Top 10 Most Iconic Sporting Stadiums in the World

The original Wembley Stadium opened in 1923 and hosted the famous "White Horse Final" when over 200,000 fans squeezed through its gates; the rebuilt version, opened in 2007 with a 90,000 capacity, is now the second-largest stadium in Europe and instantly recognisable from its iconic 133-metre arch. It has hosted FA Cup Finals, England internationals, UEFA Champions League Finals, and was the centrepiece of the 1948 and 2012 Olympic Games. The famous "39 steps" to the Royal Box -- where England lifted the 1966 World Cup -- remain one of sport's most mythologised ascents.

The fourth arena to bear the name, the current Madison Square Garden opened in 1968 in Midtown Manhattan with a capacity of 20,789 and bills itself as "The World's Most Famous Arena" -- a claim difficult to dispute. It has hosted Muhammad Ali's brutal 1971 "Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier, Knicks and Rangers seasons stretching across five decades, Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to JFK, and concerts by every major artist from Elvis to Beyonce. MSG is uniquely positioned at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and New York City mythology in a way no other venue on earth can match.

Founded in 1853, the Melbourne Cricket Ground holds 100,024 spectators and is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, making it the beating heart of Australian sport. It hosted the first-ever Test match in 1877, the 1956 Olympic Games, and has been the venue for more than 100 Ashes Tests -- the rivalry that defines cricket's identity. The MCG's Boxing Day Test attracts crowds of 90,000 or more every year without fail, and its role as the home of Australian Rules Football's Grand Final makes it the only stadium in the world to simultaneously anchor two entirely different national sports at elite level.

Opened in 1950 for the FIFA World Cup with a staggering attendance of 199,854 for the final -- still the world record for a football match -- the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro became the most mythologised stadium in football history before it had been open a year. Brazil's shocking defeat to Uruguay on that day, known as the "Maracanazo," traumatised a generation and became a defining moment in national identity. Extensively renovated for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, the modern ground holds 78,838 and retains its status as the spiritual home of Brazilian football, the sport of Pele, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho.

Founded by Thomas Lord and permanently established at its St John's Wood, London location in 1814, Lord's Cricket Ground is universally known as the "Home of Cricket" and is the most hallowed venue in the sport. With a current capacity of 30,000 across stands that include the iconic Victorian Pavilion (built 1890), Lord's has hosted 144 Test matches, the 1999 and 2019 Cricket World Cup finals, and Ashes encounters stretching back over a century. The famous slope -- a nearly two-metre fall across the square -- is one of cricket's most unusual playing characteristics and has confounded visiting bowlers for over 200 years.

The Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club has hosted the Wimbledon Championships since 1922 and remains the most prestigious singles court in tennis, seating 14,979 spectators beneath its retractable roof. Its manicured grass, strict all-white dress code, and royal traditions create an atmosphere of ceremony unmatched in any other sport. The court has witnessed some of the greatest moments in tennis history -- from Bjorn Borg's five consecutive titles to Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon victories -- and the royal box, customary strawberries, and formality of its rituals make it as much a cultural institution as a sporting venue.

Founded in 1933 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on a former indigo plantation in Augusta, Georgia, Augusta National Golf Club hosts The Masters Tournament each April -- the most watched and most exclusive golf event on the calendar. Its capacity is deliberately limited and attendance is by invitation only, making Masters tickets among the most coveted in all of sport. The course itself is a masterpiece of design with legendary holes like Amen Corner (holes 11 through 13), and the green jacket awarded to each Masters champion has become one of sport's most recognisable symbols of achievement.

The current Yankee Stadium -- the third venue to bear the name -- opened in 2009 in the South Bronx with a capacity of 46,537 and is the home of the New York Yankees, the most successful franchise in Major League Baseball history with 27 World Series titles. Its predecessor, "The House That Ruth Built" (1923--2008), was demolished to make way for the new park but its legend lives on in the DNA of the replacement. The stadium has hosted World Series games, NFL playoff matches, and international soccer fixtures, and its position in the cultural geography of New York City makes it one of the most symbolically loaded sports venues in the United States.

Anfield has been the home of Liverpool FC since 1892 and holds 61,276 supporters following its most recent expansion, but its significance runs far deeper than capacity. The Spion Kop stand, one of football's great terrace traditions even now in its seated form, generates an atmosphere that visiting managers have described as unlike anywhere else in world football. Anfield's role as a backdrop to Liverpool's six European Cup victories, 19 league titles, and the emotional "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem that has been adopted by clubs and fans on every continent, makes it one of the most emotionally resonant venues in the history of sport.

