This facility was one of new venues built in South Korea for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup in Asia and took place in South Korea and Japan. The stadium was also a venue for the 2005 Asian Athletics Championships.
The roof structure of the World Cup Stadium in the port city of Incheon was designed to resemble a sailing ship. The mast arrangement in plan and height is based on the grandstand construction with a high main stand and low curved stand. A horizontal compression ring absorbs the horizontal forces of the lower radial cables, tensioned between the compression and tension ring, as well as the diagonal bracing cables. Thus, only the remaining vertical forces from the mast and bracing are transferred to the foundations.
The membrane with its fields of up to 1,500 m² is designed as a high point membrane with additional arch supports in the interior. It is visibly reinforced at the high points to counteract the concentrated loads due to the impact of snow and wind. This is an important feature for the spectators and gives the stadium its nick name: twenty-four stars.
