The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is currently in full swing, and attendance is strong. After the first round of group stage matches, FIFA reported the eight stadiums around the country hosting the event were filled at 94% capacity, with more than 3 million tickets sold.
That could not have happened without having proper venues for the international competition. Qatar built seven new stadiums in and around Doha to host the 64 matches. These include two that rank among the most expensive stadiums in the world – Al-Wakrah and Al Bayt stadiums – which cost a collective $1.4 billion to construct.
Both structures were completed in 2019 and were specifically designed for the World Cup matches. Yet controversies over human rights violations in the country as well the treatment of foreign workers who built those venues have tarnished the host country’s reputation at the premier event. (What country has exported the most soccer players? Find out in surprising things countries are No. 1 at.)
To find the most expensive stadiums around the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed various media sources, including the Brookings Institution and international soccer stadium database StadiumDB. Stadiums are ranked by cost.
Some arenas, such as Madison Square Garden in New York, have undergone major renovations worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But since the initial construction was much cheaper and happened a long time ago, MSG and other similar stadiums were not considered. We only included recently-built stadiums based on their initial construction costs.
Qatar is not the only place where team owners, cities, or countries have put up major dollars to erect a shiny new stadium. In the U.S., SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home to the Los Angeles Rams, was built at a whopping cost of $2.6 billion, the most expensive stadium to date.
In fact, eight of the top 10 most expensive stadiums around the globe are in the U.S., including No. 2, the $2.03 billion Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV Raiders play. While the other two stadiums in the top 10 are home to soccer clubs, the U.S. stadiums are home to football, baseball, and basketball teams. Only Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is also home to Atlanta United FC.
Overseas, London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium cost $1.33 billion, pricey enough to rank No. 7 on the list. Built in 2019, the stadium is home to, not surprising, the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. (Also see, the most valuable players at the World Cup.)
Click here to see most expensive stadiums around the world.
38. Baku Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $600 million
> Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
> Year opened: 2015
> Home to: Azerbaijan national football team
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37. Fisht Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $603 million
> Location: Sochi, Russia
> Year opened: 2014
> Home to: 2014 Olympics
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36. Al-Wakrah Stadium
> Cost: $609 million
> Location: Al-Wakrah, Qatar
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: World Cup 2022
35. Allianz Stadium
> Cost: $610 million
> Location: Sydney, Australia
> Year opened: 2022
> Home to: Sydney Roosters, New South Wales Waratahs, Sydney FC
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34. Paul Brown Stadium
> Cost: $619 million
> Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
> Year opened: 2000
> Home to: Cincinnati Bengals
33. NRG Stadium
> Cost: $624 million
> Location: Houston, Texas
> Year opened: 2002
> Home to: Houston Texans
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32. Estadio Nacional
> Cost: $632 million
> Location: Brasilia, Brazil
> Year opened: 2013
> Home to: Brazil national football team
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31. Ford Field
> Cost: $658 million
> Location: Detroit, Michigan
> Year opened: 2002
> Home to: Detroit Lions
30. Lincoln Financial Field
> Cost: $667 million
> Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Year opened: 2003
> Home to: Philadelphia Eagles
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29. Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre
> Cost: $670 million
> Location: Suzhou, China
> Year opened: 2018
> Home to: 2022 Olympics
28. Saint Petersburg Stadium
> Cost: $670 million
> Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: 2018 World Cup
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27. SunTrust Park
> Cost: $672 million
> Location: Atlanta, Georgia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Atlanta Braves
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26. Nissan Stadium
> Cost: $678 million
> Location: Yokohama, Japan
> Year opened: 1997
> Home to: Yokohama F.Marinos
25. Marlins Park
> Cost: $684 million
> Location: Miami, Florida
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: Miami Marlins
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24. Emirates Stadium
> Cost: $700 million
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2006
> Home to: Arsenal
23. Little Caesars Arena
> Cost: $733 million
> Location: Detroit, Michigan
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings
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22. Lucas Oil Stadium
> Cost: $792 million
> Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
> Year opened: 2008
> Home to: Indianapolis Colts
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21. Al Bayt Stadium
> Cost: $798 million
> Location: Al Khor, Qatar
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: World Cup 2022
20. Citi Field
> Cost: $817 million
> Location: Queens, New York
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: New York Mets
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19. Nationals Park
> Cost: $846 million
> Location: Washington, D.C.
> Year opened: 2008
> Home to: Washington Nationals
18. Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $988 million
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: West Ham United
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17. Barclays Center
> Cost: $1.03 billion
> Location: Brooklyn, New York
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders
16. Wembley Stadium
> Cost: $1.05 billion
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2007
> Home to: England’s national football team
15. U.S. Bank Stadium
> Cost: $1.08 billion
> Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Year opened: 2016
> Home to: Minnesota Vikings
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14. Globe Life Field
> Cost: $1.1 billion
> Location: Arlington, Texas
> Year opened: 2020
> Home to: Texas Rangers
13. New National Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $1.12 billion
> Location: Tokyo, Japan
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: 2020 Olympics
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12. Optus Stadium
> Cost: $1.2 billion
> Location: Perth, Australia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Australia national cricket team, Western Australia cricket team, Perth Scorchers, Perth Scorchers Women
11. Fiserv Forum
> Cost: $1.2 billion
> Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Year opened: 2018
> Home to: Milwaukee Bucks
10. Singapore National Stadium
> Cost: $1.3 billion
> Location: Kallang, Singapore
> Year opened: 2014
> Home to: Singapore national football team
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9. Levi’s Stadium
> Cost: $1.31 billion
> Location: Santa Clara, California
> Year opened: 2014
> Home to: San Francisco 49ers
8. AT&T Stadium
> Cost: $1.32 billion
> Location: Arlington, Texas
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: Dallas Cowboys
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7. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
> Cost: $1.33 billion
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: Tottenham Hotspur FC
6. Chase Center
> Cost: $1.4 billion
> Location: San Francisco, California
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: Golden State Warriors
5. Mercedes-Benz Stadium
> Cost: $1.5 billion
> Location: Atlanta, Georgia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United
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4. Yankee Stadium
> Cost: $1.5 billion
> Location: The Bronx, New York
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: New York Yankees
3. MetLife Stadium
> Cost: $1.78 billion
> Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
> Year opened: 2010
> Home to: New York Giants, New York Jets
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2. Allegiant Stadium
> Cost: $2.03 billion
> Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
> Year opened: 2020
> Home to: LV Raiders, UNLV Rebels
1. SoFi Stadium
> Cost: $2.6 billion
> Location: Inglewood, California
> Year opened: 2020
> Home to: Los Angeles Rams
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