbs of food leftover from the stadium’s kitchens is donated to a local food bank.
The stadium also boasts other sustainable efforts throughout the property, including implementation of a Cigarette Waste Collection Program, energy efficiency initiatives, and recycling programs.
4. Wembley Stadium, London, UK – $1.88 billion
Wembley Stadium is home to England’s national and women’s national teams in London, and finals of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup competitions are played at Wembley Stadium.
The Stadium comfortably seats 90,000 attendees, making it the largest sports venue in the UK (and the second-largest one in Europe).
Europe’s spacious stadium is not only known for its gigantic reputation, it’s hosted some of the world’s top sporting events in the world, including the 1948 Summer Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Wembley Stadium, London, UK
The construction of Wembley Stadium, approximately gulped £1.1 billion (or $1.5 billion), and it poses striking features, including its lighted arch that spans across the north stand.
Today, this world-famous stadium is complete with 34 bars, 8 restaurants, 688 food and beverage service points, 98 kitchens, and 47 retail units.
Attendees of the stadium can easily navigate through the property, thanks to its 30 escalators and 26 lifts! There are even 2,618 toilets studded throughout the Wembley Stadium!
5. Yankee Stadium, New York, US – $1.82 billion
The phenomenal architectural design of Yankee Stadium makes it a pilgrimage for sports fans everywhere. It is the home to the Yankees (and the New York City’s FC), and poses as New York’s most famous stadium erected on East 161st Street and River Avenue, 25 minutes from Manhattan.
Yankee Stadium, New York, US
This historic stadium first opened in 1923 and was a world-famous venue for baseball. Through the decades, the Yankee Stadium experienced renovations, specifically in the 1970s and the early 2000s, due to its deteriorating condition.
To revamp the Yankee Stadium, it cost the City of New York $220 million, with a total project cost of $1.6 billion. This historic stadium can easily fit a seat capacity of 52,000 over four levels.
This number includes the 30,000 seats in the first (and second) leves, as well as 56 luxury suites booked in the upper deck.
AFP
