Football enthusiasts who have experienced the raucous atmosphere of stadiums may be curious which stadium is the world’s oldest. Each famous stadium hosting football has its unique narrative to tell.
While modern stadiums and football grounds worldwide are gleaming and brand new, they lack the historical significance of some of the world’s oldest stadiums. The top ten oldest football stadiums in the world are ranked below.
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Top 10: Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a 39,732-seat association football stadium in Owlerton, a north-western Sheffield suburb in Yorkshire, England. Sheffield United Football Club had called the stadium home when it first opened in 1899. But since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, it has only been used as a gathering place for police and stewards and not for the football league.
Hillsborough will forever be remembered for the disaster that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The “Hillsborough tragedy” chants still ring across Merseyside, and the Anfield fans commemorate the fallen souls every year.
Top 9: Parc Des Princes
While Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain has emerged as one of Europe’s new superpowers in recent years, the club’s stadium is one of the oldest remaining in use in professional football. Even though PSG has been using Parc Des Princes since 1973, the stadium first opened in 1897.
Top 8: Villa Park
After playing at Aston Park and Wellington Road until 1897, Villa Park became Aston Villa’s official home stadium in 1897 and has been used by The Lions ever since. The stadium, built in the Witton suburb of Birmingham and has undergone various repairs and redevelopments over its history, now has a total seating capacity of 42,682.
Top 7: Goodison Park
When it comes to discussing the history of English football and the clubs that have played a part in it over the years, Everton FC is one of the oldest clubs that can claim to represent it. The Merseyside club was founded in 1878, and its players began their career at Anfield in 1884 before moving to Goodison Park in 1892 after a series of disagreements that we shall learn about later.
Top 6: Celtic stadium
It is known as “Paradise” by residents of Glasgow’s east end district. Celtic Park, first opened in 1892 in Glasgow’s Parkhead neighbourhood, is the proud home and symbol of Celtic FC. Celtic Park is Scotland’s largest stadium, with a capacity of slightly over 60,000 people. The first game was played on August 20, 1892, versus Renton.
Top 5: St. James’ Park
Newcastle United’s home pitch, St. James’ Park, has been utilized by the Premier League club since 1892, despite numerous clashes with surrounding people and the council. The ground has been used for football matches since 1880 and is located in North East England near the Tyne and Wear County.
Top 4: Anfield
Liverpool and Everton, both from Merseyside, have a long and illustrious history that football fans are well aware of. The Merseyside Derby is one of the oldest local football rivalries in existence. And it all began in 1892, when Anfield’s owner, John Houlding, decided to launch a new club, Liverpool FC.
Top 3: Stamford Bridge
While Chelsea FC supporters have been subjected to constant mockery and insults when discussing their place in the game’s history and the significance of their achievements in English football, few people are aware that Stamford Bridge, the West London club’s home ground, is the third oldest active ground in the world and likely the oldest ground when compared to clubs at the highest level in professional football.
Top 2: Sandygate Road
Sandygate Road, which was created in 1860, is officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Oldest Ground in the World.” That is if you include both cricket and football contests. However, when it comes to the world’s oldest football stadiums, Sandygate, home to Hallam FC, is the second oldest.
Top 1: Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane Stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, is the oldest stadium globally. It is still hosting professional football games today. The stadium was opened in 1855 and was initially used as a cricket ground for cricket matches before becoming a football ground.
Eventually, the oldest football stadium hosted its first football match in 1862 and since then began to host professional football events, including FA Cup semi-finals and finals, until 1936.
