Six short emails. One global event. We’re covering the 2026 Winter Olympics with the biggest stories, travel insight, and insider context.

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One way to look at it, given the communal nature of the Olympics, is global unity in a venue defined by rivalry. Known officially as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, this concrete colossus in western Milan opened in 1926 and was commissioned by Piero Pirelli, then president of AC Milan.

Built in the San Siro district on the city’s western edge, the stadium was designed purely for soccer rather than the multi-use athletic fields common at the time. Its original capacity of 35,000 made it one of Europe’s most ambitious sporting projects.

From the start, San Siro was meant to feel monumental. Steep stands placed fans close to the pitch, amplifying sound and emotion. Even in its earliest years, it earned a reputation as an intimidating place to play.

In 1947, San Siro became something almost unheard of in the global soccer world: a shared stadium. It became the home field for Inter Milan along with AC Milan — two of the most successful clubs in Italian soccer. The rivalry, called Derby della Madonnina for the statue atop Milan’s cathedral, turned San Siro into a pressure cooker of color, noise, and identity.

Red-and-black one week. Blue-and-black the next. Same concrete, same grass, completely different emotional universe.

But San Siro’s most dramatic transformation came ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when the stadium was expanded and modernized. Engineers added a third tier, boosting capacity to over 80,000, and wrapped the structure in its now-famous spiral access towers.

The famous red roof followed, cantilevered over the stands like an industrial crown. It’s brutalist, imposing, unforgettable, and unmistakably Italian. It has hosted World Cup matches, European Championship games, and international events including concerts from Bob Marley, Madonna, U2, and Beyoncé, to name a few.

In recent years, San Siro has become the center of an emotional debate about preservation versus progress. Proposals to replace or radically redevelop the stadium have sparked fierce resistance from fans, architects, and cultural historians. Nevertheless, plans to demolish and replace San Siro with a more modern stadium are moving forward.

San Siro is irreplaceable for Milanese. Its concrete ramps, echoing corridors, and imperfect sightlines are part of its soul. The decision to use San Siro for the 2026 Olympic opening ceremony feels like a recognition of this history at a moment when its future is uncertain. So, when you tune in on February 6, pay attention to the venue itself along with the parade of countries. You may be witnessing a closing chapter of a storied venue.

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