Can YOU guess which of these 12 stadiums are real and which are AI-generated? Includes a field in the middle of the sea, seats where the view is more noticeable than the action on the field and a ground in the shape of a CROCODILE
Imagine putting on your uniform, pulling out your scarves and walking to your team’s football stadium on a Saturday – only to realize it doesn’t exist.
Thanks to the uncanny power of artificial intelligence, we can present you with football stadiums that look and feel like they exist, but are in fact just figments of your imagination.
Mail Sport has collected images of spectacular stadiums that are real and AI-generated to put you to the test.
Six of them really exist, and six of them are fake.
Can you guess which of these grounds are real? The answers are at the bottom.
Stadium 1
This modern stadium has one of the most breathtaking settings in the world – if it’s real
A modern stadium against the backdrop of spectacular mountains: it is a breathtaking view.
This land looks like it has room for how many 50,000 people? The question is whether they would be real people or just characters in an AI-constructed world.
Stadium 2
You don’t see too many crocodile-shaped stadiums around – would a team actually build a ground inspired by their mascot?
A crocodile-shaped stadium? Of course not.
We’re used to teams having mascots and designing elaborate costumes for them, but to base an entire stadium on one?
The appearance and background look quite convincing, it must be said, although it’s hard to say in which country this terrain would be located. Is it real?
Stadium 3
An Olympic-style arena that has witnessed some of the sport’s greatest triumphs and most devastating failures… or has it?
Here we have what looks like an Olympic stadium, suitable for football or athletics, with a spectacular open exterior.
This amphitheater has hosted perhaps some of the greatest runners in the world, broken records, seen heroes burst into tears and losers fall into despair. Or maybe not. You decide.
Stadium 4
This is the kind of territory that most of us can actually aspire to play in
We now get to see a more modest arena, certainly not one that is used to hosting large crowds.
A lone stand lines half the pitch, although it appears to have fallen into some disrepair. And what’s going on with that strange net? Needs a cleaning.
Stadium 5
English football has a large number of stadiums on the river, but who owns this ground?
A glamorous spot on the water that shimmers in the sunlight.
English football is no stranger to riverside stadiums. Take Fulham’s Craven Cottage, for example, or, er, Middlesbrough’s ingeniously named ‘Riverside Stadium’.
However, who could this be? And does it even exist?
Stadium 6
Just to mess around, another stadium in a mountainous area
Now back in the mountains, but not in the Titanic stadium of the past, but in a smaller stadium with pastel blue and yellow seats.
I imagine the traffic is pretty bad getting in since there’s little chance of driving over that giant landmass in the distance.
Stadium 7
It would be difficult to find many grounds in more extraordinary places. No prizes for kicking the ball into the sea
One of the great things about football is that it can inspire communities all over the world, and people will find a way to play it if they really want to.
In this remote Scandinavian setting, residents have carved a field out of the cliff face overlooking the unforgiving, almost arctic sea.
Or do they?
Stadium 8
Were you there? This photo may be a blast from the past. See if you can recognize yourself in a suit
Here’s something different. A blast from the past, from the time when people wore suits to football.
It seems they are patiently waiting for the start of a crucial clash, while the stadium is packed for a would-be thriller.
Stadium 9
Ah, there’s nothing better than an open-top stadium when the sky is clear and blue. Now that the clouds are gathering, it could be a different story!
In Italy, there is a beautiful stadium that Como calls home, located on the beautiful lake overlooking the mountains.
This isn’t that stadium, but it looks a lot like it. Are they Como’s rivals across the lake? Where on earth could this be?
Stadium 10
This is a very distinctive look with an eye to the future, trying to be sleek and minimalist (unlike the puffy football inside?)
A rather peculiar exterior of a site, set against a clear blue sky and undergrowth.
I’m not entirely sure if all those poles are necessary to keep the stands up, but let’s get to it.
A miracle of modern technology or a dystopian vision of the future? Or both?
Stadium 11
Probably half of the readers say, “I’ve been there!” But did you really do that?
Here’s a classic Football League haunt if ever there was one! A reliable attraction for 12,000 match visitors every two weeks, armed with cakes, programs and pessimism. Always looking at the Premier League but never believing they can actually do it.
Unless that’s all made up, of course.
Stadium 12
Thanks to the person who designed this, because this is the definition of luxurious
This is one of the most unique looking stadiums you will ever look at, but is that down to the creativity of humanity or the madness of AI?
This luxurious compound, bathed in golden light, is fit for a princely team.