List of national stadiums

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very near a country's capital city or largest city. It is generally (but not always) the country's largest and most lavish sports venue with a rich history of hosting a major moment in sports (e.g. FIFA World Cup, Olympics, etc.). In many, but not all cases, it is also used by a local team. Many countries, including Spain and the United States, do not have a national stadium designated as such; instead matches are rotated throughout the country. The lack of a national stadium can be seen as advantageous as designating a single stadium would limit the fan base capable of realistically attending matches as well as the concern of the cost of transportation, especially in the case of the United States due to its geographical size and high population.

A list of national stadiums follows:

Afghanistan[]

Albania[]

Algeria[]

  • Stade 5 Juillet 1962 (football)

American Samoa[]

Andorra[]

Angola[]

Antigua and Barbuda[]

  • Antigua Recreation Ground (cricket and football)

Argentina[]

Armenia[]

Australia[]

Australia does not have an official national stadium, yet its three biggest stadiums alternate hosting large events are the following:

  • Melbourne Cricket Ground (Cricket and Australian rules football) - currently the largest sporting venue in Australia and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere with a capacity of 100,024.
  • Stadium Australia, currently known under a sponsorship deal as 'ANZ Stadium' - was the 2000 Sydney Olympic Stadium (at the time with a capacity of 110,000), and now hosts Rugby League, Rugby Union and Association football matches with a capacity of 84,000. There exists a popular rivalry between ANZ Stadium and the MCG due to lasting rivalries between football codes and the respective cities. Cricket and AFL are currently not played at the venue.
  • Perth Stadium, currently known under a sponsorship deal as 'Optus Stadium' It is the third largest stadium in Australia. The Stadium can normally hold 60,000 people with potential to be reconfigured to 70,000 seats.

Austria[]

  • Ernst Happel Stadion (football)

Azerbaijan[]

  • Baku National Stadium (football)

Bahamas[]

  • Thomas Robinson Stadium (football and athletics)

Bahrain[]

Bangladesh[]

  • Bangabandhu National Stadium (football and athletics)
  • Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (cricket)
  • Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (cricket)
  • Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (cricket)
  • Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (cricket)
  • Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium (cricket)
  • Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium (cricket)
  • M. A. Aziz Stadium (cricket)
  • Shaheed Chandu Stadium (cricket)
  • (indoor sports)
  • National Shooting Complex (shooting)
  • (swimming)
  • Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium (hockey)
  • (boxing)

Barbados[]

Belarus[]

Belgium[]

  • King Baudouin Stadium (football and athletics)

Belize[]

Benin[]

Bermuda[]

  • Bermuda National Stadium (football, rugby union, athletics and cricket)

Bhutan[]

Bolivia[]

Bosnia and Herzegovina[]

  • Bilino Polje Stadium

Botswana[]

Brazil[]

  • Brazil does not have an official national stadium. Mostly (football) matches are commonly held in alternate venues. However, during reconstruction for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and as the capital city's and country's greatest stadium, the name Estádio Nacional (Portuguese for National Stadium) was added to the old Mané Garrincha stadium, leaving its official name as Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, even though it doesn't act as a solo national stadium. The largest and most well known stadium in Brazil is Estádio do Maracanã located at Rio de Janeiro. The Brazil national football team have most of their high-profile matches in the Maracanã and the venue has hosted multiple World Cup and Copa America matches throughout its history including the two World Cup finals that Brazil has hosted (1950 and 2014).

Brunei Darussalam[]

  • Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium (football)

Bulgaria[]

  • Vasil Levski National Stadium (football and athletics)

Burkina Faso[]

Burundi[]

  • Stade Prince Louis Rwagasore (football)

Cambodia[]

  • Phnom Penh National Olympic Stadium (football and athletics)

Cameroon[]

  • Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo (football and athletics)

Canada[]

  • Aviva Centre & Stade IGA (tennis)
  • BC Place (soccer & rugby union). Although a 2007 report from FIFA referred to BMO Field as Canada's national stadium,[1] due to BC Place's indoor field being playable year-round and its higher capacity, many major soccer events are held there instead, such as the final match of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Similarly, while the national rugby team has no official stadium, most of their matches are split between BC Place and BMO Field
  • BMO Field (soccer & rugby union)
  • Lamport Stadium (rugby league)
  • Maple Leaf Cricket Club (cricket)
  • Rogers Centre (baseball)
  • Scotiabank Arena (basketball)
  • Canada does not have a national stadium/arena for ice hockey. The national team plays at several venues throughout the country. Likewise, Canadian football and lacrosse, two prominent sports unique to Canadian culture, play at multiple venues across the nation.

