30 most famous football stadiums

12) Olympiastadion (Berlin, Germany)

Capacity: 74,475

Opened: 1936

Tennant(s): Hertha Berlin

Werner March’s Olympiastadion is as much a historical monument as a sporting arena and has been used for a host of footballing events from the 2006 FIFA World Cup final to the 2015 Champions League final, rendering it one of the most prestigious stadia in world football. It oozes history and once had its own stand for Adolf Hitler at a time when its capacity surpassed 100,000. It underwent renovations in 2004 in an attempt to create a better experience for its regular visitors, supporters of Hertha Berlin. This involved lowering the pitch by nearly three metres, expanding the roof and rebuilding the entire lower tier of seating. It now has the highest, all-seater capacity of any stadium in Germany.

11) La Bombonera (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Capacity: 49,000

Opened: 1940

Tennant(s): Boca Juniors

Translated in English as ‘the chocolate box’, La Bombonera is an oddly-shaped, distinctive masterpiece of football stadium architecture. In an attempt to save space, one stand stands vertical, comprised of seating areas stacked on top of one another, facing the other three, curved tiers. The acoustics are tremendous; the stadium is passion personified. La Bombonera exhales and inhales with each roar of the crowd and the ground is said to pulsate and tremble beneath the players’ feet. Last year a poll on the official website for the Copa Libertadores concluded that La Bombonera remains the most feared stadium in world football. The pitch (105m x 68m) is the smallest it can possibly be under FIFA regulations and this coupled with the electric fans of Boca Juniors is exactly why many label it ‘La Doce’ (the twelfth man) and why it cements its place on the list of the greatest stadia, not only in football but in the world.