10 Most Beautiful Sporting Venues

We all know how beautiful sport can be at times. But rarely do we stop to appreciate just how stunning some of sport’s amphitheatres truly are. So we’re giving the stadium a bit of love with what we think are 10 of the world’s most beautiful sporting venues.

Estadio BBVA Bancomer

Where: Guadalupe, Mexico
Sport: Football

Nicknamed ‘El Gigante de Acero’, which translates as ‘The Steel Giant’, the 52,237 Bancomer stadium is the home of C.F. Monterrey, ending 63 years of residency at Estadio Tecnológico. It may not actually be located in Monterrey and the project was met with a whole load of environmental controversy, but nobody can deny the views inside Mexico’s fourth largest stadium are special to say the least.

National Stadium

Where: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Sport: Football, Athletics

Less about the view and all about the architecture, the Taiwan National Stadium plays host to the Chinese Taipei national football team with the stadium’s spiral shape evoking dragon-like imagery. It’s the first stadium in the world to provide power using solar energy technology, with the panels covering the external face of the stadium able to generate nearly 100% of the power required for its own running.

Big Sky Golf

Where: Pemberton, Canada
Sport: Golf

The name alone tells you all you need to know about Pemberton in Canada’s ‘Big Sky Golf’. The truly stunning course offers an incredible dramatic natural setting thanks to its location at the base of 8,000ft Mount Currie in the valley of Pemberton. Surrounded by lakes and rivers, if you play the 7,001-yd course, you’ll have awe-inspiring vistas at every hole.

Beijing National Stadium

Where: Beijing, China
Sport: Athletics, Football, Motor Racing

One of the most iconic stadiums on the planet, the Beijing National Stadium, AKA ‘The Bird’s Nest’, was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The structure of the 80,000-seater stadium consists of inner concrete bowl and a spectacular curvilinear outer steel shell that gives it the look of a bird’s nest. It was designed by famed Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and cost around £360 million to construct.

HPCA Stadium

Where: Dharamsala, India
Sport: Cricket

Situated at 4110ft above sea level, the HPCA Stadium is the highest international cricket ground in the world. Located amidst the Dhauladhar Ranges of the Himalayas, the stadium provides a cricket experience like nowhere else on the planet with mountain peaks, as well as golden eagles and griffin vultures, towering over the wicket. The Dalai Lama has also been known to frequent the cricket here regularly too.

Universiade Sports Centre

Where: Shenzhen, China
Sport: Football, Athletics, Swimming

Constructed for the 2011 World University Games, a global inter-university sports meet, the Universiade Sports Centre has a crystalline outer structure which is made up of numerous triangular laminated safety glass panels and slabs of polycarbonate. The effect is incredible, especially when lit up in the dark.

AT&T Park

Where: San Francisco, USA
Sport: Baseball

Like most American sports arenas, baseball has seen an influx of new stadia in recent years. And though it’s hardly retro by British football stadiums standards, the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park is still one of the most old school in Major League Baseball. Not only that, it also packs by far the best view in baseball with San Francisco Bay the backdrop for three World Series Championships in the last 7 years. Due to its location right on the Bay, cold summer fog and winter jackets even in the summer are not unusual at AT&T Park, despite the usually highs temperatures.

Ericsson Globe

Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Sport: Ice Hockey, Futsal, UFC

The Ericsson Globe, Sweden’s national indoor arena, is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world. With a diameter of 110 metres and an inner height of 85 metres, the Globe is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the former home of football teams AIK, Djurgårdens IF, and Hammarby IF. The Ericsson Dome represents the Sun in the Swedish Solar System, the largest permanent scale model of our Solar System.

Circuit de Monaco

Where: Monaco
Sport: F1

We couldn’t have a list of the world’s most beautiful sporting venues and not feature Monte Carlo, could we? As dangerous as it is beautiful, the Circuit de Monaco is synonymous with style and sophistication having hosted the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix since 1929. Not only is it one of the most demanding tracks in F1, it’s undoubtedly one of if not the most prestigious track in all of motor racing.

Henningsvær Stadion

Where: Henningsvær, Norway
Sport: Football

The stadium with the smallest capacity on our list as there aren’t actually any stands, take a look at the Henningsvær Stadion located in the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway. The stadium is only used for amateur football with the village of Henningsvær only having a population of less than 500. We imagine that means getting a game on the pitch might be easier than you think! Just look at it – simply stunning.