Hmmm another thought - the CWC is also a FIFA event. Will FIFA be this strict about field sizes? If so we might need to use some SSS, as it seems NFL stadiums struggle to fit the requirements without major renovations.
12 of the US's 14 biggest stadiums were built in the 1920s, which may explain why they didn't take the World Cup into account.
Because it is a way to justify any public money/support. More events means it won't be a white elephant. Bigger events means it brings people to the city/area. It seems the only time the pitch width rule is actually enforced is the Mens WC. So if you are a football team owner, are you going to reduce the premium seats or make the premium seats gather away from the action for 5-6 games once every 40 years? Especially when the new premium boxes are at field level. For some teams that 1-3 different stadiums.
That one could be played at the local park lol But i meant some of the bigger games. As you are seeing, almost every stadium, new and old needs renovations to fit a 75 yard wide field.
Well what else are you talking about? The biggest stadiums built since 1970 are: AT&T Arrowhead Mile High Bank of America NRG Mercedes-Benz M&T SoFi Raymond James Nissan Lumen Field Levi's
If this is the 1996 Olympics, you’re really stretching the definition of “a few years ago,” plus it’s the Olympics.
If the suite is 7 yards further, that eliminates 7 yards worth of regular seating rows behind it. The owner might notice that loss of capacity and the accompanying revenue.
Any expansion of the total stadium footprint during construction, if it is even possible on the parcel, adds to the materials and construction costs.
Now the question becomes whether that costs more or less than these 50 million dollar renovations required to host world cup matches.
Give Stan Kroenke a call and ask him why he deliberately designed a stadium with a field too narrow for tournament or MLS soccer then changed his mind over 2026.
The guesswork I've seen is that he assumed FIFA would let him get away with a 70 foot wide field because "most expensive stadium in the world", and FIFA didn't budge.
A bit more off topic than usual, but did anyone notice that almost all the German stadiums are seemingly a part of some large parks? None are surrounded by parking or in the middle of urban settings like pretty much anywhere else. Just found that somewhat interesting.
I attended the World Cup in Germany in 2006. I had tickets to games in Kaiserslautern and Nuremburg. In Kaiserslautern, the stadium is within walking distance of the downtown train station. In Nuremburg, you can catch the train downtown, and the first stop is the stadium.
Many stadiums in Europe are like that; in a park-like setting or a residential area. Their public transportation is much better than in the U.S. which is heavily car-centric, partly due to the physical size of the nations you're comparing.
Regarding the latter, Melbourne's stadiums (including the rugby/soccer stadium and the MCG) are easily walk-able from the CBD (city center), and also have trams stopping nearby.
All the Bundesliga stadiums are near rail lines. German football has a very different history to, for instance, England. Soccer was amateur until 1963, so many of the older stadiums were multi-purpose ampitheaters built by cities. A bunch were built for the 1974 World Cup (or in one case the 1972 Olympics). I think at one point most of the stadiums in the Bundesliga had running tracks, or did it just seem like that? Some have been rebuilt since but close to or at the old location.