Stadiums

A record National Women's Soccer League crowd is expected to be on hand Sept. 17 when the San Diego Wave host Angel City FC in a battle of expansion teams.

The Wave said more than 32,000 tickets have been sold for the game, which will be the team's first at the new Snapdragon Stadium. The venue will host its first sporting event on Saturday when San Diego State's football team plays Arizona.

The NWSL attendance record of 25,218 was set in 2019 at Providence Park in Portland when the Thorns hosted the North Carolina Courage.

A congratulations is in order to the people of Harrison, New Jersey, who'll likely be counted among the last to have witnessed one of the final live performances of Lionel Messi in an Argentina jersey.

Organizers have sold 2.45 million tickets for this year's World Cup in Qatar, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Thursday, with more than half a million of them sold in the last sales period from July 5-16.

FIFA said the biggest number of allocated tickets were for group stage matches like Cameroon vs. Brazil, Brazil vs. Serbia, Portugal vs. Uruguay, Costa Rica vs. Germany and Australia vs. Denmark.

An electric crowd of 30,000 at sunbathed City Ground roared its charmed Nottingham Forest side to a 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday afternoon in the first Premier League match at the stadium in 23 years.

The buzz around Forest's first season back in the English top flight since 1998-99 has centered on the club's summer expenditure of $113 million, and after a disjointed opening day defeat away to Newcastle, Steve Cooper's new additions were the heroes in front of their home supporters today.

Lorenzo Insigne scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute and host Toronto FC ended the Portland Timbers' unbeaten run with a 3-1 win on Saturday.

Toronto (8-12-5, 29 points) improved to 3-0-1 in its past four games. Portland (7-7-12, 33 points) had been on a 4-0-6 run since its last defeat back on May 28, against Inter Miami.

Following Manchester United’s dismal opening-day defeat at home to Brighton, United’s fans have made their frustration and anger known online. For quite some time the fanbase has been upset with the club's ownership, but a recent movement on Twitter is hoping to use social media to send a public message. 

It has to happen. #EmptyOldTrafford pic.twitter.com/sIEK6EBTE3

As the Premier League began its 2022-23 season to much fanfare on Friday evening in London, an Arsenal banner flying over Selhurst Park reminded fans of the darker side of top-level sports. 

Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 in the opening match of the Premier League season on Friday. As the match began, a plane carrying a large banner flew over the stadium, calling for rapists to be kicked off the pitch.

The Premier League kicks off this weekend as Crystal Palace hosts Arsenal at Selhurst Park, a modest yet perfect example of what soccer stadiums should and can be. With so many teams, and especially the giants, boasting opulent cathedrals of sport, it's only necessary to determine which are the biggest for the 2022-23 season.