Santiago Bernabéu

Under the current pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu lies a hypogeum roughly thirty metres deep, climate-controlled and lit for photosynthesis. Swapping the surface takes about six hours and costs some €300,000, and the club needs a full day's notice before it can be done.

The stadium opened in December 1947 as the Nuevo Estadio Chamartín, replacing the old Chamartín ground where Real Madrid had played since the 1920s. Its record crowd dates back further than most: 129,690 for a European Cup tie against Milan in April 1956.

Work ahead of the 1982 World Cup cut capacity from over 100,000 to under 91,000 to satisfy FIFA's seating requirements. The most recent rebuild, running from 2019 to 2024, went further still — a retractable roof, a 360-degree screen and a pitch that can be withdrawn entirely, at a final cost that climbed past €1.7 billion.