Top 10 most scenic football stadiums in the world

People around the globe have developed incredible infrastructure in unique circumstances to enjoy the beautiful game.

Football stadiums have evolved over time. Ever since the commercialisation of the sport in the 19th century, the prequisites of football stadiums have not been limited to just the pitch and the stands. As a result, spectators are attracted towards the surroundings of the stadiums as well. In terms of sheer beauty, a few unique stadiums stand above the rest because of where they’re located and how well the stadiums are designed. So here we’ll look at the most scenic football stadiums in the world.

Marina Bay Floating Stadium - Singapore

Singapore has the reputation for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it has a football stadium to hold its honour in high regard. The Floating Stadium, as it’s named, is situated on top of the waters of the Marina Reservoir. A stadium that is on top of a beautiful lake has a stand placed further away onto the ground, making for a scintillating view for anyone watching.

Only a few football matches have taken place here (imagine a player falling into the waters during a game!) but whoever watched them were in for an aesthetically pleasing view. The stadium takes the scenic level to a whole different tangent from the other football stadiums

Estadio BBVA - Mexico

Mexico has seen a decent surge in their football quality in the 21st century and the infrastructure has also been upgraded to world-class standards in a number of places. The Estadio BBVA - the home of CF Monterrey the defending champions of the Liga MX - is one such beauty created which gives it a unique look. Not only is the stadium itself an architectural treasure, with a beautiful, sustainable layout to hold over 50,000 spectators, but the scenic view is gorgeous as well.

A green-lit mountain top can be seen at the backdrop of the stadium, with lucky viewers often getting the best natural view during the games. The Estadio BBVA also won a silver certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for its sustainable design, becoming the first North-American football stadium to get the honour!

Victoria Stadium - Gibraltar

The home of the Gibraltar national football team, the Victoria Stadium stands as one of the most unique grounds in the world. Situated just beside the Gibraltar airport, the stadium is a fully opened structure with only a few stands for the spectators to enjoy the view. The stadium was even used as the home ground of the Gibraltar national side in their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers and it must’ve been a surreal experience.

With an airport beside it, spectators could be lucky to see planes take off and land. Moreover, the open space also gives you a view of a beautiful mountain as nature’s beauty comes as a free incentive for anyone watching matches live in this stadium.

Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium - Switzerland

The Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium is the highest ground in Europe at over 6500 ft over sea level and yes, football games take place at regular intervals. One of the best scenic football stadiums, Ottmar Hitzfield is situated in a tiny village in Switzerland is the home to FC Gspon, an amateur football team in the region. There are no dedicated stadiums, just barren ground above the pitch and one side of the pitch is barricaded with a rubber net.

That’s because if the ball goes out, its unrecoverable as it goes thousands of feet into the abyss. But the prospect of watching a game situated in the Swiss Alps, with the view of exquisite snowy mountain’s, clouds and ice can make get any football fan salivating.

Estadio Municipal Stadium - Portugal

The home ground of Portuguese club Sporting Club de Braga is one of the more innovative stadiums around Europe due to its very interesting architecture. The ground has two separate stands which is covered by a canopy style roof which is actually inspired from ancient South American Incan bridges. Apart from the football, the scenary of the beautiful Portuguese countryside is a real sight for soar eyes. The Estadio Municipal Stadium remains one of the more famous ones in Portugal and even won the Pritzker Architecture Prize for its brilliant design.

Svangaskard Stadium - Faroe Islands

Imagine watching your favourite team playing in a completely open stadium with no buildings, traffic or population around you. Well, that’s the feeling the people of Faroe Islands get when they watch games in the Svangaskard Stadium. The ground is situated in Toftir, a small village in the country and only has the seating capacity of around 6,000 people. It is completely old-school when it comes to facilities, but the experience is a surreal one.

With a sea flowing a bit far away from the stadium, the beauty of the Nordiac region can be felt strongly in this one. With clear blue skies, lots of greenery, this is one where one can watch football with utmost peace.

Hasteinsvollur Stadium - Iceland

Situated in the middle of a volcanic island in Iceland, the Hasteinsvollur is the home to club IBV with only 534 seats allocated in it. But in the country of Viking warriors, nobody is intimidated watching games here. However, what is the speciality about this one is the sheer view which probably makes it difficult for the players to concentrate on their game.

Just beside the stadium is a beautiful mountaneous cliff (aka potential volcano) and the stadium is surrounded with astounding greenery. With a clear blue sky and shades of fog surrounding. Watching football in this stadium makes you feel like you’re watching sports in Game of Thrones!

Estadi Comunal D’Andorra La Vella - Andorra

The Estadi Comunal D’Andorra La Vella might be the smallest stadium in a rather small countr but it has to be among the most beautiful things in its capital of Andorra La Vella. One of the best scenic football stadiums only has a seating capacity of 1300, but many would be willing to pay big bucks to get a front-row seat to witness this beautiful spectacle.

A clear ground with a scintillating mountain range in the background and stunning houses standing on it, the stadium is a rare spectacle in Europe. Unfortunately it doesn’t host many games anymore which is a real shame because watching games in an environment like this would be a surreal experience for anybody.

Eidi Stadium - Faroe Islands

A stadium literally built on mountaneous terrain, the Eidi Stadium which is situated in the Eidi village of Faroe Islands is one of the most innovative creations in the history of the game. It was literally built so that villagers could indulge in a game of football but is maintained brilliantly. For someone watching it, it’d be a once in a lifetime experience because it is something like no other.

Just beside the ground is a beautiful sea and it is surrounded by rocky, green mountains as well. The stadium is blessed by the purity of nature and has to be one of the most beautiful footballing creations in a country where the beautiful game is still in its development phase.

Stadion Gospin Dolac - Croatia

Situated in Imotski, Croatia, the Stadion Gospin Dolac is one of the best examples of how ambitious, visionary human architecture can really be. What started as construction of a football ground inside of Karst(a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks), took 13 years to complete this piece of beauty.

The stadium is surrounded by mountain terrain, close to the Blue Lake (caused by the collapse of an enormous mountain) and an Illyrian fortress (ancient built by ancient Indo-European tribes). Imagine watching the game surrounding by visceral mountains, lots of greenery and a sense of tranquillity throughout. NK Imotski (the home team for the ground) must be counting their stars for playing in such a beautiful piece of architecture.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.