The final destination for the best of Europe in the 2010-11 Champions League season will be London's Wembley Stadium where the Champions League winner will be crowned.
UEFA Select Wembley Stadium For 2011 Champions League Final
The UEFA Executive Committee announced on January 29, 2009 that London's Wembley Stadium had been selected to host the 2011 UEFA Champions League final.
Wembley Hosts Record Sixth Final
Having earned the nickname Home of Football, Wembley has hosted five European Cup finals - most than any other stadium. Wembley's first final saw AC Milan beat SL Benefica 2-1 in 1963. Manchester United became the first English club to win the competition by knocking off SL Benfica 4-1 in 1968. AFC Ajax Amsterdam claimed their first trophy in 1971 with a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos. In 1978, Liverpool beat Club Brugge KV 1-0 and FC Barcelona took down UC Sampdoria 1-0 in the 1992 final.
Two UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals
Wembley also hosted two UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals. West Ham United beat 1860 Munich 2-0 in the 1965 final while Parma cruised past Royal Antwerp 3-1 in 1993.
Other Famous Events
The original Wembley stadium, which was actually called Empire stadium, also hosted numerous other famous events. It was the host of the UEFA Euro 1996 final as well the 1966 World Cup final where England won 4-2. It was also the main athletics venue for the 1948 Summer Olympics. Before that, the stadium hosted its first FA Cup final in 1923, when some 200,000 people watched Bolton Wanderers FC defeat West Ham United FC 2-0. The game became known as the "White Horse" final since a mounted policeman took to the pitch to keep fans at bay. A number of musical acts have also played concerts at Wembley. Michael Jackson played more than any other - 15 times.
Redevelopment Of Wembley
The original Wembley was officially opened in 1924 as part of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of World War I. The stadium was closed in October 2000 and was demolished in 2003 for redevelopment. The famous twin towers have made way for a majestic arch over the new stadium, which re-opened in 2007 and has a seated capacity of 90,000.
1 Billion Pounds
The total cost of the project with local transport infrastructure redevelopment and the cost of financing was an estimated to be 1 billion pounds - nearly 2 billion dollars.
Retractable Roof
The stadium's 6,350 ton roof covers an area of more than 11 acres. Of that, 4 acres are movable and rise 170 feet above the field. The roof is retractable but not fully retractable since it cannot cover the playing surface in inclement weather.
Wembley Arch
The arch high above the stadium has a span of 1040 feet, making it the longest single span roof structure in the world. It hovers 440 feet above the external concourse level and was designed to not cast a shadow on the field.
