England fans heading to the Dallas Stadium for Wednesday's match against Croatia will be stunned by its sheer scale - but are warned: "Bring no handguns."
Stadium Grandeur
The stadium where England will play their first World Cup match is so impressive it's been dubbed "The Palace in Dallas." As the Three Lions supporters flood into north Texas in the next 24 hours, they will be stunned by the sheer grandeur of the stadium - which is usually home to the NFL team the Dallas Cowboys.
It cost more than £1billion to build and houses one of the largest video screens in the world. The high-definition HDTV screen is so large it spans from one penalty box to the other. The ground is so huge that the Statue of Liberty could stand on the half way line and her torch would not touch the retractable roof. The massive domed retractable roof can open or close in just 12 minutes. Since it is technically considered a closed space when the roof is closed, it holds the title of the world's "largest air-conditioned room."
Match Day Experience
There is set to be an 80,000 sell-out for England's first group match. One England fan who attended the Holland v Japan match on Sunday said simply: "It makes Wembley pale into comparison."
Construction required 200,000 cubic yards of cast-in-place concrete and 22,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel. At the time it was built, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said: "We wanted to build something that would make people say: 'wow'." One of the first visiting American football players said: "It's like a space station touched down in North Texas."
It is famously one of the largest, most technologically advanced sports facilities in the world. It is usually called the AT&T stadium, but it has been rebranded as the Dallas stadium for the duration of the tournament.
Controversy and Fan Warnings
But its building was not without controversy - some people were forced to sell their houses against their wishes. Demolition of houses included homes that the city had seized from residents who wanted to keep their house and refused to sell. One resident described the negotiation for his home as "...giving me pennies and telling me to get out."
Liverpool fan Ben Laing, from Croxteth, Liverpool was sitting in section 422 for the Netherlands v Japan match. He said: "The stadium is so impressive. It's amazing the video screen is so huge - I've never seen anything like it. It makes Wembley pale into comparison."
As fans walked into the stadium, they were warned that they cannot bring in a "handgun that is carried openly" or "with a concealed handgun." American Eric Castillo, 36, said: "I know you won't have these sort of signs in England but guns are a problem here in Texas."
Costs and Amenities
There are hundreds of bars and restaurants spread out across the concourses, but it's not going to be cheap for fans. A pint of beer will set you back £13.85 while 'American beer' costs £11.95. Even non-alcoholic beer is £12.70. A bottle of water is £6.20, although Fifa authorities have allowed fans to bring in one, soft, plastic factory-sealed disposable bottle of water into the stadium. The record attendance for an NFL game was more than 105,000, but it is reduced now for football matches.
But as England fans are supping their beers they can admire an amazing 'Art Collection' with museum-quality pieces across the stadium's massive public spaces. Among the most famous is "Sky Mirror" by Anish Kapoor: A 35-foot, highly polished stainless steel concave disc positioned in a black granite fountain.
The stadium hosts nine matches - more than any other venue. And England could well return here after their Croatia group game. If they finish second in their group they could end up playing a semi-final here in mid July. At least with the air conditioning they won't be able to blame the heat if they lose!
