Highbury Stadium, Arsenal (ENG)
The famous ‘Gunners’ of Arsenal are synonymous with North London, but actually started life as Dial Square in 1886 at the Thames-side town of Woolwich, at the time in Kent. The club only moved to its Highbury ground in 1913, designed by famous stadium architect, Archibald Leitch. Leitch was also the design brain behind Ibrox and Hampden in Glasgow, Anfield and Goodison Park in Liverpool, and many others.
The stadium, pictured above, was refashioned during Arsenal’s first golden era in the 1930s, during which time the Art Deco East and West Stands were built.
Highbury Stadium closed at the end of the 2005-06 season, after which Arsenal moved to its new Emirates Stadium nearby. The East and West Stand facades remain as part of the Highbury Square housing development.
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo (URU)
The Estadio Centenario was completed in 1930 just in time to host the latter stages of Uruguay’s own – and the very first – FIFA World Cup. Immigrant labour toiled for around nine months to build what Jules Rimet himself referred to as “a temple to football” on its completion.
When I went to Montevideo way back in 2000 I got a great sense of its faded glory. The 60,000-capacity stadium was only a fraction full that night for a game between Nacional, one of Uruguay’s big two along with Peñarol, and Corinthians of Brazil.
This stadium, along with Uruguay in general, has played a pivotal role in the early development of the sport.
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (ITA)
Opened in 1931, the 43,000-seater Stadio Artemio Franchi has played host to two World Cups (1934 and 1990), and the 1968 European Championships.
Originally named Stadio Giovanni Berta when it opened, the stadium has been redesigned a number of times but in 2017, home club Fiorentina announce plans to build a new stadium, so if you’re a fan of Art Deco, visit the Stadio Artemio Franchi while you can.
Have a look at this post about the architect Pier Luigi Nervi and how he nearly designed Swindon Town’s ground.
Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho (Pacaembu), São Paulo (BRA)
Opened in 1940, the impressive Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho is named after Brazil’s 1958 World Cup delegation chief. That year, Brazil won the first of its five world championships.
Also known as Estádio do Pacaembu after the São Paulo suburb in which it is based, the 40,000-capacity ground hosts matches for the state’s big four clubs, São Paulo, Corinthians, Palmeiras and Santos.
Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó, Buenos Aires (ARG)
It’s very much a structure representative of its era, with a striking tower, much in the vein of the Estadio Centenario or the Artemio Franchi.
Built to hold 48,000 spectators, El Globo (The Globe) features in the 2009 Oscar-winning crime thriller El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes).
Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna (ITA)
One of the earlier grounds in this post, Bologna’s Stadio Renato Dall’ara was opened in 1927 to a friendly between Italy and Spain.
Its capacity is 38,000 and hosted four matches in the Italia ’90 World Cup, including England’s last-gasp win against Belgium in the round of 16.
Like Fiorentina, home side Bologna plans to redevelop the ground but retain the historical elements that give this ground so much of its character.
Olympiastadion, Berlin (GER)
The Olympiastadion in Berlin is where sporting history is made. Built for the 1936 Olympic Games, it’s the stadium where Jesse Owens incensed Adolf Hitler, and where Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi 70 years later in the 2006 World Cup final.
Due to its position in the western periphery of Berlin, the Olympiastadion survived World War II largely intact, and was used as the British military base during the Cold War.
The 74,000-capacity stadium has been home to Hertha Berlin since the foundation of the Bundesliga in 1963.
Poststadion, Berlin (GER)
Close to Berlin’s Haubtbaunhof, the Poststadion hosts a number of Berlin‘s smaller clubs, including Berlin AK 07, SC Minerva 93 Berlin, SC Union 06 Berlin and SV Yesilyurt Berlin. Built in 1929, the Poststadion only holds 10,000 now but in 1936, 55,000 spectators saw Norway dump Germany out of their own Olympic soccer tournament in front of the Nazi hierarchy.
The coach was soon replaced.
The main stand survives and its exterior has a wonderfully green linear facade.
Stadio Armando Picchi, Livorno (ITA)
Completed in 1935, the stadium was originally named after Edda Ciano Mussolini, the eldest child of the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. After the war, it was renamed the Stadio Comunale di Livorno and hosted some preliminary matches for the 1960 Olympic football tournament.
The stadium was renovated in the 1980s, which involved the removal of its tower, and now holds 19,000 spectators for home team, AS Livorno Calcio.
Estadio São Januario, Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
Rio de Janeiro’s top Art Deco structure may well be the statue of Christ the Redeemer, but don’t tell Vasco da Gama fans that I told you that! Vasco is the only carioca club to own its stadium, while Flamengo and Fluminense rent the state-owned Maracanã and Botafogo plays and city-owned Estádio Nilton Santos.
The stadium was opened in 1927 and holds 25,000 spectators.
Check out the Vasco gallery for more.
Stade Joseph Marien, Brussels (BEL)
On the edge of Duden Park in the Saint Gilles suburb of Brussels is the historic Stade Joseph Marien. Completed in 1919 in time for the 1920 Olympic Games – hosted by Antwerp but with some football games in Brussels – this is the site of Spain’s very first international.
In 1926, the distinctive art deco reliefs were added.
Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
The home of Finland’s national football team was also interrupted by World War II. Helsinki was due to host the 1940 Olympic Games but events conspired. The stadium did eventually host the Games in 1952.
The stadium’s tower measures 72.71 meters – the length of Matti Järvinen’s 1932 gold medal-winning javelin throw.
When its current renovation is complete, the capacity will be 36,000.
Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield (ENG)
The 2,500-capacity Queen Elizabeth II Stadium was initially built for athletics and is a Grade II listed building. Ground was broken on its construction in 1939 but the Second World War intervened. By the time of its completion in 1953, there was a new monarch, after whom it is named.
It became the home of non-league side Enfield Town in 2011 and is a venue for the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup, a tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA.
The Maurice Rebak Stadium, Wingate & Finchley (ENG)
There are a number of fantastic Art Deco buildings around London, and the Maurice Rebak Stadium in North London is no exception. The main stand is another non-league gem, which reminds me a little of Croydon Airport with its curves and large glass panels. The club has an interesting history. It was a merger of Finchley FC, which was founded by Pa Jackson, who was also instrumental in the founding of Corinthian FC, and Wingate FC, a Jewish football club.
Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux FRA
Built in 1930, this marvel now hosts a local rugby club since football team Girondins moved away to a new ground that was built for Euro 2016.
It hosted FIFA World Cup matches in 1938 and 1998.
Építök Stadion, Budapest (HUN)
Not far from Hungary’s new national stadium is the Építök Stadion, part of a wider sports complex.
Estadio dei Marmi, Rome (ITA)
Not strictly a football stadium, but certainly right next door to one! Visitors to Rome’s Stadio Olimpico may well have noticed an oval of naked athletes in various poses. This stunning marble structure was completed in 1928 – again, alas, at the behest of Mussolini, but still, it’s an impressive piece of work.
Did we miss any stadiums off our list? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter.