Wembley Is Not a Club Ground
Unlike most major stadiums in England, Wembley Stadium doesn't belong to a football club. It's owned and operated by the Football Association (FA) and serves as the national stadium for English football. The England men's and women's teams play their home internationals here, and it hosts the biggest domestic cup finals each season.
Which Teams Have Played at Wembley?
England National Team
England has called Wembley home since the original stadium opened in 1923. All competitive home qualifiers, friendlies and tournament matches on English soil take place here.
Tottenham Hotspur (Temporary)
Spurs played all their home Premier League and Champions League matches at Wembley for two seasons (2017–18 and 2018–19) while the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was under construction. They played 51 competitive matches at the ground during that spell.
Cup Final Teams
Every year, the finalists of the FA Cup, League Cup (Carabao Cup) and Championship Play-Off Final get to play at Wembley. The FA Community Shield also takes place here at the start of each season.
Other Sports and Events
Beyond football, Wembley regularly hosts:
- NFL London Games, American football fixtures each autumn
- Boxing, major world title fights
- Rugby League, the Challenge Cup final
- Concerts, from Ed Sheeran to Taylor Swift
Why Doesn't a Club Own Wembley?
The FA built Wembley as a national venue, funded partly by the public through National Lottery money. The idea was always to give England a world-class neutral ground for the biggest occasions rather than tying it to a single club. At 90,000 seats, it's far larger than any club would need for regular league fixtures.