Prior to confederation into Canada, the Dominion of Newfoundland used King George V Park as its national stadium.

Cape Verde[]

Central African Republic[]

Chad[]

  • Stade Idriss Mahamat Ouya (football)

Chile[]

China[]

The China national football team does not have a national stadium. The team traditionally plays games at Hongkou Football Stadium, Kunming Tuodong Sports Center, Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, or Workers' Stadium, but in recent years, they have played most of their games at other venues.

Colombia[]

Comoros[]

Democratic Republic of the Congo[]

  • Stade des Martyrs (football and athletics)

Republic of the Congo[]

  • Stade de la Revolution (football)

Cook Islands[]

  • National Stadium (Cook Islands)

Costa Rica[]

  • Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica (football and athletics)

Croatia[]

There is no official national stadium. The following two stadiums are the largest and most commonly host international events:

Cuba[]

Cyprus[]

Czech Republic[]

  • Strahov Stadium (sokol)
  • Sinobo Stadium (football)
  • O2 arena (ice hockey)

Denmark[]

Djibouti[]

  • Stade du Ville

Dominica[]

Dominican Republic[]

East Timor[]

  • Estadio Nacional (East Timor) (football)

Ecuador[]

Egypt[]

El Salvador[]

Equatorial Guinea[]

  • Nuevo Estadio de Malabo (football)

Eritrea[]

Estonia[]

eSwatini[]

Ethiopia[]

Faroe Islands[]

Fiji[]

  • ANZ Stadium (rugby union)
  • National Hockey Centre (field hockey)

Finland[]

  • Helsinki Olympic Stadium (football and athletics)
  • Hartwall Areena (ice hockey)

France[]

  • Stade de France (football, rugby union, and athletics)
    • In the case of rugby, the national team plays Test matches throughout the country, but it uses Stade de France exclusively for its fixtures in the Six Nations Championship.

Gabon[]

  • Stade Omar Bongo (football)

The Gambia[]

Georgia[]

  • Boris Paichadze Stadium (football and rugby union)

Germany[]

  • The German national football team usually plays at different stadiums throughout the country. However, the venue for the German Cup Final is the Olympiastadion in Berlin. As a multipurpose stadium, the Berlin Olympiastadion also hosts international athletic competitions and other events. However, the Munich Olympiastadion was used for the finals of international football competitions held during the later West German era, such in the 1974 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1988.
  • Lanxess Arena (handball and ice hockey)
  • Mercedes-Benz Arena (basketball)
  • Gerry Weber Stadion (tennis)
  • Warsteiner HockeyPark (field hockey)
  • Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark (rugby union)

Ghana[]

  • Ohene Djan Stadium (football)

Greece[]

Greenland[]

Grenada[]

  • Grenada National Stadium (football and athletics)
  • Queen's Park (cricket)

Guatemala[]

  • Estadio Mateo Flores (football and athletics)

Guinea[]

  • Stade 28 Septembre (football)

Guinea-Bissau[]

Guyana[]

Haiti[]

Honduras[]

Hong Kong[]

  • Hong Kong Stadium (football and rugby sevens)

Hungary[]

Iceland[]

India[]

  • The Indian national cricket team plays matches at many different grounds
  • The Indian national football team plays matches at many different stadiums
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (athletics)[citation needed]
  • Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (field hockey)

Indonesia[]

  • Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (association football)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium (athletics)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Stadium (aquatics sports)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Indoor Tennis Stadium (tennis)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Outdoor Tennis Stadium (tennis)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Baseball Stadium (baseball)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Hall Basketball (basketball)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Rugby Field (rugby)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Hockey Field (hockey)
  • Gelora Bung Karno Archery Field (archery)

Iran[]

Iraq[]

Republic of Ireland[]

Team sports in Ireland are often governed by bodies representing both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, on an All-Ireland basis. See the Northern Ireland section for other cases.

