A FOURTH-TIER club has been crowned proud owner of “Stadium of the Year” in an incredible poll.
A recent survey – which attracted over 10,000 votes – has revealed the best ground on the planet.
And iconic grounds like Real Madrid’s Bernabeu and River Plate’s iconic Mas Monumental have been left in the dust of a German side’s tiny, bargain of a stadium.
The ad hoc Arena im Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld, which plays host to Carl Zeiss Jena in Germany’s Regionalliga – the fourth tier – has battered the competition to be crowned the world’s best ground.
The stadium holds just 15,432 spectators – around 90,000 FEWER than the soon-to-be-completed revamped Nou Camp.
Despite that, voters of StadiumDB.com‘s poll have bestowed the incredible honour upon the ground, which was built in 1974 and completely renovated in 1995.
The arena – used by Gareth Southgate’s England ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign – earned 15,329 points, narrowly edging out the £1billion, 80,000-seater Bernabeu (15,081 points) – which is set for yet another expansion just one year after it’s latest upgrade.
The £400m, 51,000-seater Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed in Algeria came in third, with the Stade Ali La Pointe – also in the North African nation – ranked fourth, with those grounds the only others in the survey to attract over 10,000 points.
The intimidating Mas Monumental – which hosts 85,000 passionate River Plate fans – was good only for fifth, garnering just shy of 8,000 points.
Atalanta’s Gewiss Stadium was a surprise name in seventh – Europe’s third-top-ranking ground, with no Premier League stadiums making the list.
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That’s despite Tottenham’s £850m home largely being considered one of the best around.
The likes of Anfield, the Emirates and Old Trafford are also big-name snubs, with Wembley also ignored.
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However, Manchester United recently announced plans for a stunning £2bn new home – attracting largely negative reviews from fans.
Yet experts reckon United will go way over budget and say the cornerstone of the plans are unlikely to ever see the light of day.