The Stadiums which Cancelled Hosting Major Tournaments

 

A several stadiums in the world had to cancel hosting the games in the international major tournaments due to various reasons.

In the major tournaments, all stadiums in the hosting nations would be hoping to be selected to stage the games in the competition. It is not only about the prestige but could also lead to a positive impact on other aspects of tourism, the economy, and culture towards the city or region. However, there have always been strict requirements in advance to reach the standard from the governing bodies, and such might cost a fortune, especially should the city opt to build a brand new stadium instead of renovating the ones available. Unfortunately, the renovation cost itself could be skyrocketing too.

Recently, one of the EURO 2028 hosting venues, Casement Park, the only one located in Northern Ireland, is set to miss out on the chance to host the tournament. The local government appears to have officially announced their decision not to rebuild the currently abandoned football venue in Belfast due to the dramatic rise of its rebuilding cost from 180 million in October 2023,when the UK and Ireland were awarded as the hosts, to 400 million pounds today. They believed that such is rather above the anticipated budget and the renovation will not be able to be completed in time. Northern Ireland has been tipped to consider other venues to replace it, such as Pairc Ui Chaomih in Cork, which could be considered as the potential replacement. Yet, it would need UEFA’s approval.

In the major tournaments history, Casement Park is certainly not the only initial hosting venue but then pulled out. Here are the other stadiums experiencing the same situation without being replaced at all.

Aviva Stadium, Dublin (EURO 2020)

The Republic of Ireland’s so-called national stadium was once excluded for the postponed EURO 2020. They were initially enlisted as the official venue, but the world pandemic ruined every potential excitement in Dublin. When the tournament was finally staged in summer 2021, FAI (Football Association ofIreland) failed to receive any warranty and assurances from the local government to let the fans watch the game live on the spot. The COVID-19 pandemic was the ultimate trigger for such disappointment.

Aviva Stadium was expected to host four games. Three of which were the matches in group E featuring Sweden, Poland, and Slovakia, plus one game in the round of 16 between group D winner and group F runner-up. Since Ireland did not have any replacement stadium, the games in the preliminary round were moved to St. Petersburg, while the match in the knockout stage was held in Wembley instead.

Capacity	51,711 spectators
Built	2007-2010
International and continental notable games	-Europa League final in 2011 (FC Porto vs Braga 1-0) -Europa League final in 2024 (Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen 3-0)

 

Montreal Olympic Stadium (2026 FIFA World Cup)

Montreal has one iconic stadium deserves to host a global event such as FIFA World Cup. Montreal Olympic stadium once hosted the 1976 Olympic Games. No wonder that it was enlisted in one of the three venues in Canada.

Unfortunately, in July 2021, Montreal decided to withdraw from the candidacy due to the huge renovation cost to meet FIFA standards. The local government was not in favour of such risky investment since football is not yet the most popular sport in Canada. Consequently, they would only have two cities left to host the games in the competition, Toronto and Vancouver.

Capacity	61,004 spectators
Built	1973-1976
International and continental notable games	-2007 FIFA U20 World Cup (Poland vs Brazil 1-0 – group stage (USA vs South Korea 1-1 (USA vs Poland 6-1 (Brazil vs South Korea 3-2 (Poland vs South Korea 1-1 (Mexico vs Congo 3-0 – round of 16 (Nigeria vs Chile 0-4 – ¼ final) -French Super Cup 2009 -2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup (8 matches)

Stade de La Meinau, Strasbourg (EURO 2016)

Ahead of EURO 2016 preparation, Strasbourg suffered relegation which put them in financial difficulty to renovate their home base. They even were in total liquidation in 2011 marking their departure from French professional football. Consequently, Stade de La Meinau was excluded from EURO 2016 hosting venues. Its place was eventually taken over by Lens with their main stadium, Stade Bollaert-Deleis.

Capacity	26,109 spectators
Built	1906-1914
International and continental notable games	-1938 FIFA World Cup (Brazil vs Poland 6-5– first round -EURO 1984 (Denmark vs Belgium 3-2 – group stage) (Germany vs Portugal 1-1 – group stage) -1988 Cup Winners Cup Final (KV Mechelen vs Ajax 1-0)

Stade Marcel Picot, Nancy (EURO 2016)

Strasbourg was not the only city which pulled out of the EURO 2016 hosting venue list. Nancy was also forced to withdraw from such rare opportunity to represent the east of France as the club failed to reach agreement with the construction firm for Stade Marcel-Picot’s renovation plan, which was eventually cancelled. It is the home turf of AS Nancy Lorraine, currently playing in the third tier. Unlike the other venues, it has yet to be selected to stage any important games in any major competition at the club or international level.

Capacity	20,087 spectators
Built	1920s
International and continental notable games	-

 Stadiums in Talca, Concepcion, Valdivia, Talcahuano (1962 FIFA World Cup)

Ahead of 1962 FIFA World Cup, the host Chile suffered one of the most powerful earthquake in 1960. Consequently, a number of cities were damaged, including the expected eight hosting cities. In the end only the capital, Santiago, Vina del Mar, Rancagua and Arica managed to rebuild the stadiums and continued staging the matches while Talca, Concepcion, Valdivia and Talcahuano were unable to carry on hosting. In fact, two other cities expected to replace them, Antofagasta and Valparaiso, refused to take part due to their financial situation.

Talca is the homebase for Rangers de Talca, currently playing in the second tier of Chile football system. Its stadium is named Estadion Fiscal de Talca, which could only hold over 16,000 fans. This venue has never been used to stage any continental or international games, except for 1997 FIFA U17 World Cup with seven matches held in there.  

Concepcion has one well-known venue, Estadio Ester Roa. It is the home turf of three sides, Universidad de Concepcion, Deportes de Concepcion and Fernandez Vial.

Capacity	30,448 spectators
Built	1962
International and continental notable games	- 1987 FIFA U20 World Cup (Brazil vs Nigeria 4-0 – group stage (Italy vs Canada2-2 (Brazil vs Italy 0-1 (Nigeria vs Canada 2-2 (Brazil vs Canada 1-0 (Nigeria vs Italy 0-2 (Italy vs Chile 0-1 – ¼ final (Chile vs Germany 0-3 - semifinal -Copa America 1991 (Chile vs Peru 4-2– first round (Argentina vs Paraguay 4-1 -Copa America 2015 (Brazil vs Paraguay 1-1 (3-4)*- ¼ final (Argentina vs Paraguay 6-1 - semifinal (Peru vs Paraguay 2-0 – 3rd place playoff -2015 FIFA U17 World Cup (9 matches)

 Valdivia is the home of Deportes Valdivia, a club in the third tier of their football system. Their stadium, Parque Municipal, has never been used to stage any matches in major competition. Meanwhile, its neighboring city, Talcahuano, which was also severely affected by the earthquake, is the home of two clubs, Naval de Talcahuano and Huachipato. The former is playing in the third tier while the latter is in the top flight. The one whose stadium was enlisted to host the matches in 1962 FIFA World Cup was not Huachipato but Naval. Their stadium, Estadio El Morro is the oldest venue in the country with the capacity of 7000 people. It has never been used for hosting any games at the top level.