Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London, England, which is currently being rebuilt. It stands opposite Wembley Arena, at grid reference {{gbmappingsmall|TQ193854}}.

Football

The first event held at the stadium was the FA Cup final of 1923 between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. This is known as the White Horse Final. With an official maximum capacity of 127,000, the attendance was quoted as 126,947 but up to 200,000 people are thought to have squeezed in. It was thought that the match would be postponed until mounted police, including Police Constable George Scorey and his white horse, Billie, slowly pushed the masses back to the sides of the field of play for the FA Cup Final to start. Because of that, when the stadium reopens for the 2006 FA Cup final on 13 May, the new footbridge will be known as the "White Horse Bridge" in honor of Billie.

Related Topics:
FA Cup - 1923 - Bolton Wanderers - West Ham United - White Horse Final - 2006 - 13 May

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The FA Cup final was played there every year in May (outside wartime) until 2000. It was also the venue for Finals of the FA Amateur Cup, League Cup, Associate Members' Cup and the Football League promotion play-offs.

Related Topics:
2000 - FA Amateur Cup - League Cup - Associate Members' Cup - Football League - Play-offs

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As the home of the English national football team, in 1966 it was the leading venue of the World Cup and hosted the final game.

Related Topics:
English national football team - 1966 - World Cup - Final

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In all, it has hosted 5 European Cup finals, including the 1963 final between AC Milan and Benfica, and the 1968 final between Manchester United and Benfica. In 1971 it again hosted the final, between Ajax and Panathinaikos, and once more in 1978, this time between Liverpool and Club Brugge. The last such occasion was in 1992, when Barcelona played Sampdoria. The FA unsuccessfully bid for the redeveloped Wembley to host the 2007 final.

Related Topics:
European Cup - 1963 - AC Milan - Benfica - 1968 - Manchester United - 1971 - Ajax - Panathinaikos - 1978 - Liverpool - Club Brugge - 1992 - Barcelona - Sampdoria - 2007

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In 1996 it hosted the final of {{Ec|96}}, as well as all of England's matches in that tournament.

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Of Wembley Stadium, Pelé said "Wembley is the church of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football" in recognition of its status as the world's most well-known football stadium.

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