Stunning stadiums of the world

The sporting arena is the modern equivalent of a monument, the Holy Grail of an architect’s fantasy. The brief is simple: Make a spellbinding container for the sportsperson’s soaring ambition. These b...

Feb 02, 2016, 06:00 IST5 min

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South Africa, Johannesburg Soccer City Stadium This stadium&mdashthe largest in Africa with a capacity of 94,736&mdashwas the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, which was played betwe...

Image by Xiaoyang Liu / Corbis

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China, Beijing National Stadium Popularly known as &lsquoBird&rsquos Nest&rsquo, the $428-million stadium was accomplished by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog ...

Image by Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP / Getty Images

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Sweden, Stockholm Ericsson Globe The Ericsson Globe, Stockholm&rsquos indoor arena, is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world, with a diameter of 110 metres and an inner ...

Image by Getty Images

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Germany, Munich Allianz Arena The magnificent 75,024-capacity stadium is the first in the world with a full colour-changing exterior. The Swiss architect firm Herzog & de Meuron then develo...

Image by Franz-Marc Frei / Corbis

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Japan, ¯Oita ¯Oita Bank Dome This multipurpose stadium has a retractable dome roof, a truly incredible piece of engineering that took dome-building to a whole new level. The brainchild of t...

Image by Getty Images

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Portugal, Braga Estádio Municipal De Braga Enormous rock moving processes added to the costs but the result is worth the spectacle: A gem of a stadium carved out of a mountainside quarry (...

Image by Ben Radford / Getty Images

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Singapore, Marina Bay The Float Simply put, it&rsquos the world&rsquos largest floating stage, located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir, in Marina Bay, Singapore. The idea was conceive...

Image by Getty Images

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England, London Aquatic Centre From sculptural curves to a skyline framed by the sweeping roof, this centre&mdashdescribed by Jacques Rogge, former International Olympic Committee presiden...

Image by Corbis