Qualla: Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium: Introduction

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Htmlland, CC BY-SA 3.0. The arch carries the building. Most stadiums need rings of internal pillars or roof trusses; Wembley uses a single steel circle. The Wembley Arch rises 133 metres above the pitch and spans 315 metres - the longest single-span roof structure on Earth - and it supports the entire weight of the north roof and 60 percent of the retractable south roof. From the M40 driving into London, from a passenger jet on final approach to Heathrow, the arch is the landmark you recognize first. It was meant to be that way. Foster + Partners and Populous designed the new Wembley specifically so London would have a building you could see from anywhere - a replacement for the Twin Towers that defined the original stadium for 80 years, with a structure that did more than just look monumental. The arch is doing work.

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Image: Htmlland | CC BY-SA 3.0

Wembley Stadium: The Cost of Replacing the Twin Towers

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit ProhibitOnions at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Building the new Wembley took longer and cost more than anyone expected. The Australian construction firm Multiplex was hired. The original plan called for demolition before Christmas 2000 and completion by 2003. Demolition only began on 30 September 2002, with the Twin Towers co...

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Image: ProhibitOnions at English Wikipedia | Public domain

Wembley Stadium: The Arch and the Roof

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cnbrb, CC BY 3.0. The arch was always the design centrepiece. A circular-section steel lattice, 7 metres in internal diameter and 315 metres in span, set 22 degrees off vertical and rising 133 metres above the external concourse. The arch supports all the weight of the north roof and 60 percent of...

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Image: Cnbrb | CC BY 3.0

Wembley Stadium: What It Hosts

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Hullian111, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Football Association, which owns the stadium, makes sure it earns its £1 billion. The FA Cup Final and FA Cup semi-finals come here. The Community Shield. The EFL Cup Final, EFL Trophy Final, and the National League play-off final. The promotion play-off finals for tiers two,...

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Image: Hullian111 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wembley Stadium: Concerts and Records

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit McPhail, CC0. George Michael played the first concert at the new Wembley on 9 June 2007. Muse became the first band to sell it out on 16 and 17 June 2007. The 28 June 2017 Adele concert drew 98,000 fans - the stadium record for a UK music event. Taylor Swift played eight nights here on the Era...

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Image: McPhail | CC0

Wembley Stadium: Bobby Moore Looking Down Olympic Way

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Oxyman, CC BY 2.5. The bronze statue of Bobby Moore stands outside the main entrance, twice life-size, sculpted by Philip Jackson. England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain looks down Olympic Way - the wide pedestrian boulevard that connects the stadium to Wembley Park tube station and to the surrou...

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Image: Oxyman | CC BY 2.5