Guangzhou Evergrande start work on world's largest football stadium with 100,000 capacity
Thursday 16 April 2020 18:29, UK
Chinese Super League (CSL) side Guangzhou Evergrande have begun construction on the largest football-only stadium in the world.
The new Evergrande Stadium has been designed with 100,000 seats and 168 VIP boxes, and is due to be opened by the end of 2022.
Only the Rungrado 1st May Stadium with an athletics track in DPR Korea, the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground hold bigger capacities.
The lotus flower-shaped stadium is the latest work from the Shanghai-based American designer Hasan Syed, following an initial concept from the Evergrande Group chairman Xu Jiayin. It has been reported in China that 12 billion yuan (£1.36 billion) will be invested into the project.
Eight-time CSL winners Evergrande are the only Chinese club to win the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League twice.
The 2020 CSL season was scheduled to start on 22nd February, but was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.