The World’s most breathtaking football stadiums

If there was ever any doubt that football was the most popular sport in the world, the number of new football stadiums and the many proposed stadiums would erase it.

Let’s review a handful of the most recent sparkling new professional football fields that are sure to impress fans.

Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

As host to the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic games, Rio de Janeiro needed a plan for a new football complex. The decision was made to renovate the existing Maracana Stadium to the tune of $440 million.

Crews worked 24/7 to complete the stadium within FIFA regulations. Officially named Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, the stadium was first built to host the 1950 World Cup.

The stadium’s first event was held in April 2013, but the first official match was a friendly on June 2 between Brazil and England. Before renovations, the stadium was touted as the largest football stadium in the world. The new version reduced seating capacity from 100,000 to 78,000

New luxury suites and facilities for the media and a sports medicine outreach highlight the new stadium. Other ostentatious amenities include 292 toilets that receive water from the roof, eight new television studios, four new locker rooms, and brand new Bermuda Celebration grass that will allow the ball to scoot more quickly.