Top 10: Soccer Stadiums

In North America, most sports fans show their loyalty to a favorite hockey or football team by wearing their jersey, or simply staying in the know when it comes to their ranking or the status of their players. In other parts of the globe, where soccer reigns supreme, fans may take more extreme measures in expressing their allegiance to a particular club.

For instance, a follower of Manchester United might choose to display his enthusiasm by bopping a fan of the opposition on the head with a beer bottle, or smacking him across the face with a plank of wood. Likewise, a young Colombian lad, eager to see his national team progress far in the World Cup tournament, may demonstrate his disappointment at their failure to do so by singling out a player, tracking him down at a nightclub, and causing him bodily harm.

Granted, I am generalizing a bit here, and do acknowledge that not all soccer fans are lunatics and, on the same note, that there is the occasional questionable psyche lurking in the stands at a hockey or football game. Nonetheless, one can't shake the feeling that overseas, sports -- and soccer in particular -- are somehow bigger. Followings seem more intense, match analyses seem more minutely detailed, and teams seem more intertwined with local and even national identities.

And, in keeping with this apparent trend, stadiums overseas seem to be a hell of a lot bigger. And they are; the world's three largest are located outside North America, with North Korea, Brazil and India taking the medals. While North Americans stare slack-jawed in awe at our measly 30,000 person capacity tool sheds -- well, at least I do -- your average Brazilian will stroll into a stadium three times the size expecting nothing less.

Seeing as there are so many enormous stadiums scattered across the world, I had to take more than size into account when honing them down to a Top Ten list. Judgments were not made on the basis of any strict criteria, but rather, I took into account whatever unique characteristic each venue brought to the table, whether it be historical significance, architectural beauty, or technological wizardry. So, without further ado, let the games begin.

Number 10

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
With Mexico acting as the host country for both the 1970 and the 1986 World Cup tournaments, the Azteca stadium has seen its fair share of memorable games. The 1970 World Cup Final is remembered by many as perhaps the greatest final game ever, as Pele led Brazil to a 4-1 defeat of Italy in his last international appearance ever. And the 1986 final wasn't too shoddy either, as Diego Maradona put on one of the best professional performances of his career in an Argentina victory over Germany.

History aside, this place is worth checking out for its atmosphere alone. The Azteca fans (this stadium can hold just over 100,000 of them) are notorious for their rabidity, and opposing national teams dread having to play before them. If you see someone wearing an opposing squad's jersey inside, take a photo of them: you'll be immortalizing both a rare sight and an endangered species.

Number 9

Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain
Its construction completed in 1957 at the then-outrageous cost of nearly $3 million, Nou Camp remains the biggest soccer stadium in Europe, with a capacity of 98,000 occupants. And were it not for the recent legislation of UEFA regulations dictating that stadia have seating room for all visitors, the building would have been larger still -- before UEFA stepped in, the building's capacity had been increased to 120,000 in preparation for hosting the 1982 World Cup.

Home to FC Barcelona, Nou Camp has been credited with strengthening the local identity of their Catalan fans. As such, this place has been the site of more than a few rather intense matches, where a lot more than division standings seemed to be on the line.

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