The original Wembley Stadium opened in 1923 and hosted the famous "White Horse Final" when over 200,000 fans squeezed through its gates; the rebuilt version, opened in 2007 with a 90,000 capacity, is now the second-largest stadium in Europe and instantly recognisable from its iconic 133-metre arch. It has hosted FA Cup Finals, England internationals, UEFA Champions League Finals, and was the centrepiece of the 1948 and 2012 Olympic Games. The famous "39 steps" to the Royal Box -- where England lifted the 1966 World Cup -- remain one of sport's most mythologised ascents.

The fourth arena to bear the name, the current Madison Square Garden opened in 1968 in Midtown Manhattan with a capacity of 20,789 and bills itself as "The World's Most Famous Arena" -- a claim difficult to dispute. It has hosted Muhammad Ali's brutal 1971 "Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier, Knicks and Rangers seasons stretching across five decades, Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to JFK, and concerts by every major artist from Elvis to Beyonce. MSG is uniquely positioned at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and New York City mythology in a way no other venue on earth can match.

Founded in 1853, the Melbourne Cricket Ground holds 100,024 spectators and is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, making it the beating heart of Australian sport. It hosted the first-ever Test match in 1877, the 1956 Olympic Games, and has been the venue for more than 100 Ashes Tests -- the rivalry that defines cricket's identity. The MCG's Boxing Day Test attracts crowds of 90,000 or more every year without fail, and its role as the home of Australian Rules Football's Grand Final makes it the only stadium in the world to simultaneously anchor two entirely different national sports at elite level.

Opened in 1950 for the FIFA World Cup with a staggering attendance of 199,854 for the final -- still the world record for a football match -- the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro became the most mythologised stadium in football history before it had been open a year. Brazil's shocking defeat to Uruguay on that day, known as the "Maracanazo," traumatised a generation and became a defining moment in national identity. Extensively renovated for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, the modern ground holds 78,838 and retains its status as the spiritual home of Brazilian football, the sport of Pele, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho.

Founded by Thomas Lord and permanently established at its St John's Wood, London location in 1814, Lord's Cricket Ground is universally known as the "Home of Cricket" and is the most hallowed venue in the sport. With a current capacity of 30,000 across stands that include the iconic Victorian Pavilion (built 1890), Lord's has hosted 144 Test matches, the 1999 and 2019 Cricket World Cup finals, and Ashes encounters stretching back over a century. The famous slope -- a nearly two-metre fall across the square -- is one of cricket's most unusual playing characteristics and has confounded visiting bowlers for over 200 years.

The Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club has hosted the Wimbledon Championships since 1922 and remains the most prestigious singles court in tennis, seating 14,979 spectators beneath its retractable roof. Its manicured grass, strict all-white dress code, and royal traditions create an atmosphere of ceremony unmatched in any other sport. The court has witnessed some of the greatest moments in tennis history -- from Bjorn Borg's five consecutive titles to Roger Federer's eight Wimbledon victories -- and the royal box, customary strawberries, and formality of its rituals make it as much a cultural institution as a sporting venue.

Founded in 1933 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on a former indigo plantation in Augusta, Georgia, Augusta National Golf Club hosts The Masters Tournament each April -- the most watched and most exclusive golf event on the calendar. Its capacity is deliberately limited and attendance is by invitation only, making Masters tickets among the most coveted in all of sport. The course itself is a masterpiece of design with legendary holes like Amen Corner (holes 11 through 13), and the green jacket awarded to each Masters champion has become one of sport's most recognisable symbols of achievement.

The current Yankee Stadium -- the third venue to bear the name -- opened in 2009 in the South Bronx with a capacity of 46,537 and is the home of the New York Yankees, the most successful franchise in Major League Baseball history with 27 World Series titles. Its predecessor, "The House That Ruth Built" (1923--2008), was demolished to make way for the new park but its legend lives on in the DNA of the replacement. The stadium has hosted World Series games, NFL playoff matches, and international soccer fixtures, and its position in the cultural geography of New York City makes it one of the most symbolically loaded sports venues in the United States.

Anfield has been the home of Liverpool FC since 1892 and holds 61,276 supporters following its most recent expansion, but its significance runs far deeper than capacity. The Spion Kop stand, one of football's great terrace traditions even now in its seated form, generates an atmosphere that visiting managers have described as unlike anywhere else in world football. Anfield's role as a backdrop to Liverpool's six European Cup victories, 19 league titles, and the emotional "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem that has been adopted by clubs and fans on every continent, makes it one of the most emotionally resonant venues in the history of sport.