World Cup 2026: What’s the best World Cup stadium? BBC Sport experts have their say

Lumen Field is the stadium that really took my breath away – and my word, it is loud.

So loud, in fact, that it has made the Guinness Book of World Records twice for its noise levels, thanks to its horseshoe shaped design, which keeps much of the sound inside the stadium – although I can personally attest that you can hear the roar from a 25-minute walk away too!

The north stand section is particularly striking: it juts up like the bow of a ship on a wave’s crest, and the open sky on both sides of the seating area yields a stunning view of the Seattle skyline.

Inside, the stadium concourses are cavernous – and yet, even when they are empty, they still manage to exude character and heritage, whether through the rows of jerseys that denote famous artists who have played Lumen Field (including Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran), or through the Seattle Seahawks Wall of Legends.