FIFA Stadium Guidelines set global benchmark for football stadiums

The latest Football Stadium Guidelines set out the best standards in venue design and innovation that can be applied to football stadium developments anywhere in the world, at any level – whether the venue is large or small, in the city centre or out of town, multi-use or football-only, new or refurbished.

Emphasis is placed on the idea that each stadium project is unique and needs to be sensitive to local cultural factors, intended use and available resource – and that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work.

Sustainability is a key theme, whether that be environmental, social or economic, and the guidelines stress that stadiums should be designed and built for the ongoing needs of communities rather than one-off events. FIFA has also shown how the application of the guidelines can contribute towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, with measures to mitigate against climate change having been added, as well as a case study on waste management using a FIFA World Cup 26™ venue.

In this updated edition, the additional chapter on training grounds underlines the attention to the infrastructure offered to teams and players to prepare for their matches on a daily basis. The fact that FIFA is expanding the publication to include two additional languages – French and Spanish – reinforces the commitment to the development of football on a global scale.

Designed as a digital product which can be accessed on Inside FIFA, the guidelines can be used by:

• FIFA confederations and Member Associations
• Club organisations
• Stakeholders in new stadium and training site projects such as municipal authorities, owners and architects
• Owners and operators of existing stadium and training site projects
• Licensing authorities and key suppliers to the stadium industry

FIFA’s previous technical recommendations and requirements for stadiums were last published in 2011 and focused on large stadiums for major events. That was changed for the next edition, published in 2022, which covered stadiums of various sizes.

Sustainable Development Goals

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