Wembley stadium , also known as "New Wembley" is a football stadium located in London, England. The stadium was opened in 2007 on the site of the old Wembley stadium. The old Wembley, also known as Empire Stadium, was one of the most famous football stadiums in the world until its demolition in 2003.
The new Wembley seats 90,000 spectators and is the second largest stadium in Europe after camp Nou. It holds its home matches England national football team. The owner of the stadium is the management organization of English football, Football Association of England (FA).
The authors of the stadium project were Foster and Partners and Populous. The new stadium has a retractable roof. Compared to the old Wembley, the distinguishing feature of which was a white "twin towers", the new stadium is known for its "arch of Wembley" height of 134 m. This steel arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world. The stadium was built by Australian company Multiplex[en]; construction costs amounted to £798 million Old Wembley closed in October 2000 and in December of the same year it was planned to demolish it and open a new stadium in 2003. However, for a number of reasons, the project was postponed, and the old Wembley was completely dismantled only in February 2003. The new Wembley was opened on 19 may 2007, when it hosted the FA Cup final.
In 2012, the stadium hosted the football finals of the 2012 summer Olympic games. In addition to the matches of the national team, Wembley hosts the semifinals and finals of the FA Cup, the super Cup of England, the Cup finals of the Football League and the football League Trophy, as well as playoff matches of the Football League. In 2011, the stadium hosted the final match of the UEFA Champions League. In 2013, Wembley again hosted the UEFA Champions League final. In addition to football, the stadium hosts Rugby matches and American football matches. Wembley also hosts concerts.