Guangzhou on track with 100,000-seater stadium, concept video shows its stunning features

Chinese Super League (CSL) side Guangzhou Evergrande began construction of their new 100,000-capacity Guangzhou Stadium on Thursday. The Guangzhou Stadium is expected to be marginally bigger than Barcelona's Camp Nou and is projected to cost around ¥12 billion ($1.7 billion). The construction for the stadium is set to be completed in 2020, which will make it one of the largest stadiums in the world.

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Rungrado 1st May Stadium in Rungra Island, North Korea is currently the biggest stadium in the world with a capacity of 114,000. The Guangzhou Stadium will still be one of the most stunning stadiums in the world, at least according to the several concept images and videos leaked on social media. According to reports, the stadium will have an outlandish lotus flower design wrapped around it. The lotus will be a nod to Guangzhou being widely known as the 'Flower City' of China. The lotus flower exterior is designed by Shanghai-based designer Hasan Syed and is believed to be inspired by an initial concept from Evergrande Group chairman Xu Jiayin. 

Along with 100,000 seats, the massive stadium will house a whopping 168 VIP boxes. Camp Nou has a capacity of 99,354 while the Santiago Bernabeu has a capacity of just over 81,000. Manchester United's home stadium Old Trafford has a capacity of 76,000 while Wembley is a 90,000-seater stadium. The Guangzhou Stadium, therefore, will considerably go over and above the seating capacities of Camp Nou and Old Trafford.

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Guangzhou Evergrande's new stunning stadium: Concept video

The fate of the CSL 2020 season still remains unknown after the pandemic coronavirus forced China into lockdown for much of 2020. With life in China slowly getting back to normal, it is reported CSL 2020, which was scheduled to begin in February, will soon commence in the nation.

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China is reportedly making some key decisions in order to promote football in the country. Building eye-catching stadiums is believed to be one way the country is trying to improve the popularity of football in the country as well as boosting the stocks of CSL in the global football community. Guangzhou Evergrande's CSL rivals Shanghai SIPG are also constructing a new arena that will seat 33,000 and is expected to be finished in 2021. Meanwhile, China will host the revamped version of the FIFA Club World Cup which was scheduled for 2021. They will also be hosting the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

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