Stadiums

NYON, Switzerland - Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday, in what they hailed as an act of European solidarity.

They said the decision, announced at a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, had the full support of European soccer's governing body and also of the Spanish, Portuguese and Ukrainian governments.

"Our bid is not an Iberian bid anymore, it's a European bid," Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, said. 

Saturday night's soccer stadium disaster in Indonesia was one of the world's worst such incidents. Here is a look at some of the worst soccer stadium disasters over the last 40 years:

Back in March, Charlotte FC set the MLS attendance record when 74,479 showed up at Bank of America Stadium for the club's inaugural home match against LA Galaxy. Now the visitors are looking to bring the record back home with a 2023 El Tráfico of LA Galaxy vs LAFC at the Rose Bowl (capacity: 88,565).

Oh, and it's the season opener.

Leicester City's King Power Stadium, which opened in 2002 and became world-renowned as boisterous crowds of over 32,000 roared the Foxes to an impossible 2015-16 Premier League title, has been given the green light by city council to construct an entirely new East Stand.

When you see photos of the ground, you're usually given a view of the 7,000-seat West Stand facing the River Soar.

MUNICH - Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández laughed off the notion that playing at Bayern Munich is like visiting the "house of horrors" ahead of Tuesday's mouthwatering Champions League Group C clash.

They met in last season's group stage, with the Germans twice winning 3-0, although Barça are now a very different side and spearheaded by striker Robert Lewandowski, who moved to the Nou Camp from the Bavarians in the close season.

DOHA - "Stop! Can't you see the metro station is full? Stop!" a frazzled supervisor shouted as green-vested marshals linked arms to contain thousands of fans streaming from the stadium that will host soccer's World Cup final in Qatar.

It was after midnight on Friday and, for hours, nearly 78,000 people had been filing out of the stadium after a near-capacity match tested the small Gulf state's readiness for the tournament, which kicks off on Nov. 20.

A record National Women's Soccer League crowd is expected to be on hand Sept. 17 when the San Diego Wave host Angel City FC in a battle of expansion teams.

The Wave said more than 32,000 tickets have been sold for the game, which will be the team's first at the new Snapdragon Stadium. The venue will host its first sporting event on Saturday when San Diego State's football team plays Arizona.

The NWSL attendance record of 25,218 was set in 2019 at Providence Park in Portland when the Thorns hosted the North Carolina Courage.

A congratulations is in order to the people of Harrison, New Jersey, who'll likely be counted among the last to have witnessed one of the final live performances of Lionel Messi in an Argentina jersey.