Is Friends Arena Worth it?

Just outside the Swedish capital in Solna is Friends Arena. A 50,000 seat soccer stadium that whenever I watch a game on TV at Friends Arena looks out of place. Like it is too big for most events and maybe the money could have gone elsewhere.

Just like anything, sporting arenas and stadiums are an investment. Friends Arena has already hosted big name events that have brought tourism thru Sweden that might haven't came. Those events included Bruce Springsteen and ACDC concerts along with Sweden hosting the 2013 Women's Euro Cup.

Then, a more recent example was  was this years Europa League Final between Manchester United and Ajax that featured plenty of tourism from Manchester and Amsterdam.

Oh yes, we can't forget about the Sweden National team. Once upon a time, they were almost a shoe-in to the World Cup have fallen on hard times recently. They seem like the forgotten ones in UEFA. No Zlatan Ibrahimovic, nothing to talk about.

That has not been the case, silently, Sweden sits second in UEFA Group A that features France, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg. In 14 qualifiers, Sweden boasts a 8-3-3 record at Friends Arena which is borderline passable considering the margin for error is razor thin in international soccer.

With the Dutch struggling, the game against first place France is shaping up to be the biggest game of the weekend. France are ahead of Sweden in the standings thanks to a 2-1 win France last November. However, the two are tied in goal differential with identical 10-3 totals. Therefore, a Swedish win on Friday would mean Sweden controls their own destiny during the final four games next fall.

Fans will claim that Friends Arena was made for games like Friday. Despite that realistically being true, I believe that Soccer is meant for the outdoors and having a 50,000 seat arena isn't worth it for 1-2 times a year the Sweden National team gets above the 40,000 attendance mark.

Also, with a big fancy stadium, it eliminates the fear factor for other teams. Opposing teams have a better chance of enjoying playing their because of the updated locker rooms and bigger stadium which leads to fans being farther away from the pitch. This will lead to a less intimidating environment.

As mentioned above, Sweden is 8-3-3 in their last 14 Qualifying games, during their last 14 home qualifiers before Friends Arena they were 10-2-2. This frustration has put Sweden in jeopardy of missing the World Cup for three cycles in a row for the first time in their history.

To me, the 338 Million Dollar price is not worth it despite the increased opportunities for major sporting and concert events. This isn't just a Sweden problem, money controls sports globally and it's time we start putting money towards problems that matter like poverty and hunger that happen in less fortunate countries.