There are 335 stadiums in Europe bigger than Eden. Only the 58th team in the FIFA ranking is worse

UEFA received a lot of criticism for leaving the hosting of the Conference League final to the 20,000-seat Prague stadium in Vršovice. The main argument? There are 335 other stadiums in Europe with bigger capacity.

At the outset, it should be noted that UEFA’s intention in introducing the European Conference League was also to give smaller countries and stadiums a chance to host the finals. Last year, the AS Rome vs Feyenoord match (1: 0) was hosted by the Air Albania Stadium.

The stand in Tirana, the capital of Albania, can hold 22,500 fans, which is approximately three thousand more than the Fortuna Arena. The Air Albania Stadium resembled a Slavic stadium from the inside and the atmosphere was very good during the final.

But even in Tirana, many fans complained that they couldn’t get tickets. This year, not even 20,000 people made it to the final, and the capacity of the Fortuna Arena (formerly Eden, ed.) of 19,370 is not enough for the Cup. In total, there are 335 stadiums in Europe with a capacity of over 20,000.

Russia, for example, has 30 stands for more than 20,000 people. But there is no need to look that far. Poland hasn’t had the same results as the Czech Republic on the club scene for a long time, yet it has 12 stadiums bigger than Slavia.

Even the Bulgarians, for whom only Ludogorets Razgrad contributes properly to the domestic quotient, have eight proper stadiums. Wales, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single league one, but that’s because Cardiff and Swansea play English competitions. Anyway, the stadiums fall under Wales.

The Czechs are 38th in the FIFA rankings. The only other European country that doesn’t have 20,000 stands is Slovenia, ranked 59th. Its largest stadium, the Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana, can hold 16,100 people.

No need for a national stadium

A terrifying calling card makes the Czechs think. A bigger stadium is needed because of the big national team matches, but even Slavia and Sparta feel they could sell out their stadium several times a season with twice the capacity.

Although four Prague derbies have been played this year, each time the tickets were immediately sold out. The Czech national team is also on the rise and if they do well in the Nations League, top European teams will regularly visit our country. And people will definitely want to see them live.

Source: UEFA