Which was the first stadium to host a FIFA World Cup final and a Rugby World Cup final?

Worldwide, just two stadia have hosted both a FIFA World Cup final and a Rugby World Cup final. The first of them was the 80,000-capacity Stade de France, the national stadium of France, which is situated in Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris.

On July 12, 1998, Stade de France hosted the 1998 FIFA World Cup final between the defending champions, Brazil, and the host nation. Following pre-match consternation regarding the involvement of Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who had been hospitalised after suffering convulsions earlier in the day, the final proved to be a distinctly one-sided affair. Despite having centre-back Marcel Desailly sent off in the second half, France largely outplayed their jaded opponents, winning 3-0, courtesy of two goals from Zinedine Zidane and and third, in injury time, from Emmanuel Petit.

On October 20, 2007, Stade de France also hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup final between England and the hitherto unbeaten South Africa, who had won 36-0 in their Pool A match, at the same venue, a month earlier.Not unlike the 1998 FIFA World Cup final, the match proved anti-climatic, with no tries scored, and South Africa eventually winning by five penalties to two, 15-6. Stade de France had previously hosted the second quarter-final of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, between South Africa and England, on October 24, 1999, but the final that year was played at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff two weeks later.

For the record, the other stadium to have hosted both major finals is the International Stadium, a.k.a the Nissan Stadium, in Yokohama, Japan. The stadium hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, between Germany and Brazil, on June 30, 2002 and, on November 2, 2019, replaced the unfinished National Stadium, in Tokyo, as the venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, between England and South Africa.

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