World Cup Stadiums: Top 5 Iconic Venues in World Cup History
Football is a sport with a passionate and an unparalleled fanfare. It is their passion for the game that motivates players and fans alike. But what is more crucial?
In any sport, venues are very significant. Football stadiums are the generators of enthusiasm and landmarks of memory.
The biggest extravaganza in the history of any sport is the FIFA World Cup. Several stadiums across the globe had the honour of hosting World Cup fixtures.
Among these, some of the stadiums are termed as iconic stadiums either due to their infrastructure or world record attendances or even it may be due to eye-catching and memorable matches held in these stadiums.
The 21st World Cup is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July. The champions of this edition will be decided at Luzhniki Stadium. With a few days remaining for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, we take a look at the some of the iconic stadiums to have hosted the legendary matches.
#5 Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico)
Inauguration: 1966 | Capacity: 87,523
Since its inception, Estadio Azteca is the national stadium for the football team of Mexico. With an official capacity of 87,000, it is the largest stadium in the country.
The architects of the Estadio Azteca were Pedro Ramirez and Rafael Mijares. The stadium was complete in 1966 and the first match was played between Club America and Torino FC with 107,494 spectators watching the match.
The stadium has witnessed the many historical events of football. Among those, the "Hand of God" by Maradona in 1986 World Cup or "Game of the Century" in the 1970 World Cup where Italy defeated West Germany 4-3 in extra time are the most familiar ones.
Also, the stadium has engraved its name in books of history as the legends of football Pele and Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy at this venue.
The stadium hosted the 1970 World Cup final where Brazil defeated Azzurri's by a margin of 4-1. More than 114,000 spectated the 1986 World Cup finals.