White City Stadium
London (White City), Greater London, England
White City Stadium, London (White City), England — opened 27 April 1908, built for the 1908 Summer Olympics (hosted the Olympics athletics and the Olympic rugby union final, Australia v Great Britain), 25 rugby league games hosted, home of London Highfield (rugby league), for the 1933/34 season only — Wigan Highfield relocated to London after facing bankruptcy, with the venture's owners, the White City Company, funding the move; the club folded after this single season when the company lost money on the venture.
Sourcing caveat: The venue's rugby-league-specific seating capacity during the 1933/34 or 1967 fixtures is not separately confirmed from the general stadium capacity figures above.
Ground facts
| Opened | 27 April 1908, built for the 1908 Summer Olympics (hosted the Olympics athletics and the Olympic rugby union final, Australia v Great Britain) (Not to be confused with other, unrelated stadiums of similar name in Cardiff, Newcastle or Sydney. Demolished 1985; the site is now occupied by White City Place (formerly BBC White City).) |
| Home club | London Highfield (rugby league), for the 1933/34 season only — Wigan Highfield relocated to London after facing bankruptcy, with the venture's owners, the White City Company, funding the move; the club folded after this single season when the company lost money on the venture |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 25 |
| Top recorded crowd | 17,445 |
| Capacity | 68,000 seated originally; an infobox figure of 93,000 suggests a later total capacity |
| Test matches hosted | 2 |
| Years used | 1929–1967 |
| Location | London (White City), Greater London |
Name history
- White City Stadium — 1908-1985, no renaming found
Rugby league history
First hosted rugby league via the County Championship in 1929, then a full 1933/34 Northern Rugby League and Challenge Cup home season for London Highfield, before a 33-year gap until the venue's single most notable rugby league occasion: a full Ashes Test between Great Britain and Australia in 1967. Otherwise, White City is best known as an Olympic, athletics, greyhound racing and speedway venue (home of the White City Rebels speedway team, 1976 British League champions) that also hosted a 1966 FIFA World Cup match (Uruguay v France).
1908 Summer Olympics (athletics and the rugby union final); athletics generally; boxing; speedway; greyhound racing; football (1966 World Cup); equestrian and stock car events.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 22 Nov 1933 — London 5-20 Australia, Kangaroos Tour, attendance 10,541
- 3 Nov 1967 — Great Britain 11-17 Australia, Ashes Series, attendance 17,445, the final rugby league match recorded here and this venue's largest recorded rugby league crowd
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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