Find out who owns the Wembley Stadium, the teams using it, and how it was funded throughout the construction phase and the daily operations of the facilities.
Wembley Stadium is arguably the biggest stadium and the national home ground for almost every major football final in English football over the years.
The stadium has maintained a high reputation for its stunning infrastructure and organisation, making it one of the heavily funded sports stadiums in Europe. How is it funded and maintained?
Who owns Wembley Stadium?
The Wembley Stadium, England's national football stadium, is owned by the Football Association, which operates the infrastructure as the Wembley National Stadium Limited.
The FA administrative office is also headquartered at Wembley Stadium.
Who funds the Wembley Stadium?
According to Wikipedia, the construction of Wembley Stadium was funded by Sport England, Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL), the Football Association, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and the London Development Agency.
The stadium was built at a cost of £789 million. It has a seating capacity of 90,000.
Who uses Wembley Stadium, and what are the teams and games held there?
The Wembley Stadium has been used for various sporting activities, including association football, rugby, wrestling, boxing, etc. Here's a detailed list of who uses the Wembley Stadium.
Association Football
Football is the main sport that is regularly played on the Wembley pitch since it was built and opened in 2007.
England National Football Team
The stadium serves as home ground for the England National Football Team, which includes the men's and women's teams.
Games that are held at Wembley include the UEFA Nations League, World Cup qualifiers, Euro qualifiers, and high-profile friendlies involving the men's and women's teams. The national teams have continued to adopt the ground since it was opened in 2007 as the national stadium of England.
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup is the biggest national cup competition final that is held at Wembley.
It has been played at Wembley since the times of the original Wembley Stadium, which was closed in 2002, that paved the way for the new Wembley Stadium.
The FA Cup is organised by the Football Association of England and is regarded as one of the most attended domestic football matches globally.
EFL Cup
The second major football trophy and the first of the season is the English Football League (EFL) Cup. It is played at Wembley.
The EFL Cup is one of the biggest football trophies in English football and has continued to be dominated by the biggest teams in the country.
FA Community Shield
The FA Community Shield is the curtain-raiser match that is also played at Wembley. It is often contested by the winner of the Premier League against the FA Cup. It is known for drawing the attention of football fans across the country.
FA Vase and FA Trophy
The FA Vase is played by teams in levels 5 and 6 of the English National Football League system.
The FA Trophy, on the other hand, is a cup competition like the EFL Cup, which is contested by teams from levels 1–4 of the National League System or 5–8 of the English Football League system.
Promotion Playoffs
The Wembley Stadium continues to host the promotion playoff matches for the EFL Championship, League One, League Two, and National League.
Women's FA Cup Final
The Women's FA Cup Final is played at the Wembley Stadium.
Women's FA Community Shield
Another football game that is played at Wembley is the Women's FA Community Shield curtain raiser for women's football in England.
International Football Competitions and Finals
Wembley is a UEFA category four stadium, making it an ideal ground for major continental finals. It has hosted the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Women's Euro 2022.
Rugby Football
Challenge Cup (Rugby Football League)
The Rugby Football League's Challenge Cup Final is held at Wembley, as it is often referred to as the traditional home of the trophy.
Women's Challenge Cup
Some of the finals of the Women's Challenge Cup rugby football league finals have been held at Wembley, including the 2023 and 2024 editions.
Rugby Union
2015 Rugby World Cup
The Wembley was one of the venues during the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
National Football League (NFL)
The NFL London Games is often played at Wembley Stadium, beginning with the 2007 edition, which featured the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. It has contributed to the host majority of the NFL London Games.
Boxing
Boxing is the next sport that is regularly played at Wembley. Some big events include the WBA and IBF super middleweight titles.
Others are the WBA (Super), IBF heavyweight championship, WBO heavyweight, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight fight.
Professional Wrestling
The All In London pro wrestling series was held at Wembley Stadium in 2023 and was promoted by All Elite Wrestling. The AEW World Championship was also held at the stadium.
Music
Music and concerts are some of the biggest non-sporting activities that are held at Wembley today. These events have been known to draw a significant number of audiences.
Over the years the venue has continued to host some of the biggest international actors and musicians, from North America to Europe.