Stadiums

Major League Soccer will resume the regular season with clubs playing in their home cities starting from Aug. 12 following the end of the single-site tournament in Florida that was designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the league said on Saturday.

The majority of matches will be played without fans in attendance and the regular season will lead into an expanded 18-team post-season, culminating with the MLS Cup on Dec. 12, MLS added in a news release.

It's no secret that Italy is home to some of the most famous soccer stadiums in Europe. 

From Milan's world-renowned San Siro and Turin's aesthetically-pleasing new Juventus Stadium in the north, to the historic Olimpico of Rome and Napoli's intimidating Stadio San Paolo in the south, famous footballing grounds can be found seemingly anywhere on the peninsula. 

BERN — Switzerland's professional soccer league (SFL) has proposed compulsory masks for spectators and a ban on travelling fans as a way of allowing more people into stadiums from next season.

The SFL said it believed such measures would allow it to use at least half the existing capacity in each stadium when the new season starts on Sept. 11.

"A return to normal as soon as possible is of central importance for the survival of the clubs," it said in a statement.

If you’re a West Ham fan, you know what it’s like to sit a million lightyears away from the pitch. The London stadium has proven to be … not so viewer friendly. Being so far away from the action means missing a lot of it. 

But, West Ham’s London Stadium is set to become more “football friendly” for the 2020-21 season. Two new stands will be added to the stadium behind the goals. Seats will be moved up to 4 meters closer to the pitch. 

Spain's health minister has expressed doubt about the prospect of spectators returning to soccer matches in September due to the threat of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.

The government's department for sport and organizing body LaLiga had hoped to let fans back into stadiums at a reduced capacity when the new season starts in September, increasing to 50% in November before full capacity returned in January.

BERLIN — Top-flight German soccer club Union Berlin is so keen to see its stadium filled with fans once again that it is prepared to pay for coronavirus tests for all staff and 22,012 season ticket holders so that they can safely pack the stands.

Most of the world's stadiums have been all but empty for months since the advent of the new-style coronavirus forced social distancing regulations that prevented the kinds of giant crowd gatherings that lend soccer games their ambiance.

BERLIN — German soccer fans may be able to return to stadiums to cheer on their heroes in national team and Bundesliga matches soon, the German Football Association (DFB) and the German football league (DFL) said on Friday.

The two bodies are working with health authorities on ways to reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19 at matches as well as on the way to and from the stadium.

MADRID — Four of Spain's largest construction firms are competing for a contract to upgrade soccer club Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, having submitted preliminary offers last week, five sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

Infrastructure heavyweights Ferrovial, Sacyr, FCC and Acciona have each paired up with local companies to bid for the project called "Espai Barça" — or "Barca Space" — the sources said.

One source in the construction sector said the project was worth approximately 300 million euros ($340 million).