On 19 October, the Prix Versailles announced the seven projects on its World’s Most Beautiful Arenas List 2026. The selection covers five continents, with venues in Canada, China, France, Italy, Morocco and New Zealand. Three of the seven will receive a World Title (Prix Versailles, Interior or Exterior) at UNESCO Headquarters on 10 December.

Major tournaments run through the list. The Unipol Dome was inaugurated for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and both Moroccan stadiums are set to host matches when the country co-hosts the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Three of the projects transform existing grounds in Furiani, Rabat and Tangier, and Populous designed two of the seven. Prix Versailles Secretary General Jérôme Gouadain said the arenas “have proved to be true, contemporary reflections of the geographic areas where they are located.”

Coronation Park Centre, Edmonton, Canada

Shortlisted for the Prix Versailles Most Beautiful Arenas 2026, the centre's ribbon-wall envelope twists to follow the velodrome's interior geometry (Photo: Nic Lehoux)

Bronze-toned metal panels clad the upper volume of the centre, which sits above a glazed band and a ground-floor entrance lined with bicycle racks (Photo: Nic Lehoux)

The running track circles the building beneath a timber-lined roof carried on white steel ribs, with floor-to-ceiling windows along its outer edge (Photo: Nic Lehoux)

Coronation Park is Canada’s third indoor cycling track to be certified by the UCI, and it is open to the general public as well as professional racing cyclists. Designed by hcma and Dub Architects in collaboration with FaulknerBrowns, the complex combines high-level sport with leisure for all ages. The architects raised the velodrome by a full storey and encircled it with a running track. Visitors on the ground floor can watch cyclists on the track above without going through an underground passageway.

On a winter night, the lit band of glazing that wraps Coronation Park Centre shows runners moving around the track inside (Photo: Nic Lehoux)

From the basketball courts on the ground floor, visitors can watch cyclists on the raised velodrome above, while a skylight brings daylight into the hall and tiered blue seating with slides lines one side. (Photo: Nic Lehoux)

Beneath the 90-metre roof, a ribbon-wall envelope twists to follow the geometry of the track, so the building presents a different silhouette from every angle. The centre also includes the Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre, making it a training base for triathletes. It sits in a park named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

Xiangyang Olympic Center Stadium, Xiangyang, China

At dusk the canopy is lit from within, tracing a continuous line from the stadium bowl to the neighbouring circular building in the 138,000-square-metre sports complex. (Photo: Yilong Zhao)

Xiangyang Olympic Center Stadium sits among green fields and waterways in Hubei Province, its white canopy linking the stadium to a circular venue beside it (Photo: Yilong Zhao)

The 30,000-seat stadium has a canopy that sweeps over the stands but leaves one side of the bowl open, with outdoor courts and pitches for public use beyond (Photo: Yilong Zhao)

Designed by Central-South Architectural Design Institute (CSADI), the 30,000-seat stadium in Hubei Province is set amid greenery and open to the local community. A white canopy unfurls in a continuous ribbon over the grandstands, its form inspired by the rhythm of the Han River and the image of a soaring Chu phoenix.

A diamond-patterned lattice wraps the outer face of the canopy, carried on branching columns above a podium with wide public staircases (Photo: Yilong Zhao)

Inclined white columns and a steel roof truss frame the concourse beneath the canopy, where the lattice casts patterned shadows across the floor (Photo: Yilong Zhao)

The canopy covers the stands but leaves the south side open, letting air flow through the structure. This bioclimatic approach keeps spectators comfortable while minimising the use of energy-intensive systems. The stadium sits within a 138,000-square-metre sports complex that includes facilities for everyday public fitness.

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Armand Cesari Stadium, Furiani, France

Armand Cesari Stadium, also known as the Stade de Furiani, sits between the Corsican coastline and the island’s mountains, its white canopy carried on a ring of arched supports (Photo: Banzaiprod)

The stadium was renovated by Ateliers A+ in 2025 to open up to its setting of mountains and sea (Photo: Banzaiprod)

On a match night, blue lighting picks out the canopy’s rounded bays above the 16,500-seat terraces, with the lights of the surrounding town beyond. (Photo: Banzaiprod)

Also known as the Stade de Furiani, the Corsican stadium has been in use since 1932. It was home to SC Bastia when the club reached the UEFA Cup final in 1978, and the events of 1992 remain part of football’s collective memory. In 2025, Ateliers A+ completed a renovation that opens the stadium to the surrounding mountains and sea.

Membrane panels stretched over a timber framework form the canopy, which leaves an open oval above the pitch, looking towards the mountains (Photo: Banzaiprod)

The canopy’s domed membrane bays sit above blue and white seating, framing a view of a hillside village behind the stadium. (Photo: Banzaiprod)

Three continuous rings unify the 16,500-seat terraces, which were built in stages. The first ring edges the bowl around the pitch and houses the lighting, the second carries the canopies, and the third encircles the outer enclosure. The envelope extends the stadium’s existing wooden framework, bringing its successive transformations together in a single structure. The stadium has also been adapted to current entry and broadcasting requirements.

