Spain
Estadio Mestalla
Estadio Mestalla is a football stadium in Valencia. The stadium is the home ground of football giants Valencia CF. With a capacity of 55 000 seats, it is one of the largest stadiums in Spain. It is also renowned for its steep terracing and being one of the most intimidating atmospheres in all of Europe to play at. In May 1923, the pitch was inaugurated with a friendly match that brought Valencia CF and Levante UD face to face. It was the beginning of a new era that meant farewell to the old place. A long history has treaded on the field since its very beginning, when the Valencia CF team was not yet in the Primera División. Back then, the stadium could hold 17 000 spectators, and in that time the club started to show its potential in regional championships. The stadium's total capacity increased to 25 000 before it became severely damaged during the Civil War. Estadio Mestalla was used as a concentration camp and junk warehouse. It would only keep its structure, since the rest was a lonely plot of land with no terraces and a stand broken during the war. Once the Valencian pitch was renovated, Valencia CF managed to bring home their first title, the 1941 Cup. Estadio Mestalla was chosen as the perfect setting for the debut of Spain in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
