What is the Sapporo Dome capacity and did England beat Argentina there in the 2002 football World Cup?

JAPAN is known for it’s innovation – and that stretches to their sport stadiums.

Back in 2002 they unleashed the Sapporo Dome on the world and fans were wowed by its unusual design and retractable pitch.

What is the Sapporo Dome capacity?

THERE are twelve venues set to hold rugby this autumn as the World Cup heads to Japan for the first time.

Sapporo is in the far north of the country and the Dome officially opened in 2001.

It was built for the football World Cup and hosted three first-round matches at the tournament 17 years ago.

Currently it hosts both baseball and football, with local sides Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo calling it home.

One of the most innovative features in the stadium is it’s retractable pitch, which allows a seamless switch between football and baseball.

The impressive ground has a capacity of 41,580.

Did England beat Argentina there in the 2002 football World Cup?

GOOD memory!

The Three Lions’ games were on very early in the morning during the 2002 World Cup – but Sven Goran Eriksson’s side did indeed play at the Sapporo Dome.

They faced Argentina in the stadium and put the ghost of 1998 to bed, as David Beckham hammered home a penalty in a 1-0 victory.

Rugby World Cup stadiums

• Sapporo- Sapporo Dome
• Iwate/Kamaishi- Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium
• Saitama/Kumagaya- Kumagaya Rugby Stadium
• Tokyo- Tokyo Stadium
• Kanagawa/Yokohama- International Stadium Yokohama
• Shizuoka- Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa
• Aichi/Toyota- City of Toyota Stadium
• Osaka/Higashiosaka- Hanazono Rugby Stadium
• Kobe- Kobe Misaki Stadium
• Fukuoka- Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium
• Kumamoto- Kumamoto Stadium
• Oita- Oita Stadium