100,000-seater stadium with £1.2billion design left to rot after plans shelved

A 100,000 capacity stadium which was set to surpass Wembley and the Nou Camp never came to fruition despite work commencing on a £1.2 billion design.

Back in 2020, in China, work began on a mammoth project which intended to build one of the world's biggest stadium.

Guangzhou FC were set to be the owners of the arena amid a period of dominance in the Chinese Super League.

The team, who previously went by Guangzhou Evergrande, won eight titles in nine seasons and also lifted the AFC Champions League on two occasions.

Their mangers in that period included Marcello Lippi, Fabio Cannavaro and Luiz Felipe Scolari, while Paulinho, Robinho, Demba Ba, Alberto Gilardino, Jackson Martinez, Asamoah Gyan and Dario Conca were among the stars to earn big money playing for the club while they were owned by the wealthy real estate group.

The stadium was set to be 100,000 capacity but was left half-complete for two years. Image: Getty

The team played their home games three different grounds but in April 2020, the ambitious plans for their new home were released.

The three-tier stadium was poised to feature a stunning lotus flower design which could change colour as a nod to the famous flower markets in Guangzhou, as well as a total of 184 hospitality boxes.

The plan was for it to be completed by December 2022, with the stadium in the frame for the 2022 Club World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup tournaments.

"Evergrande Stadium will become a new world-class landmark comparable to the Sydney Opera House and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and an important symbol of Chinese football to the world," Xia Haijun, president of the Evergrande property firm said.

"We hope the stadium will host the opening ceremony of the 2023 Asian Cup."

What happened to Guangzhou FC?

Things did not go to plan, however, It was reported Evergrande Group owed a whopping £220 billion and eventually the Chinese government intervened and seized the stadium, as per talkSPORT.

It meant that for almost two years, the stadium was left abandoned - with cranes and scaffolding present at the incomplete site.

The team who were set to play at the stadium no longer exits. Image: Getty

Huge debts racked up and though the company attempted to sell the stadium, a downwards spiral saw the club enter bankruptcy and suffer relegation in 2022.

At one stage their new home ground, the Yuexiushan Stadium, only had a capacity of 18,000 and after the 2024 season, failure to pay significant debts led to the club dissolving.

The club were banned from competition by the Chinese FA in January 2025 and a request to return to professional football was rejected.

But while Guangzhou as a club has disbanded, the stadium could yet still be opened in the near future.

The Guangzhou City Construction Investment Group, owned by the state, were handed the keys to the project and restarted in construction in 2024.

The project has been downscaled though, with a more traditional 73,000 stadium in the works and costing much less at around £253 million.

According to the Daily Star, it is hoped that the stadium will be built by 2026.