World's most expensive stadium with largest videoboard unveiled in Los Angeles - in pictures

SoFi Stadium, home of Rams and Charges, built at a cost of $5.5 billion

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When the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles opens its doors on Sunday, it will have many firsts up its sleeve.

The opulent new home of National Football League (NFL) teams Los Angeles Rams and Chargers will host the 2022 Super Bowl and the opening ceremonies of the 2028 Olympics.

The SoFi Stadium is the brainchild of Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Built at a cost of $5.5 billion (Dh20bn), it is the most expensive stadium in the world, and entirely privately financed.

The stadium has a seating capacity of 70,000, which can be expanded to 100,000 when needed. It will also feature 260 luxury suites and 13,000 premium seats.

The crown jewel of the breathtaking venue is the videoboard that hangs 122 feet above the playing field.

Keeping up with other striking numbers of the stadium, the videoboard is the largest ever created, with 70,000 square feet of digital LED space. It is also the first and only board that is capable of 4k video from end to end.

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Largest sports stadiums in the world

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“Everyone was interested in taking it to the next level. It is connected to the architecture and allows us to create this canvas for digital immersion,” Lance Evans, the stadium’s main architect from design firm HKS, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

“The way that the videoboard interacts as you walk around the venue is the beautiful piece of the design. You always feel like you are connected to it but it doesn’t scream for your attention."

When the audiences come back, fans will get to enjoy their suites that start at an eye-watering $17,000, which include 32 tickets to the game and $2,500 in food credit.

SoFi, NFL’s biggest stadium, is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood and is designed to capture breeze from the Pacific Ocean, 10 kilometres away. The clear plastic roof blocks the sun’s rays and panels can be opened to release hot air, keeping the venue four degrees cooler than the outside.

Fans can walk from the parking lot almost directly into the fifth level of the arena. Construction workers dug up over 7 million cubic yards of dirt to build an arena that sits 100 feet below grade.

Los Angeles Rams will unveil their showpiece stadium on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.