Four reasons the World Cup final stadium is not fit for purpose

Consider the World Cup’s other stadiums.

As soon as you enter Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, you feel like you are in a Jackson Pollock fever dream. The home of the Dallas Cowboys appears to have landed in Arlington from outer space. The inspiration behind it? Not the Maracanã nor Wembley, but the Pyramids of Giza.

Houston boasts a behemoth of a sporting structure to be proud of. Seattle’s World Cup venue oozes charm. Inside Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, your jaw rarely leaves the floor. It’s the sensation designers of Manchester United’s new ground are desperate to replicate.

The New York-New Jersey Stadium – just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it – needs a rebranding, from MetLife to MehLife. Given its competition in the US, it is not fit to host the greatest sporting spectacle of all on 19 July.

The location