The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches. The name Stadium of Light may be based on Portuguese club Benfica's stadium, Estádio da Luz, or it may be based on the tradition of Sunderland being a mining town, in which workers wore lights on their helmets.
As well as hosting Sunderland games, the stadium has hosted two matches for the England national football team, as well as one England under-20 football team match. With an original capacity of 42,000, it was expanded in 2002 to seat 49,000, and its simple design is expected to allow for redevelopments up to an eventual capacity of 64,000. The attendance record at the Stadium of Light is 48,353 set on 13 April 2002, when Sunderland played Liverpool with Liverpool running out 1-0 winners. Along with hosting football matches, the stadium has played host to performers such as Oasis, Take That and Pink. The ground also holds conference and banqueting suites, the Black Cats Bar, and a club shop selling Sunderland merchandise.