The Stadio Sant'Elia in Sardinia, which hosted England's three group matches during the 1990 World Cup, has been abandoned and left to decay. The stadium, once home to Italian club Cagliari, has fallen into disrepair since the team relocated to the smaller Unipol Domus in 2017.
England's 1990 World Cup Venue
England played all their group stage matches at the Stadio Sant'Elia during the 1990 World Cup, where they won only one of three games. Despite this, the team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since winning the tournament in 1966. Some reports suggest England were placed on the island to curb hooliganism during the event.
Decline and Abandonment
The stadium continued to host domestic matches until 2017, when Cagliari moved out due to safety concerns. Earlier in the 2010s, electrical issues forced the club to temporarily leave. Former club president Massimo Cellino stated: "One of our staff was almost electrocuted a while ago and he risked death. The truth is you risk your life in there. In that stadium even the most basic safety situations are absent." Since then, the Stadio Sant'Elia has been declared unfit for use and left abandoned.
Failed Renovation Plans
Plans for a new stadium in Cagliari were proposed in the late 2000s but were rejected by the local council. After returning to the Stadio Sant'Elia in 2014, the club announced a renovation plan to expand capacity to 18,000, but it never materialised. More recently, plans for another new stadium were drawn up, with an original completion date of the 2025/26 season, but construction has not yet begun.
