Greeks built the first predecessor of the modern stadium, when they carved out of the hill around an amphitheater stone steps where people could sit to relax and have a great view of the arena. This idea is at the heart of the design principle of a modern stadium design.  But the evolution of stadia and their perceived function impacting the definition of a good stadium is constantly changing. Perhaps the most popular kind of stadium globally is the soccer stadium, and the greatest influence on stadium design is the four (4) year recurrence of the World Cup. Let’s look at how the World Cup and Stadium design have interplayed in the past century by looking at some of the most iconic stadia around the world.

1930; Uruguay; Estadio Centenario
This was the very first stadium that was specifically built for the World Cup. This was the infancy of the World Cup and many of the important moments were captured here where more than 9 of the 18 games were hosted. Circular steps that were cast into the naturally depressed area around the pitch characterized the stadium. It was the inspiration of many more stadiums that came after it.

1966; England; Wembley Stadium
This space was truly iconic and marked the beginning of the trend for host countries to use the World Cup to showcase their culture. Here is where the 1966 final between England and Germany was held, with England winning 4-2 in the final. The two towers of Wembley Stadium became iconic silhouettes and were almost instantly recognizable to anyone who had watched the world cup. This was the first stadium that became a landmark for the host of the World Cup, as much as it was a venue for sports.

1994; Rose Bowl, USA
Given that the United States is not historically as crazy about soccer as the rest of the world, it was interesting to see what venue would be used for the 1994 World Cup. The Rose Bowl Stadium, where the finals were held, was interesting in that it had a wide pitch that meant the fans weren’t as close to the action as they were used to being. The stadium was, however, designed for multiple uses and set a precedent for future designs.

2002; Oita Bank; Japan
The two countries of South Korea and Japan, who jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup, had to build a majority of the stadia from scratch. These stadiums were centric to the fans, iconic, mixed use, and good enough to turn a profit on match day. Their design was research and technology driven and the Oita Bank stadium was the most iconic of them.

2006; Signal Iduna Park; Germany
This was a refurbished stadium. Germany, who already had a legacy as a football nation that stretched as far back as 1960 didn’t want to demolish and rebuild stadiums as that would mean demolishing their history and character along with them. Instead, they refurbished the Signal Iduna Park stadium and increased its capacity and enhanced the heritage of the venue at a significantly lower cost.

2022; Lusail Iconic Stadium; Qatar
As we look to the future Qatar offers a vision.  The stadia being designed will be driven by the same, or even better, research and technology behind the iconic stadia of Japan with an emphasis on showcasing the host country, design, and reuse.  The brief given to the architects Foster + Partners is less descriptive than the one they got for Wembley and they are challenged to plan for such things as the indoor climate and a design influenced by nature and the character of the sport.

The World Cup shapes stadium design and architecture decades ahead of the use of the pitch. Who knows what great lessons we can expect from the designers and architects of future World Cup venues. One thing we can count on is the continuing influence of the World Cup on stadiums around the world.