Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is Milan’s great football stadium, also known as San Siro, home ground for AC Milan and Inter Milan. Its capacity is 75,817, making it Italy’s largest stadium; its nickname, “La Scala del calcio,” compares the experience of attending a match with visiting Milan’s famous opera house. The stadium was designed by architect Ulisse Stacchini, and construction began in 1925.

It opened on 19 September 1926, when Inter defeated Milan 6–3 before 35,000 spectators. In 1947, Inter joined Milan here permanently, creating the shared setting for the Derby della Madonnina. The stadium bears the name of Giuseppe Meazza, the Milanese footballer who won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938 and played for Inter during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.

Look at the sweeping concrete access ramps and the towering tiers: they express the stadium’s successive expansions, including the elevated ring built during the 1950s and the further tier added for the 1990 World Cup renovation. This is also a stage for major occasions: it hosted matches at the 1934 and 1990 World Cups, four European Cup or Champions League finals, and the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Its future is expected to end with demolition in 2031 or 2032, after a replacement stadium is built.