February 28, 2023 at 9:10 PM by Dridi Amichi
To be more and more competitive, football clubs do not hesitate to build new stadiums. The goal is, most of the time, to increase the number of places available in order to generate more income. The specialized media Finance Football has realised a ranking of the most expensive football stadiums in Europe. OL and LOSC respectively occupy second and fifth place in the top 10.
OL, second most expensive football stadium in Europe with Groupama Stadium
For Jean Michel Aulas, the Groupama Stadium, which was inaugurated in January 2016, is the culmination of a professional life. Through this 59,186-seat stadium, the president of the Rhone club wanted to grow the Les Gones project and compete with the biggest in Europe, by generating more revenue, via ticketing. Last season, it brought in 36 million euros for Olympique Lyonnais. To own this state-of-the-art setting, OL and its president have given themselves the means, since the construction of the setting cost 480 million euros.
LOSC, fifth in the standings
Opened in 2012, the Pierre Mauroy stadium (now Decathlon Arena), capable of accommodating 50,000 seats, is very modern. It is one of the most expensive settings in Europe, since the Métropole de Lille and its partners have nevertheless invested 324 million euros to build it. Over the 2021-2022 season, ticketing enabled LOSC to earn 16.875 million euros. The Mastiffs have, by the way, made a profit of more than 22 million euros during the previous financial year.
Four French stadiums in the top 10
In addition to OL and its Groupama Stadium and LOSC with the Pierre Mauroy stadium, there is also the Allianz Riviera of OGC Nice, opened in 2013, as well as the Matmut Atlantique of the Girondins de Bordeaux, inaugurated in 2015. France is the most represented country in this top 10. If so many stadiums have been built – or renovated – in France in recent years, it is because of Euro 2016, which the country hosted. Like what was done in 1998, during the World Cup, French clubs wanted to invest in their stadiums, giving them a more modern look. For this, most of them took as a model Germany, known for its beautiful sports arenas.
Tottenham, a stadium worth more than a billion euros
When it comes to making a profit by spending money, English clubs are never far away. At the top of this ranking is Tottenham. Spurs have spent 1.1 billion euros to build the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in April 2019. The 62,062-square-foot enclosure is topped by a golden rooster – which is the club’s symbol – and has a flagship of 2000 square meters. Enough to allow supporters to spend their money.
The 10 most expensive stadiums in Europe
10. Girondins de Bordeaux (France)=€183m
9. Schalke 04 (Germany)=€191m
8. Athletic Bilbao (Espagne)=211 M€
7. Düsseldorf (Germany)=€240m
6. OGC Nice (France)=250 M€
5. LOSC (France)=€324m
4. Bayern Munich (Germany)=€340m
3. Arsenal (Angleterre) =457 M€
2. OL (France)=480 M€
1. Tottenham (England)=€1.1 billion
