Featured image credit: Courtesy of Wembley Stadium/ The FA
Wembley Stadium welcomed more than 2.6 million people in 2022, in what was a record-breaking year for the venue.
The London stadium hosted 35 events over the last year, including major football finals, heavyweight boxing bouts, a National Football League (NFL) game and sold-out concerts.
Some of the record-breaking crowds include the 94,000-strong attendance that watched Tyson Fury take on Dillian Whyte in a World Heavyweight Championship fight in April. This was the biggest ever crowd in British boxing history.
The Women’s FA Cup final in May also attracted a record attendance of 49,094 and 87,112 people watched the Finalissima match between Argentina and Italy on June 1.
A record for any Euro final – men’s or women’s – and a record figure for the UEFA Women’s Euro were set at the Euro 2022 final between England and Germany. Some 87,192 witnessed England beat Germany to lift the trophy in July.
British band Coldplay attracted 450,000 people across six shows in August, which is the longest-ever residency for a rock act at Wembley – though they are tied with the Rolling Stones.
The allure of NFL on British soil attracted 86,215 spectators, the highest attendance ever recorded for an international NFL fixture in the UK. The crowd watched Denver Broncos beat Jacksonville Jaguars in a packed Wembley in October.
Artists Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles also performed across multiple nights at Wembley. In total, the stadium hosted 16 major sell-out music concerts with just over 1.3 million attending across a busy summer schedule.
This year also saw Wembley host the most entertainment gigs it has ever hosted in one year, with the previous record amounting to 14 concert nights, set in 2019.
Stadium director Liam Boylan said: “After almost two years of relative inactivity, it was great to put on major events and see large crowds return once again. Wembley has always been the place for the big occasion, and to not be able to do that, to create those history defining moments, was difficult.
“The post-COVID world was a new era for us all and there was a nervousness going into the start of the new year. We just didn’t know what to expect for big events.
“That is why it was so gratifying to bounce back in such style. This year, more than most, has just been exceptional. We are delighted to have set new attendance records for Women’s Euros, boxing and NFL games and create those magical moments that will go down in history once again.”
Boylan added: “Seeing an England team capture its first major trophy in over 56 years was undoubtedly a highlight, but with over 2.6 million visitors through our doors for all our events, I am sure each and every person who visited Wembley this year will have their own special memory.”
England’s national stadium is also set to celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Wembley first opened its doors on Saturday April 28th 1923 for that year’s FA Cup Final. The original Wembley was demolished in the early 2000s and its successor was built on the same site, before opening in 2007.
The stadium is set to mark the anniversary with planned events and celebrations next year.
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