Photos Of The Biggest Stadiums In The World
Since the days of ancient Rome, stadiums have been a fixture of major cities around the world. While the principle of a stadium — a series of tiered seats with a view of a central playing or performance area — is largely unchanged, it's safe to say that the tech behind these venues has advanced rapidly.
While college football dominates part of this list, the largest stadiums in the world may come as a surprise to some sports fans. Here are the biggest stadiums in the world, ranked by capacity.
Stadium Australia (82,500)
First built for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Stadium Australia (currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons), once held 115,000 spectators before undergoing a redesign.
This innovative venue features movable seating to allow it to accommodate Australia's most popular sports: Rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football, and cricket.
MetLife Stadium (82,500)
The NFL's New York Giants have played at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey (just across the river from New York) ever since moving into Giants Stadium in 1976.
Giants Stadium was replaced by MetLife Stadium, also in the same complex, in 2010. MetLife Stadium is notable for hosting the only outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather climate, and also for hosting two NFL teams — the Giants as well as the New York Jets.
Estadio Monumental (84,567)
This iconic stadium in Buenos Aires is owned and operated by Club Atlético River Plate, the team that's also its main tenant.
The stadium was built on marshlands reclaimed from the Río de la Plata in the late 1930s. After a redevelopment that removed its running track and added more seats, it became the largest stadium in South America.
Salt Lake Stadium (85,000)
Not to be confused with the various stadiums of Salt Lake City, Utah, this Salt Lake Stadium is located in Salt Lake City, Greater Kolkata, India.
First opened in 1984, the stadium features not just a rectangular field but also an athletics track. It's hosted numerous international events, including the FIFA under-17 World Cup.
Borg el-Arab Stadium (86,000)
Built in 2005 on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Alexandria, Egypt, Borg el-Arab Stadium features a capacity of 86,000 individual seats, with no bench seating.
It features various unique amenities, including air conditioning, an internal road network nearly four miles long, and even an airstrip.
Bukit Jalil National Stadium (87,500)
This multi-purpose stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is the biggest in Southeast Asia and the fourth-largest in Asia. It was inaugurated in 1998 ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which it hosted that year.
The stadium accommodated a record 98,543 fans for the Malaysia versus Indonesia soccer match on December 26, 2010, though its normal capacity is just shy of 90,000.
Estadio Azteca (87,523)
This iconic venue in Mexico City is the home venue of the Mexican national soccer team, along with the Club América team that plays in the country's top league.
It's also the first stadium to have hosted two FIFA World Cup finals (in 1970 and 1986) and has also hosted NFL football games.
Jordan-Hare Stadium (88,043)
With a capacity in excess of 88,000, Jordan-Hare Stadium has a higher capacity than the population of the city in which it's located, as Auburn, Alabama has about 76,000 people.
The home of the Auburn University Tigers since 1939, Jordan-Hare Stadium has been upgraded over the years, reaching its current capacity in 2023.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548)
Better known as "The Swamp," Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, is the home of the Florida Gators college football team.
It first opened as Florida Field in 1930 with a humble capacity of 22,000 seats, but it was expanded significantly in the '80s and '90s. Its west stands house not just thousands of seats, but also the university's athletics offices.
Rose Bowl (89,702)
Perhaps the most iconic sporting venue in the United States, the Rose Bowl is located in the idyllic setting of Pasadena, California.
It's best known for hosting the annual Rose Bowl Game, but has also served as home of the UCLA Bruins since 1982. It's also hosted events ranging from the Super Bowl to the FIFA World Cup final.
Memorial Stadium (90,000)
There are many stadiums around the United States named Memorial Stadium, but the venue in Lincoln, Nebraska is the biggest Memorial Stadium of all.
Known as the "sea of red" for its imposing stands full of red-clad Nebraska Cornhuskers fans, the stadium hosts not just Huskers football, but also the university's spring commencement ceremony.
Wembley Stadium (90,652)
London's Wembley Stadium opened on the site of its predecessor, also named Wembley Stadium, in 2007. It had big shoes to fill, as it was replacing the spiritual home of English soccer.
The stadium hosts, almost exclusively, big events — it's home to the England national team, the FA Cup Final, and other important games. It also played temporary host to Tottenham Hotspur while their current stadium was under construction.
Cotton Bowl (92,100)
The Cotton Bowl, located at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, was for many decades the main football venue in Dallas. As such, it hosted many teams, including the SMU Mustangs, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Texans, and FC Dallas.
These days, it doesn't have a current tenant — the Cotton Bowl game is now played at AT&T Stadium — but it does still host the annual Red River Rivalry game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners.
Lusail Stadium (92,349)
One of eight stadiums constructed for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lusail Stadium was the biggest of them all. It hosted the final between Argentina and France in December of 2022.
While Lusail Stadium is scheduled to be drastically reduced in capacity to 40,000, it's still one of the 20 largest stadiums in the world in its current state.