Stadium Owner Sports Notes
Aviva Stadium Irish Rugby Football Union
football Association of Ireland		 rugby union and association football The IRFU is all-island while the FAI is restricted to the Republic. The IRFU owns the land but the stadium built on it is jointly owned by both bodies.
Croke Park Gaelic Athletic Association Gaelic games and international rules football The GAA is all-island
Morton Stadium National Sports Campus Development Authority athletics Athletics Ireland is all-island, although is linked to both Athletics Ireland and UK Athletics.
National Stadium Irish Amateur Boxing Association boxing The IABA is all-island
National Basketball Arena Basketball Ireland basketball Basketball Ireland is all-island
National Indoor Arena National Sports Campus Development Authority various [3] Construction began at the National Sports Campus in 2015.[4]
National Aquatic Centre aquatics Swim Ireland uses but does not own the venue, which is part of the National Sports Campus.
National Horse Arena equestrianism Horse Sport Ireland uses but does not own the venue, which is part of the National Sports Campus.

The following venues are "designated national sporting arenas" for the purposes of Section 21 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (which regulates sale of alcohol at sports venues):[5] National Stadium,[6] Croke Park,[7] Semple Stadium,[8] Royal Dublin Society,[9] Aviva Stadium,[10] Thomond Park.[11]

Israel[]

  • Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem (football)
  • Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa (football)
  • Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (football)
  • Menora Mivtachim Arena, Tel Aviv (Basketball)
  • Canada Stadium, Tel Aviv (Tennis)

Italy[]

  • The Italian national football team usually plays at different stadiums throughout the country.
  • Stadio Olimpico (Olympics and rugby union)
    • In the case of rugby union, the national team plays matches throughout the country, but since 2012 has used Stadio Olimpico for all of its home Six Nations matches. Previously, Stadio Flaminio served the same purpose.
  • PalaLottomatica, Mediolanum Forum and Pala Alpitour serve to (basketball and volleyball) matches.
  • Stadio Steno Borghese (baseball)
  • PalaLido (roller hockey, handball, gymnastics, and wrestling)
  • Pala Alpitour (ice hockey)
  • Velodromo Vigorelli (American football)
  • (cricket)

Ivory Coast[]

Jamaica[]

  • Independence Park (football and athletics)
  • Sabina Park (cricket)

Japan[]

  • Ariake Coliseum (tennis)
  • Tokyo Dome (baseball)
  • Koshien Stadium (baseball)
  • National Stadium (football and athletics)
  • International Stadium Yokohama (football)
  • Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (rugby union)—The Japan national team plays matches at several venues around the country, but Chichibunomiya is the most commonly used, and the country's national federation is headquartered here.
  • Kokugikan (Sumo)

Jordan[]

Kazakhstan[]

Kenya[]

Kiribati[]

  • Bairiki National Stadium (football)

Republic of Korea[]

  • Seoul Olympic Stadium (athletics)
  • Seoul World Cup Stadium (football)

Democratic People's Republic of Korea[]

Kosovo[]

Kurdistan[]

Kuwait[]

Kyrgyzstan[]

  • Spartak Stadium (football and athletics)

Latvia[]

  • Arēna Rīga (basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball)
  • Nacionālais Stadions Daugava (association football)

Lesotho[]

Lebanon[]

Liberia[]

Libya[]

Liechtenstein[]

  • Rheinpark Stadion (football)

Lithuania[]

Luxembourg[]

Macau[]

Malawi[]

Malaysia[]

Maldives[]

Mali[]

Malta[]

Martinique[]

Mauritania[]

Mauritius[]

  • Anjalay Stadium (association football and athletics)
  • Arsenal Football Ground (association football)
  • Auguste Vollaire Stadium (association football and athletics)
  • Bon Acceuil Sports Complex (badminton, jujutsu, karate, and volleyball)
  • Glen Park Multi Sports Complex (association football, badminton, basketball, handball, karate, pétanque, table tennis, and taekwondo)
  • Harry Latour Stadium (association football)
  • Mare D'Albert Swimming Pool (swimming)
  • Morcellement St Andre Football Ground (association football)
  • National Badminton Centre (badminton)
  • National Boxing Centre (boxing)
  • National Judo Centre (judo, karate, savate, and wrestling)
  • National Table Tennis Centre (table tennis)
  • National Weightlifting Centre (Olympic weightlifting)
  • National Wrestling Centre (wrestling)
  • New George V Stadium (association football)
  • Pandit Sahadeo Gymnasium (volleyball)
  • Pavillon Swimming Pool (swimming)
  • Quartier Militaire Stadium (association football)
  • Rivière du Rempart Swimming Pool (swimming)
  • Rose Belle Stadium (association football and athletics)
  • Rose Hill Multi-Purpose Training Complex (association football, basketball, handball, tennis, and volleyball)
  • Serge Alfred Swimming Pool (swimming)
  • Sir. R. Ghurburrun Stadium (association football)
  • Souvenir Swimming Pool (swimming)
  • St François Xavier Stadium (association football)
  • Stade Germain Comarmond (association football and athletics)
  • The Basketball and Handball Gymnasium (basketball and handball)

