30 most famous football stadiums

2) Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain)

Capacity: 99,354

Opened: 1957

Tennant(s): FC Barcelona

Constructed initially to seat the thousands of fans eager to lay eyes on a Hungarian frontman in his prime, the Camp Nou is a fitting venue for the jewel in the Catalonian crown that is FC Barcelona. Capacities have fluctuated over time but the atmosphere is consistently palpable; there is a magical feel, a holy sense about this stadium – just ask Pope John Paul II who celebrated a mass there just over thirty years ago.

A magnet for Messi-lovers and football history buffs, Europe’s largest stadium has held two UEFA Champions League finals as well as a handful of games at the 1982 World Cup but its most recognisable use is as the home for one of the greatest football clubs of all time. Young players are churned out of the Barca youth academy like nobody’s business but only when they’ve strolled onto the acclaimed Camp Nou do they really transform from boys to men. It’s going to take something truly magnificent to top this...

1) (New) Wembley Stadium (London, England)

Capacity: 90,000

Opened: 2007 (Original opened 1923)

Tennant(s): England National Team

And taking the number one spot is, naturally, the home of football – Wembley. Had it not been for tobacconist Arthur Elvin’s generous donation of more than £100,000 back in 1927, neither the famed arch that has overlooked so many ground-breaking FA Cup finals, nor the stadium itself, would be here today. Formerly the ‘Empire Stadium’, Wembley earns pole position not only for its post-2007 involvement in football, but also the 84 year history prior to the renovation.

Greats to have seen success there run from the likes of Bobby Charlton, Eusébio and Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola and Arjen Robben, the latter three having all won the prestigious Champions League on Wembley’s turf in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Few knew just how significantly the magical energy of Wembley would be altered after Didi Hamann scored the final goal at its old form, but it’s fair to say it was a move worth making.

Now the English capital beholds the most emblematic venue in the world of sport and, with statues of Bobby Moore, Arthur Elvin and Alf Ramsey guarding it, one can rest assured that Wembley remains at the heart of football not only nationwide, but worldwide.