The original Wembley Stadium — officially named the Empire Stadium — opened on 28 April 1923 after just 300 days of construction and stood as England’s most iconic sporting arena for 77 years. Built by Sir Robert McAlpine at a cost of £750,000, and designed by architects Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton with structural engineer Sir Owen Williams, the ground rose on the site of a Victorian folly called Watkin’s Tower in Wembley, London. It was conceived as a temporary showpiece for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924–25 — a decision to make it permanent changed English sport forever.
A fateful choice to keep the Empire Stadium standing transformed what might have been rubble into one of sport’s most storied addresses. Its iconic Twin Towers — 126-foot ferro-concrete spires with Mughal-inspired domes — defined the Wembley skyline for generations and were Grade II listed by 1976. From the chaos of the 1923 White Horse Final to England’s only World Cup triumph in 1966 and the global spectacle of Live Aid in 1985, old Wembley hosted history at every turn before its last match in October 2000 and full demolition in 2003.
Quick Answer
The original Wembley Stadium, officially called the Empire Stadium, opened on 28 April 1923 with a standing capacity of approximately 127,000. It served as England’s premier sporting venue for 77 years — hosting FA Cup finals, the 1966 World Cup Final, the 1948 Olympics, and Live Aid — before closing on 7 October 2000 and being demolished in 2002–2003. The current Wembley Stadium, an entirely different building, opened on the same site in 2007.
Old Wembley Stadium Capacity: From 127,000 Standing to All-Seated
The Empire Stadium opened with an official standing capacity of approximately 127,000, making it one of the largest sporting venues in the world in 1923. The ground’s 104 turnstiles were overwhelmed at its very first event — the 1923 FA Cup Final — when an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people descended on a venue built for far fewer. The official record attendance stands at 126,047 from that same day, a figure that likely reflects only those admitted through the turnstiles before gates were abandoned.
Capacity evolved significantly over the stadium’s lifetime. Pre-war modifications increased seating provision while overall standing numbers remained around 100,000. The most dramatic reduction came in 1990, when the government’s Taylor Report — produced in response to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster — required the conversion of major football grounds to all-seater. Old Wembley’s final all-seated capacity was 82,000, the figure at which it operated for its last decade. The modern Wembley, which replaced it in 2007, holds 90,000 seats.
Building the Empire Stadium in 300 Days
The Empire Stadium was constructed between 1922 and 1923 at extraordinary pace. At its peak, more than 12,000 workers were on site, using 25,000 tonnes of concrete, 1,500 tonnes of steel and half a million rivets. Construction began on a parcel of Wembley Park land previously occupied by Watkin’s Tower — an incomplete late-Victorian structure intended to rival the Eiffel Tower but abandoned after only the first stage was built. The new stadium was ready just four days before its inaugural event.
At £750,000 (equivalent to roughly £50 million today), the cost was substantial for the era. It was always intended as a temporary exhibition centrepiece for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924–25, not a permanent ground. The committee chairman Sir James Stevenson argued successfully for its preservation, and the decision to retain the Empire Stadium gave English football its spiritual home for eight decades. King George V cut the first turf before construction began and attended the opening FA Cup Final in person.
How Old Was the Original Wembley Stadium?
The original Wembley Stadium was open to the public for 77 years, from its inaugural event on 28 April 1923 to its final match on 7 October 2000. The demolition process began in 2002, with the Twin Towers’ decorative crowns removed in December 2002 and the towers themselves brought down in early 2003. The remainder of the site was fully cleared by 2003, meaning the Empire Stadium existed for approximately 79–80 years in total before the land was cleared for the new building.
The current Wembley Stadium — a completely different structure designed by HOK Sport and Foster + Partners — opened on 9 March 2007 on the same Wembley site. As of 2026, the new stadium is 19 years old. The two buildings share only the location and the name. If you are asking how old the original Empire Stadium would be today, it was built in 1923 and would be over 100 years old — the stadium’s centenary was marked in April 2023.
The White Horse Final: Old Wembley’s Chaotic Debut
Old Wembley announced itself to the world in spectacular, chaotic fashion. On 28 April 1923 — the very day the stadium opened — the FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United attracted an estimated crowd of well over 200,000 to a venue with an official capacity of around 127,000. Spectators flooded the pitch, the match came close to being abandoned entirely, and mounted police were deployed to clear the field. It was PC George Scorey, riding a seven-year-old grey horse named Billy (sometimes spelled Billie), whose calm, patient work clearing spectators became the defining image of the day.
Despite Billy being grey, he appeared almost white in the black-and-white photography and film of the era, lending the match its enduring nickname: the White Horse Final. Bolton Wanderers won 2–0 in a game that went ahead only because the crowd — extraordinary in its patience — cooperated with police efforts to restore order. The episode highlighted the stadium’s lack of crowd-control infrastructure for events of this scale. It entered football folklore instantly and became the founding myth of Wembley’s identity as England’s spiritual home of football.
