Qatar 2022: The 10 greatest stadiums in World Cup history, featuring Wembley | OneFootball

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has eight venues, four fewer than the 12 Qatar initially planned, and many of them are newly built or renovated, including the one that will host the final, the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

The site of the final in Lusail is impressive, hosting 80,000 and having 10 matches played there throughout the tournament and the design of the venue is modern, and the most impressive of the lot built for this winter’s tournament.

Much of the talk around the venues and infrastructure for the Qatar World Cup has been shrouded in controversy, which is the elephant in the room. The human rights issues and violations cannot be ignored.

The 10 greatest World Cup stadiums ever

Many have struggled to make this tournament go ahead on time and in the best possible fashion. One can only hope that the people that made this tournament happen and their families are fairly compensated once the World Cup is complete.

The stadiums in Qatar this year will join many from decades gone by to have the prestige of hosting a World Cup match. Since 1930, several majestic venues have hosted great World Cup games, had memorable moments and seen wonderful footballers have some of their best times on a pitch.

With that said, here are 10 of the greatest stadiums from the last 92 years to have hosted a World Cup match.

10. Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires

Like many big stadiums in South America, the Monumental in Buenos Aires is intense. Its round shape and steep stands tend to create a fine atmosphere, and that was on display in the controversial World Cup of 1978, hosted and won by Argentina, who won football’s premier competition for the very first time.

River Plate, who play at the stadium, were given a grant to build the venue but struggled to pay for it once it was complete, affecting their performances in later years, but this will always be a memorable venue for many Argentines. They hosted eight matches, including the final, as Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra-time, with Mario Kempes scoring a double.

9. Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

Russia were given the hosting rights of the 2018 World Cup some eight years prior, and it was always set in stone that the Luzhniki would host the final, adding to its impressive portfolio. Previously, it had hosted opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympic Games, the Champions League final, UEFA Cup final and various key winter sports events.

In all, they hosted seven matches all tournament, and had the misfortune of hosting the only goalless match of that year’s competition between France and Denmark. They also had Russia’s greatest World Cup win against Spain in the Round of 16, as well as Croatia’s 2-1 win over England in the semi-final before the final as France beat the Croats 4-2.

8. Olympiastadion, Berlin

Like the Luzhniki, the Olympiastadion in Berlin also had an Olympic history, although perhaps not the proudest one. In 1974, the Olympiastadion hosted its first World Cup tournament, having three matches there, including one from each of the Germanys, East and West. It would be 32 years before Germany, now unified, would host a World Cup again.

The Olympiastadion was selected for the final for the 2006 tournament, and it got a top contest between France and Italy, marking Zinedine Zidane’s final career match and a shocking head-butt. Italy won the whole tournament, and across the month, the Olympiastadion hosted six matches, including two German wins, one of which was the quarter-final against Argentina.

7. Soccer City, Johannesburg

The continent of Africa got to host the World Cup for the very first time in 2010 and they had a great host for the final: Soccer City in Johannesburg. Renovated for the tournament, the stadium held eight matches throughout the month, with some of the world’s best teams playing including Spain, Argentina, Germany and Brazil.

They even had the quarter-final between Ghana and Uruguay, shrouded by Luis Suarez’s notorious hand-ball incident, and then had the final between Spain and the Netherlands, as a first-time winner would be crowned. Andres Iniesta’s late winner is one of the most famous goals in the tournament’s history, and the ideal way for Soccer City to be remembered.

6. Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Seventeen stadiums across 14 cities is a record for a World Cup in one country, but that is what Spain managed in 1982 when they hosted the tournament. Still, it was the majestic Santiago Bernabeu that got the final, having hosted three matches before that all tournament, two of which included Spain.

Although it’s great in sight, the action on the pitch perhaps wasn’t the best, as two of the four matches were goalless draws, with Spain even losing there once, falling to West Germany. The final, though, was a spectacle, as Italy ran out 3-1 winners, winning their third world title and preventing the Germans from adding to their two.

5. Estadio Centenario, Montevideo

The Centenario will always have the honour of hosting the first-ever World Cup final, as the 90,000-seater arena saw Uruguay beat South American rivals Argentina 4-2 in the match. They hosted 10 matches in all in that year’s competition, including both semi-finals, and 43 goals were scored in all across those games.

Built in 1929 for the tournament, the venue has a strong history and in 1983, it was declared by FIFA as the first Historical Monument of World Football, the only stadium to have that honour. They’re hoping to bring the tournament back to Uruguayan soil in 2030, 100 years on from the first World Cup, in what would be a worthy occasion.

4. San Siro, Milan

This is the only stadium on this list to have not hosted a World Cup final, which only explains how incredible the San Siro truly is. Hosting games in the 1990 World Cup, the Milanese stadium is one of the game’s greatest, with its steep stands, mighty terraces and ability to create an excellent atmosphere widely admired by the sport’s fans.

The San Siro, renovated massively for this tournament, like many other venues in the build-up, hosted six matches in that World Cup, including five of West Germany’s games and Argentina’s feisty encounter against Cameroon. West Germany and Argentina ended up meeting in the final, as the European nation won their third World Cup.

3. Wembley Stadium, London

Wembley has really done it all. England’s national stadium has hosted Champions League finals, European Championship finals for both the men and women, domestic finals ranging from the FA Cup to the League Cup, but its brightest moment came in 1966, when England played West Germany in their first and, to date, only, World Cup final.

This was English football’s biggest moment, and they took the chance with both hands as they beat one of their oldest rivals 4-2 to win the World Cup. Wembley hosted five matches in that World Cup, but none bigger than the final. Football came home that year, and they couldn’t have picked a better venue than Wembley to win the sport’s premier tournament.

2. Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

It’s rare to see one stadium host two World Cup finals, but the Azteca in Mexico has that unique honour, having held the 1970 and 1986 finals, both famous in its own regard. Brazil’s great team of 1970 sealed the tournament that year, led by the indubitable Pele while 16 years later, it was Diego Maradona’s chance to lead Argentina to a second World Cup triumph.

But, despite seeing two of the game’s all-time greats have their finest hour at this stadium, the World Cup finals perhaps aren’t its two biggest moments. That would come in the 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England, as Maradona scored two of the World Cup’s most famous goals: the Hand of God, and minutes later, the Goal of the Century.

1. Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro

Like the Azteca, the Maracana has also hosted two World Cup finals (or deciders, in this case), and despite being in the home of the tournament’s most successful nation, it’s never seen Brazil win the World Cup. The first came in 1950, as Uruguay pipped Brazil to a tournament win which set the nation into meltdown, in one of the most shocking World Cup moments ever.

The second came in 2014, as Germany beat Argentina through Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner. Seeing their fiercest rivals win the World Cup on their soil would’ve been a sour feeling for the Brazilians, so there was plenty of backing for Germany, who had beaten Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final. Still, the Maracana, overseen by the Christ the Redeemer statue, is an iconic venue.