Women's Finalissima 2023, England vs Brazil venue guide: Wembley Stadium, London

• Wembley, the UK's largest stadium and home to the English Football Association, has welcomed more than 21 million visitors since reopening in 2007.

• The original 'Empire Stadium', officially opened by King George V in April 1923, was eventually renamed Wembley after the London suburb in which it stood.

• The original Wembley staged five European Cup finals, plus the finals of the 1966 FIFA World Cup and EURO '96.

• As part of its reconstruction from 2003–07, a gigantic arch replaced the twin towers as the 90,000-capacity venue's visual hallmark.

• The new 'Home of Football' is once again home to the England national side, and held its first UEFA Champions League finals in 2011 and 2013. More recently, it staged the final of UEFA EURO 2020, in which Italy beat England on penalties, and the following year's UEFA Women's EURO 2022 final, when England defeated Germany in extra time.

• Michael Jackson (a record 15 times), Queen, David Bowie and Pink Floyd were among the acts that played at the old Wembley; Metallica, Madonna and Oasis have graced the new stadium.

Have England and Brazil played at Wembley before?

• England have played five times at the new Wembley Stadium:

07/10/2022 England 2-1 United States (friendly)
31/07/2022 England 2-1 (aet) Germany (EURO 2022)
23/10/2021 England 4-0 Northern Ireland (World Cup qualifying)
09/11/2019 England 1-2 Germany (friendly)
23/11/2014 England 0-3 Germany (friendly)

• Wembley has been home to the England men's team since 1923, but the nation's women did not play there until 1989, when current Brazil coach Pia Sundhage scored in a 2-0 friendly victory for Sweden.

• A quarter of a century later, they contested their first game at the new Wembley, with 45,619 spectators on hand (an England women's team record) to witness a 3-0 defeat by then European champions Germany.

• That attendance record was smashed five years later when a women's friendly world-best crowd of 77,768 watched another loss to Germany, albeit by a narrower 2-1 scoreline.

• England made it third time lucky against Germany at Wembley when it mattered most, winning the Women's EURO 2022 final 2-1. The crowd of 87,192 was a record for a UEFA final tournament, men's or women's.

• England women's goalscorers at Wembley: Beth Mead (3), Beth England (1), Lauren Hemp (1), Chloe Kelly (1), Georgia Stanway (1), Ella Toone (1), Ellen White (1).

• Brazil actually played at the new Wembley before England did: they lost 1-0 to hosts Great Britain in front of a crowd of 70,584 during a group stage match at the 2012 Olympics. Ten of the starting XI for the British side were English, including goalscorer Steph Houghton.

A view across Westminster Bridge to the Houses Of Parliament and Big BenUniversal Images Group via Getty

London is...

• The capital of both England and the United Kingdom.
• Among the world's most visited cities, with around 30 million tourists a year.
• Home to King Charles III, William Shakespeare's original Globe Theatre and punk rock.
• The only city to have hosted the Olympics three times: in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
• A city of nearly 9 million people.

Where is it?

Located on the banks of the River Thames in the southeast of England, around 8,800km from Brasilia, 5,500km from New York and an 8,000km or so flight from Beijing.

Getting to and around London

London has six major airports and is easily accessed by train from continental Europe. The city is served by the oldest underground railway in the world, with 'The Tube' complemented by extensive bus and overground rail networks. London is increasingly welcoming for cyclists, thanks in part to a popular on-street cycle-hire service. Driving is discouraged, with a congestion charge payable for taking a car into central London.

Where to stay

Perhaps the biggest tourist destination in the world, London is not short of accommodation, with plenty of options in the heart of the city and relatively inexpensive accommodation available out in the suburbs. See useful links below.

What to see

The Tower of London and Tower Bridge©Getty Images

For culture: Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, British Museum, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square – the options are endless.
For atmosphere: A walk along the South Bank, from opposite the Houses of Parliament to Borough Market, is full of sightseeing opportunities. For fashionable London, try Soho or Brick Lane.
For fresh air: Royal parks such as Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are not to be missed, while London Zoo is situated in another – Regent's Park – within a few Tube stops of central London.

Eating and drinking

London has more than 8,000 restaurants offering cuisines from around the world, with 71 holding Michelin stars in 2022. Traditional 'cockney' food – pie and mash, jellied eels – is available in east London, while the English staple dish of fish and chips, complemented by a London-style 'wally' (gherkin), is easy to come by.

For foreign food, try curry on Brick Lane, kebabs on Green Lanes, or everything in one place at Borough Market. Beer (bitter for the locals, lager for tourists) is the order of the day in London pubs, and generally served in pints (568ml).

Football in the city

Chelsea are the only London club to have won the European Cup, taking the crown for a second time in 2020/21, though north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham – confusingly, from out east – have all lifted UEFA trophies. The likes of Crystal Palace, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers have also sampled European football, while various other lower-league professional clubs compete for attention too.

Get out of the city

London can claim to be a green city with approximately 47% classified as green space. Its botanical gardens at Kew, in the leafy southwest of the metropolis, are a UNESCO world heritage site, while Hampstead Heath, in the north, and Greenwich Park – home of the Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory – would also count as green space to Londoners.

Useful links

Visit London: http://www.visitlondon.com
Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/england/london
Mayor of London/London Assembly: https://www.london.gov.uk/ 
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London
Wembley Stadium: http://www.wembleystadium.com/
The Football Association (FA): http://www.thefa.com/