One day to go: reliving a century of World Cup stadiums

One day remains until the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and fans are already dreaming of the stage. To mark the occasion, we travel back through a century of iconic finals venues, recalling the stadiums every footballer hopes to grace at least once. The journey begins in 1930 at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, the inaugural World Cup venue captured in a Keystone photograph. Four years later the 1934 final unfolded at Rome’s Estadio Torino, again documented by Keystone. The 1938 showdown took place in France’s Olympic Stadium in Colombes, with a Keystone image preserving its historic atmosphere.

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In 1950 the tournament moved to Brazil’s Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, a scene recorded by STAFF in 2011 and AFP archives. Switzerland hosted the 1954 final at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, a picture supplied by Bongarts and Getty Images. Sweden’s Rasunda Stadium in Solna saw the 1958 final, its view supplied by STAFF.

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Chile’s National Stadium in Santiago welcomed the 1962 final, captured once more by Keystone. England’s Wembley in London staged the 1966 final, with a photograph by George Freston.