What is the story of the stadium where this year’s Euro final was played? Wembley has hosted many major events

Wembley Stadium is a stadium located in London. It is owned by The Football Association (FA), which is the supreme governing body of English football. It is therefore primarily used for English national football team home games, FA Cup final matches, music concerts and more.

England already hosted the 1966 World Cup, which was played at the original Wembley Stadium. The opening match of the championship (England – Uruguay 0:0) and the final match (England – Germany 4:2 after extra time) were played here.

In 1996, the Czech Republic played the final match of the Euros here, losing to Germany 1:2 in extra time.

In 2007, the “new Wembley Stadium” was built and to distinguish it from the original, it was named “The New Wembley Stadium”. With a capacity of 90,000 seats, it is the second largest stadium in Europe (after Camp Nou) and at the time it also became the most expensive stadium ever built.

The distinctive feature is the lattice arch of circular cross-section that supports all the weight of the north roof, as well as part of the retractable roof on the south side.

Wembley Stadium regularly hosts a number of events each year that do not normally change venue. These include the semi-finals and final of the FA Cup, the final of the EFL Cup (now the Carabao Cup), the final of the Women’s FA Cup, the final of the EFL Trophy, the final of the FA Trophy, the men’s and women’s Community Shield (a match between the winner of the Premier League and the FA Cup) and also the Football League relegation playoffs.

In addition to football events, the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final is also regularly played here.

Wembley has twice hosted the Champions League final. The first time was in 2011, when Barcelona was the winner, and the second time was in 2013 (winner Bayern Munich). The next Champions League final is scheduled for 2024.

During the 2012 Olympic Games, a women’s football match between Great Britain and Brazil was also played here. A fresh event is the just concluded Euros, during which Wembley hosted the Group D matches, the two semi-finals, the two semi-finals and the final match between England and Italy.

Wembley is also where rugby is regularly played. The 2013 World Cup (both semi-finals) and two 2015 World Cup matches were held here. In 2011, the prestigious Four Nation Rugby League was held here.

Other events that Wembley Stadium has hosted include a boxing match for the heavyweight title, taken care of by Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.

It has also hosted concert performances by George Michael, Bon Jovi, Muse, Adele, Metallica, One Direction, U2, The Killers, Green Day, Eminem, Madonna, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Oasis, Take That and AC/DC.

Between 2017 and 2019 it was also the temporary home of Tottenham Hotspur, who were building a new stadium at the time.

Interestingly, Fulham owner Shadid Khan certainly made an offer to buy it in April 2018, but withdrew it in October after protests led by former player Gary Neville.

Source: Wikipedia, Wembley Stadium