Eighty Years of Iconic Events at the Empire Stadium
Over eight decades the Empire Stadium bore witness to some of the twentieth century’s greatest sporting and cultural moments. On 30 July 1966, England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the FIFA World Cup Final before 96,924 spectators — England’s only senior international football triumph to date, and the moment most closely associated with old Wembley in the national consciousness. The stadium had already hosted the athletics programme of the 1948 Summer Olympics, and went on to stage five European Cup finals, UEFA Euro 1996 fixtures, two Rugby League World Cup finals (1992 and 1995), and an unbroken run of FA Cup and League Cup deciders throughout its existence.
Beyond sport, old Wembley became one of the world’s great concert venues. On 13 July 1985, it formed the UK centrepiece of Live Aid — Bob Geldof’s landmark charity spectacular watched by an estimated 1.9 billion television viewers worldwide and featuring Queen’s widely celebrated headline set. Michael Jackson performed at the stadium a record 15 times, including seven consecutive sold-out nights during the 1988 Bad World Tour, earning a Guinness World Record for a combined audience of 504,000 across those shows alone. The stadium’s final event was a World Cup qualifier between England and Germany on 7 October 2000, which England lost 1–0 — a fittingly bittersweet farewell.
The Twin Towers: Wembley’s Most Recognisable Feature
No feature of the old stadium was more immediately recognisable than the Twin Towers. Standing 126 feet (38 metres) high, the ferro-concrete spires were topped with concrete flagpoles and crowns. Their distinctive domes drew on Mughal architectural traditions — a design reference to the South Asian territories of the British Empire whose exhibition had prompted the stadium’s construction. Originally intended as temporary, they survived long enough to receive Grade II listed building status in 1976, making them legally protected heritage landmarks.
Their eventual demolition was among the most controversial decisions of the new stadium’s planning process. English Heritage and preservation groups objected, and Brent Council initially refused to approve designs that excluded the towers. Authorities ultimately argued the towers would obstruct sightlines and that the ferro-concrete could not safely be relocated. Preliminary work to remove the decorative crowns began in December 2002; the towers themselves came down in early 2003 using a specialist Liebherr excavator nicknamed ‘Alan the Shearer.’ The top section of one tower was preserved at St Raphael’s Estate in Neasden, and the original flagpoles were saved by Sir William McAlpine at his Fawley Hill estate.
old wembley stadium 1923 FAQs
What was the old Wembley Stadium officially called?
The original Wembley Stadium was officially named the Empire Stadium when it opened in 1923, reflecting its origins as the centrepiece of the British Empire Exhibition of 1924–25. It was commonly known simply as ‘Wembley’ and is often listed as ‘Wembley Stadium (1923)’ to distinguish it from the current stadium that opened on the same site in 2007.
What was the old Wembley Stadium’s capacity?
The Empire Stadium opened with an official standing capacity of approximately 127,000 — one of the largest in the world at the time. This was gradually reduced as more seating was added. In 1990, following the Taylor Report, the stadium was converted to all-seater, bringing its final capacity to 82,000. The record official attendance was 126,047, set at the 1923 FA Cup Final, though actual crowd numbers that day were far higher.
How old is the original Wembley Stadium?
The original Wembley Stadium (the Empire Stadium) was open for 77 years, from 28 April 1923 to 7 October 2000, and was fully demolished by 2003. Its centenary was marked in April 2023. The current Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2007 on the same site, is an entirely different building — 19 years old as of 2026.
Why was the 1923 FA Cup Final called the White Horse Final?
An estimated 200,000+ people descended on a venue built for around 127,000, overwhelming the pitch. PC George Scorey, mounted on a seven-year-old grey horse named Billy, helped clear spectators. Although Billy was grey, he appeared white in black-and-white photography of the era — the striking image became iconic and gave the match its permanent nickname.
When were the original Wembley Stadium’s Twin Towers demolished?
The decorative crowns of the Twin Towers were removed in December 2002, and the towers themselves came down in early 2003. They had stood 126 feet (38m) high since 1923 and held Grade II listed status since 1976, making their loss deeply controversial. The top of one tower was preserved at St Raphael’s Estate in Neasden; the flagpoles were saved at Sir William McAlpine’s estate.
What major events did the original Wembley Stadium host?
Old Wembley hosted the 1923 FA Cup Final (its inaugural event), the 1948 Summer Olympics athletics programme, the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final (England 4–2 West Germany), five European Cup finals, UEFA Euro 1996, two Rugby League World Cup finals, and Live Aid in 1985. It was also Michael Jackson’s most-visited venue — he performed there a record 15 times.
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