As we continue to countdown the best places in the world to venture to in the name of sport, we look again to icnonic fields of play. These grassy expanses have attained mythical status because of the players who graced them, the historical significance of the matches played over the decades, and the unprecedented number of supportive fans who swell the stands to capacity time and time again.
Here then, are the rest of our top 10 sports stadium pilgrimmage sites.
Feel free to make your case Real Madrid fans. Although we grant Santiago Bernabé elite status among world stadiums, Camp Nou edges it out by a hair. Overall the complex is more impressive, grandiose and the fans, rowdier.
Of course, no other stadium in Europe can compete with the capacity crowds of Camp Nou. At 100,000 strong the homeside can rely on an incessant atmosphere that intimidates like no other, a trait current players Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto and Lionel Messi certainly appreciate.
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4. Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Buenos Aires
Known as La Bombonera, or The Chocolate Box, the Estadio Alberto J. Armando is home to the legendary Boca Juniors football club. Football in South America inspires a passion and excitement that is unique to the continent. At La Bombonera, that emotion flourishes with reckless abandon.
With a capacity of just under 60,000, the crowds in Buenos Aires are zealous, especially when it comes to their Boca Juniors. The ideal time to come is when the team hosts archrival River Plate. All of Argentina, if not South America, tunes in to the action.
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With a capcity of 100,000, the MCG or The G as locals call it, is the largest stadium in Australia and for that matter, in cricket. The stadium is also the symbolic spiritual heart of sport in the country. On the global stage, the MCG is known as the jewel of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
But above and beyond, this is a cricket and Australian Footbal League stadium. The Grand Final for the latter enjoys the best attendance of any domestic club championship in the world. If you can make it to the match or a world-class cricket test, you will rapidly comprehend why the MCG is a pilgrimmage site for sport.
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2. Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil and soccer. When you think of one, you think of the other. With inextricable links between the two, it would make sense to include on the list the most reverential soccer stadium in Brazil. Well, that would be the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, or as most refer to it, the Maracanã, in beautiful Rio de Janeiro.
Come here to take in a match between local squads Flamengo and Fluminense and witness how religion and football are one and the same in Brazil. Paid attendance here for the 1950 World Cup final match was just under 200,000 and the stadium still swells with crowds of that size for major rock concerts.
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Or the New Wembley to be precise. Althought the most expensive stadium ever built is not the same incarnation as the original, it nonetheless inhabits the same spirit and is home to the best events in the United Kingdom, Europe and perhaps the world, bar none. At 90,000, it seats more people under one retractable roof than anywhere in the world.
England’s national football team calls Wembley home and the stadium will host major rugby tournaments as well. In addition, Wembley is the centrepiece of the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a repeat guest host of regular-season NFL games. Overall, this is without a doubt the preeminent showcase stadium for sport in the world.
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