Unipol Dome, Milan, Italy

Visitors cross the forecourt beneath the Unipol Dome’s three rings, whose aluminium tubes alternate with bands of glazing. (Photo: Noshe)

Crowds gather on the forecourt before an event at the arena, which was inaugurated as Arena Milano for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. (Photo: Noshe)

Inaugurated as Arena Milano for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Unipol Dome is Italy’s biggest indoor venue. David Chipperfield Architects and Arup based the design on the Roman amphitheatre. Three rings of increasing height appear to float above a monolithic podium. By day, the aluminium tubes on the rings shimmer in the sun; at night, built-in LED strips turn the exterior into a light display.

A concert in the main hall, which can hold up to 16,000 spectators. (Photo: Noshe)

The arena holds up to 16,000 spectators. A wide staircase leads to a 12,000-square-metre raised esplanade that can host anything from major events to everyday gatherings. Set among mineral surfaces and gardens in the new Santa Giulia district, the arena has become a new centrepiece for Milan.

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco

The stadium was rebuilt by Populous in 24 months ahead of Morocco co-hosting the 2030 World Cup (Photo: Société des Infrastructures Sportives de Rabat)

At night the envelope becomes an animated screen, lit here in green and white (Photo: Société des Infrastructures Sportives de Rabat)

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium rises from a green belt of eucalyptus. Its envelope of some 19,000 champagne-coloured triangles was inspired by Rabat’s palm-lined thoroughfares and traditional Fez embroidery (Photo: Société des Infrastructures Sportives de Rabat)

Rebuilt by Populous in 24 months, the 67,000-seat stadium will be one of Morocco’s venues when the country co-hosts the 2030 World Cup. It rises from a green belt of eucalyptus. Its golden envelope was inspired by the palm trees lining Rabat’s major thoroughfares and by traditional Fez embroidery. Some 19,000 champagne-coloured triangles of different sizes join the facade and canopy in one continuous surface, which turns into an animated screen at night.

Set up for the Africa Cup of Nations, the 67,000-seat stadium has monumental terraces whose top level projects 8 metres outwards (Photo: Société des Infrastructures Sportives de Rabat)

Geometric mosaic columns and backlit golden wall panels line the stadium’s reception areas, which pick up the colours of its exterior envelope (Photo: Société des Infrastructures Sportives de Rabat)

The same colours carry through to the reception areas inside. The monumental terraces, or kops, seat around 20,000 supporters, and their top level projects 8 metres outwards. The stadium was well received during the most recent Africa Cup of Nations.

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Tangier Grand Stadium, Tangier, Morocco

Also known as Ibn Batouta Stadium, the ground rises above the white apartment blocks of Tangier and now seats 75,500, making it Morocco’s biggest stadium. (Photo: Morocco lens)

Shortlisted for the Prix Versailles Most Beautiful Arenas 2026, the stadium is home to Ittihad Riadi. (Photo: Morocco lens)

Inside Tangier Grand Stadium, a 52,000-square-metre canopy of metal cables and flexible membranes shelters the terraces, which were brought closer to the pitch when the old athletics track was removed. (Photo: Abdou Faiz)

Also known as Ibn Batouta Stadium, the ground first opened in 2011. It was then transformed under architect Anouar Amaoui in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. With 75,500 seats, it is now Morocco’s biggest stadium. Removing the old athletics track and lowering the pitch by about 8 metres brought the terraces closer to the field of play.

Layered bands of faceted cladding wrap the stadium, which was transformed under architect Anouar Amaoui ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. (Photo: Morocco lens)

The canopy’s membrane domes crest the stadium’s outer envelope, set against the rooftops of the city known as the Bride of the North. (Photo: Morocco lens)

The project also added a 52,000-square-metre canopy designed with engineers from Schlaich Bergermann Partner. It combines metal cables with flexible membranes and shelters the terraces and pitch from the wind. After dark, the stadium’s lighting picks out the outline of its architecture. The ground is home to Ittihad Riadi, in the city known as the Bride of the North.

One New Zealand Stadium, Te Kaha, Christchurch, New Zealand

Designed by Populous and Warren & Mahoney, its facade references mountains, waterways and the colours of the changing seasons (Photo: Dennis Radermacher)

Shortlisted for the Prix Versailles Most Beautiful Arenas 2026, the stadium glows red after dark (Photo: Joel Kearns-Docker)

A concert in the 30,000-seat stadium, which is home to the Crusaders and sometimes hosts the All Blacks (Photo: Alec Huisman)

Inaugurated in April 2026, the 30,000-seat stadium was designed by Populous and Warren & Mahoney, with a fixed roof of transparent ETFE. Its visual language draws on the landscapes of Canterbury and on Māori culture. The facade references mountains, waterways and the colours of the changing seasons. Inside the seating bowl, the stands carry a pattern based on the mangōpare, the hammerhead shark, a symbol of New Zealand’s identity, power and perseverance.

A tram travels along a city-centre street towards the stadium’s white steel framework. Te Kaha opened in April 2026 (Photo: Joel Kearns-Docker)

Glazed lounges open onto a terrace above the pitch, beneath a roof of transparent ETFE carried on a white steel frame (Photo: Dennis Radermacher)

The project was developed in close partnership with Ngāi Tahu and was inspired by the ancestral story of how Tāne separated Sky Father from Earth Mother to bring light and warmth to the world. The stadium is home to the Crusaders and sometimes hosts the All Blacks.

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