Sanford Stadium (93,033)
Located on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Sanford Stadium is well known for its distinctive privet hedges that surround the playing field.
It originally consisted of two simple grandstands on either side of the field, but nine renovation projects over the decades have expanded its capacity to more than 90,000.
Misr Stadium (96,940)
Also known as the New Administrative Capital Stadium, Misr Stadium in Egypt's New Administrative Capital is the largest stadium in Egypt, and the second-largest in Africa.
It's the central part of a large-scale development that also includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The area is designed with an eye to hosting the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup.
FNB Stadium (94,736)
The largest stadium in Africa, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa is better known as Soccer City.
The venue was the main stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and is designed to resemble a calabash (a type of traditional African pot) from the outside. It's also historically important, as it was the site for Nelson Mandela's first speech after his release from prison in 1990.
Camp Nou (99,354)
Camp Nou in Barcelona is one of the most iconic soccer venues in the world and has hosted FC Barcelona ever since it opened in 1957.
The stadium's many tiers of seats make it one of the largest stadiums in the world, and planned renovations will make it even bigger in the years to come, with an eventual target capacity of 105,000.
Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024)
The Melbourne Cricket Ground has existed in some form since 1853, but this early incarnation had virtually nothing in common with the massive stadium that exists today.
The stadium is credited with helping to popularize cricket in the sport's early days, and is one of Australia's most historic sites. It even hosted MLB exhibition baseball games.
Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,077)
With a capacity just over 100,000, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide of college football.
The stadium first opened in 1929 as a basic venue. Upper decks and expanded endzone seating dramatically increased the capacity. Part of its mystique lies in its home team's success: The Crimson Tide have won more than 80 percent of their home games here.
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
Home to the University of Texas Longhorns since it opened in 1924, Texas Memorial Stadium is a significant Austin landmark.
Its initial capacity of 27,000 had swelled to more than 60,000 by the 1960s, 80,000 by the turn of the millennium, and more than 100,000 by 2009.
Neyland Stadium (101,915)
Built on the banks of the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Neyland Stadium is home to the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team.
Unlike some other massive stadiums in college football, Neyland Stadium features a nearly symmetrical design with two levels of seating that completely ring the playing field.
Tiger Stadium (102,321)
Not to be confused with the identically-named baseball stadium in Detroit, this Tiger Stadium is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and hosts the Louisiana State University Tigers.
When it first opened, Tiger Stadium had a paltry capacity of 12,000, but LSU's success over the decades saw it quickly swell in size. It's known as "Death Valley" for its intimidating atmosphere.
Kyle Field (102,733)
The continued success of the Texas A&M Aggies football program has led to their stadium, Kyle Field, becoming one of the largest venues in college football.
Located in the city of College Station, Kyle Field features massive grandstands that tower higher over the field than other stadiums with similar capacities.
Ohio Stadium (102,780)
Better known as "The Horseshoe," Ohio Stadium in Columbus is the home to the Ohio State Buckeyes. When it first opened, it did indeed resemble a horseshoe — but the open endzone at one end was eventually filled with seating.
The stadium is not only an iconic home venue for the Buckeyes, but has also hosted notable rock concerts from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Metallica.
Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Beaver Stadium, in State College, Pennsylvania, has been the home stadium to the Penn State Nittany Lions since 1960 — although some parts of the stadium date back to 1909.
The stadium is notable for its white-clad crowd and nickname of "Happy Valley" — though, with the noise generated by more than 100,000 screaming fans, the stadium is anything but happy for opposing teams.
Michigan Stadium (107,601)
Better known as "The Big House," Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is a straightforward bowl of a stadium. As most of it is built below ground level, the stadium looks to be a humble structure from the outside — but on the inside, it's one of the largest in the world.
The stadium has hosted the Michigan Wolverines since it opened in 1927, and has also hosted notable outdoor hockey games.
Rungrado 1st of May Stadium (114,000)
This massive stadium is one of many ambitious North Korean construction projects, and first opened on May 1, 1989 to coincide with the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students.
While the stadium has hosted soccer matches and athletics events, it's mostly used for the mass games of the Arirang Festival, an event that features impressive choreography and thousands of dancers.
Narendra Modi Stadium (132,000)
Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, is easily the world's largest currently active stadium. With its oval shape, it's designed mainly for cricket.
The stadium was built in the same location as its predecessor, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, which had a much smaller capacity of around 50,000.
Bonus: Great Strahov Stadium (250,000)
The Great Strahov Stadium in Prague, Czechia, is unlike any stadium built before or since. Constructed to host the popular Sokol displays of synchronized gymnastics, it could accommodate more than a quarter of a million people at its peak.
The key to its capacity lies in its size: The seating bowl surrounds an area large enough to accommodate about nine soccer fields. While soccer is still played on these fields, it's been decades since the Great Strahov Stadium has had crowds of significance.