At a time when sports venues around the world are closed, construction is underway on the biggest stadium for soccer in the world–a $1.7 billion lotus-shaped home for China’s champion soccer team-Guangzhou Evergrande. It will have a seating capacity of 100,000 and a floor area of 150,000 square meters (1.6 million square feet). It will be the fourth largest sports venue in the world.
Xia Haijun, president of the Evergrande Group, said he expected the stadium to be ready by December 2022, according to state media. He also said that the group would be building “another three or five top-level professional football stadiums with capacities of 80,000 to 100,000 in China.”
China is set to host the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, as well as the 2023 Asian championships.
ESPN reports that eight designs, from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, were submitted before Evergrande made the decision to go with the entry from Shanghai-based American designer Hasan Syed.
Eight designs, from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, were submitted before Evergrande made the decision to go with the entry from Shanghai-based American designer and Gensler principal Hasan Syed.
Construction began last Thursday. The finished stadium will be the largest football-only stadium in the world. Only the Rungrado 1st May Stadium with an athletics track in DPR Korea, the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground hold bigger capacities.