Mexico[]

  • Estadio Azteca (football)
  • Estadio Olimpico Universitario (athletics)
  • Revolution Ice Rink (ice hockey)
  • Mexico does not have a national arena/stadium for baseball or basketball. Mexico's national baseball and basketball teams play at various venues throughout the country.

Moldova[]

Monaco[]

  • Stade Louis II (football and athletics)
  • Salle Gaston Médecin (basketball, volleyball, handball, judo, fencing, weightlifting and gymnastics)
  • Monte Carlo Country Club (tennis)

Montenegro[]

Morocco[]

Myanmar[]

Namibia[]

Nepal[]

Netherlands[]

Nicaragua[]

  • Estadio Dennis Martinez (baseball and football)

Niger[]

Nigeria[]

Norway[]

  • Ullevaal Stadion (football)
  • Bislett Stadion (athletics)

North Macedonia[]

Oman[]

Pakistan[]

  • National Stadium, Karachi (cricket)
  • Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (cricket)

Palau[]

Panama[]

Papua New Guinea[]

  • Sir Hubert Murray Stadium (rugby league, football)

Paraguay[]

  • Estadio Defensores del Chaco (football)

Peru[]

  • Estadio Nacional (Lima) (football)

Philippines[]

Poland[]

  • Stadion Śląski (football) - this stadium was previously designated by Polish Football Association as Poland national football team's official national stadium.
  • Stadion Narodowy (football) - home stadium of Poland national football team.
  • National Rugby Stadium, rugby union national stadium
  • Torwar Hala Sportowo-Widowiskowa (judo)
  • Torwar II Lodowisko (figure skating)

Portugal[]

Qatar[]

Romania[]

Russia[]

  • Luzhniki Stadium (football and athletics)

Rwanda[]

  • Amahoro National Stadium (association football)
  • Kigali Arena (basketball)

Saint Kitts and Nevis[]

Saint Lucia[]

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[]

San Marino[]

Serbia[]

  • Partizan Stadium (football)
  • Red Star Stadium (football)
  • Belgrade Arena (basketball)

Singapore[]

Slovakia[]

  • Aegon Arena (tennis)
  • National football stadium (football)

Slovenia[]

There is no official national stadium or arena. International events are usually hosted in the largest stadium or arena in the country.

Somalia[]

Spain[]

Sierra Leone[]

  • National Stadium (football and athletics)

South Africa[]

The national football, rugby union and cricket teams all play at various venues throughout South Africa. However, these are the de facto national stadiums:

  • Soccer City (football)
  • Newlands (rugby union)
  • The Wanderers (cricket)
  • Randburg Astroturf (field hockey)
  • Loftus Versfeld (Rugby Union)

Suriname[]

Sweden[]

Switzerland[]

Syria[]

Taiwan[]

  • Kaohsiung National Stadium (a.k.a. World Games Stadium) (football and athletics)

Tajikistan[]

Tanzania[]

  • Tanzania National Main Stadium (football and athletics)

Thailand[]

Togo[]

Trinidad and Tobago[]

Turkey[]

Turkmenistan[]

  • Olympic Stadium (football and athletics)

Tunisia[]

Uganda[]

Ukraine[]

  • Olimpiysky National Sports Complex (football and athletics)

United Arab Emirates[]

United Kingdom[]

Team sports in the United Kingdom are often governed by bodies representing the Home Nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – with some sports organised on an All-Ireland basis. In international sporting events these sports are contested not by a team representing the United Kingdom, but by teams representing the separate home nations, and as a result there are separate national stadiums for many sports.

  • London Stadium (athletics)
  • Wimbledon Centre Court (Tennis)
  • Silverstone Circuit (Motorsport)

England[]

  • Lord's (cricket)
  • Twickenham (rugby union)
  • Wembley Stadium (football, rugby league)
  • National Badminton Centre (badminton)

Northern Ireland[]

  • Windsor Park (football)

Scotland[]

  • Hampden Park (football)
  • Murrayfield (rugby union)
  • The Grange (cricket)

Wales[]

  • Millennium Stadium (rugby union, football)
  • Sophia Gardens (cricket)
  • Cardiff City Stadium (football)

United States[]

  • USA Hockey has designated home arenas for some of its teams. The national under-17 and under-18 boys' teams play home games at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The national sled hockey team trains at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in Brighton, New York and plays most of its home games at LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York, the last of which has also hosted numerous other USA Hockey events.
  • Most of the most popular sports in the United States do not rely on a single national stadium, instead rotating the highest profile contests among various neutral sites.
  • Howard J. Lamade Stadium (Little League Baseball)—Lamade Stadium is the primary stadium of the Little League World Series, hosting the final every year. It is one of two stadiums at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania that permanently hosts the LLWS, with Volunteer Stadium as the other.
  • Augusta National Golf Club (men's golf)—Augusta is home of The Masters, the only one of the three U.S.-based men's major golf tournaments to be held at a constant venue year after year; the U.S. Open and PGA Championship are both held at rotating venues.
  • Mission Hills Country Club (women's golf)—Mission Hills hosts the ANA Inspiration, only one of the three U.S.-based women's major golf tournaments to be held at a constant venue year after year; the U.S. Women's Open and Women's PGA Championship are both held at rotating venues.
  • Arthur Ashe Stadium (tennis)—primary stadium of the lone U.S. tennis major, the US Open. The stadium is the centerpiece of a complex known as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
  • Auto racing, although its leading competitions are both touring circuits, feature flagship races at de facto national speedways: Indianapolis Motor Speedway for open-wheel racing, Circuit of the Americas for Formula One, and Daytona International Speedway for stock car racing.
  • Churchill Downs and Belmont Park (horse racing)—each track hosts a leg in the Triple Crown of American Thoroughbred Racing, and both have hosted the most prominent race outside the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup Classic, which is part of the Breeders' Cup event held annually at rotating venues. (Pimlico, the site of the other leg of the Triple Crown, has never hosted the Breeders' Cup.)
  • Like Spain, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and Italy, the US national soccer team has no dedicated stadium or arena. They play at different venues throughout the country for exhibition or tournament purposes. However, 21 games were held in RFK Stadium in the country's capital, Washington, D.C., more than any other venue in the country, which led to suggestions that RFK Memorial was the de facto national stadium prior to its 2019 closure.[12][13] The women's soccer team also has no dedicated venue.

Uruguay[]

Uzbekistan[]

Vatican City[]

Stadio Petriana (football)—because the Vatican City does not have enough territory to house a sports stadium, Stadio Petriana is in fact situated within the bounds of Italy.

Venezuela[]

Vietnam[]

  • My Dinh National Stadium (football)
  • Hang Day Stadium

(Selected match)

Zambia[]

  • National Heroes Stadium (football)

Zimbabwe[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Canada: Development Activities". FIFA. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  2. ^ "Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  3. ^ "National Indoor Arena". National Sports Campus Development Authority. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  4. ^ O'Keeffe, Alan (18 July 2015). "Work starts on national arena for Olympic 2016 stars". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003: Amendments, Commencement, SIs made under the Act". Irish Statute Book. 16 November 2016. Other Associated Secondary Legislation. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  6. ^ "S.I. No. 156/2015 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Designation of National Sporting Arena) (National Stadium) Regulations 2015". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  7. ^ "S.I. No. 149/2011 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Section 21) (Croke Park, Dublin) Regulations 2011". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  8. ^ "S.I. No. 124/2011 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Section 21) (Semple Stadium, Thurles) Regulations 2011". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  9. ^ "S.I. No. 47/2012 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Section 21) (Royal Dublin Society) Regulations 2012". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  10. ^ "S.I. No. 160/2010 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Section 21) Regulations 2010". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  11. ^ "S.I. No. 388/2008 - Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 (Section 21) Regulations 2008". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  12. ^ RFK as our National Soccer Stadium: News Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine. Match Fit USA (2009-10-20). Retrieved on 2011-12-24.
  13. ^ Bill Simmons "Every big American soccer game should be played in RFK." News: ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (2009-10-16). Retrieved on 2011-12-24.
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