While sports fans pay attention to the competition on the field, some may not know that the competition does not end there. The fields and stadiums are also the pride of team owners, and they all want the biggest, best, and most impressive stadiums they can possibly get. This has led to a rush of new, pricey venues sprouting up in the U.S. and around the world.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed various media sources, including the Brookings Institution and international soccer stadium database StadiumDB, to determine the most expensive stadiums around the world. 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.
Most of the 25 priciest stadiums in the world — 17 of them to be exact — are located in the United States. The other most expensive stadiums are scattered across Europe, Asia, and South America and now house soccer teams. Some of these stadiums have also been used for past Olympic games.
The newest stadium on list is the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Named after the Premier League team that plays there, the venue cost an estimated £1 billion, or roughly $1.3 billion — ranking among the top 10 most expensive stadiums in the world.
The Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones were the first in the NFL to break the $1 billion barrier when they completed AT&T Stadium in 2009. Since then, four new NFL stadiums that cost over $1 billion have opened. New NFL stadiums not only give teams and fans a new home, but they can also substantially increase the value of a franchise. These are the most valuable teams in the NFL.
The list of the most expensive stadiums will look very different in the 2020s. The Chargers and Rams will share a multibillion-dollar stadium in Southern California, and the Raiders franchise is moving to Las Vegas and building another expensive stadium to host the team. These are the cities that have lost the most teams.
Click here to see the world’s most expensive stadiums.
Source: Nasibli95 / Wikimedia Commons
25. Baku Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $600.0 million
> Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
> Year opened: 2015
> Home to: Azerbaijan’s national soccer team
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24. Fisht Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $603.0 million
> Location: Sochi, Russia
> Year opened: 2014
> Home to: 2014 Olympics
23. Paul Brown Stadium
> Cost: $619.0 million
> Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
> Year opened: 2000
> Home to: Cincinnati Bengals
Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
22. NRG Stadium
> Cost: $624.0 million
> Location: Houston, Texas
> Year opened: 2002
> Home to: Houston Texans
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21. Estadio Nacional
> Cost: $632.5 million
> Location: Brasilia, Brazil
> Year opened: 2013
> Home to: Brazil’s national soccer team
Source: Tom Pidgeon / Getty Images
20. Ford Field
> Cost: $658.0 million
> Location: Detroit, Michigan
> Year opened: 2002
> Home to: Detroit Lions
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Source: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
19. Lincoln Financial Field
> Cost: $667.0 million
> Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Year opened: 2003
> Home to: Philadelphia Eagles
Source: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
18. Saint Petersburg Stadium
> Cost: $670.0 million
> Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: 2018 World Cup
Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
17. SunTrust Park
> Cost: $672.0 million
> Location: Atlanta, Georgia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Atlanta Braves
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16. Nissan Stadium
> Cost: $677.7 million
> Location: Yokohama, Japan
> Year opened: 1997
> Home to: Yokohama F.Marinos
15. Marlins Park
> Cost: $684.0 million
> Location: Miami, Florida
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: Miami Marlins
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Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
14. Little Caesars Arena
> Cost: $733.0 million
> Location: Detroit, Michigan
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings
Source: traveler1116 / Getty Images
13. Lucas Oil Stadium
> Cost: $792.0 million
> Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
> Year opened: 2008
> Home to: Indianapolis Colts
12. Citi Field
> Cost: $817.0 million
> Location: Queens, New York
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: New York Mets
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
11. Nationals Park
> Cost: $846.0 million
> Location: Washington, D.C.
> Year opened: 2008
> Home to: Washington Nationals
Source: Jan Kruger / Getty Images
10. Olympic Stadium
> Cost: $988.0 million
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: West Ham United
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9. Barclays Center
> Cost: $1.0 billion
> Location: Brooklyn, New York
> Year opened: 2012
> Home to: Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders
Source: Matt Cardy / Getty Images
8. Wembley Stadium
> Cost: $1.1 billion
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2007
> Home to: England’s national soccer team
7. U.S. Bank Stadium
> Cost: $1.1 billion
> Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Year opened: 2016
> Home to: Minnesota Vikings
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Source: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
6. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
> Cost: $1.3 billion
> Location: London, UK
> Year opened: 2019
> Home to: Tottenham Hotspur FC
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
5. Levi’s Stadium
> Cost: $1.3 billion
> Location: Santa Clara, California
> Year opened: 2014
> Home to: San Francisco 49ers
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Source: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images
4. AT&T Stadium
> Cost: $1.3 billion
> Location: Arlington, Texas
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: Dallas Cowboys
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Marilyn Nieves / Getty Images
3. Mercedes-Benz Stadium
> Cost: $1.5 billion
> Location: Atlanta, Georgia
> Year opened: 2017
> Home to: Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC
Source: LeoPatrizi / Getty Images
2. Yankee Stadium
> Cost: $1.5 billion
> Location: The Bronx, New York
> Year opened: 2009
> Home to: New York Yankees
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1. MetLife Stadium
> Cost: $1.7 billion
> Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
> Year opened: 2010
> Home to: New York Giants, New York Jets
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