Giants of the Game: The Biggest Stadiums in the World

Sporting events have come a long way since the old times when it comes to popularity. In their origins, soccer, football, baseball, or any other sport were just means to have fun among friends, but now they are a crucial part of people’s lives. People live for game day and a chance to see their favorite athletes in person, take a picture with them or get their autograph. The money spent on sports is on another level today as well, with athletes being among the wealthiest people in the world.

That being said, with the high demand to watch sports events, there was a high demand for capacity buildings where people could see their favorite team play. That’s the topic of the day, “Biggest Stadiums in the World”.

You wouldn’t believe how big some of them are. I want to note that these are just some of the biggest stadiums in the world because if we placed them all, this article would get quite lengthy. We also skipped some of the US college football stadiums, because if we didn’t they would cover about 80% of this list.

Anyways, let’s begin.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

I had to start with the unexpected and also the biggest. Rungrado 1st of May is the biggest stadium in the world. Don’t be disappointed if you haven’t heard of it, and that’s probably because it is in North Korea. Yes, the biggest sports arena on the planet is located in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. While the rest of the country is famous for communist and brutalist architecture, there is an interesting building here and there. With a capacity of 150 thousand spectators, this athletics stadium is officially the biggest in the world. Apart from athletics, it is also used for soccer and the annual Arirang Festival. It is a beautiful building in the shape of a flower, and it would be one of those buildings that you should visit at least once in your lifetime, but since it is in North Korea, I am sure you will survive without seeing it in person.

Narendra Modi Stadium

When you are the most populated country in the world, and you have a very popular sport in your country, like cricket in India, you are required to have some big sports arena for your people. That’s the deal with India’s Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. The beautiful arena is round and designed with almost zero blindspots, so whatever ticket you buy, you will have a great view. The capacity of Narendra Modi Stadium is 132 thousand people, making it a perfect candidate for our list of biggest stadiums in the world.

Michigan Stadium

The Big House, the other name under which the Michigan Stadium is known, is the home for a college football team called Michigan Wolverines. It is officially the third biggest stadium in the world, with a capacity of 107 thousand people. It has unbelievable capacity for a college football team, while soccer, a much more popular sport worldwide, has much smaller stadiums.

Beaver Stadium

Another one on the list of huge stadiums whose tenant is just a college football team is Beaver Stadium in Pennsylvania. The stadium hosts around 106 thousand people and is a home ground for Penn State Nittany Lions. If I continue the list like this, the next ten stadiums are all American football stadiums, which seems a bit unfair, so I’m just gonna skip them and move on to other stadiums around the world.

Melbourne Cricket Ground

As the name suggests, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is home to five cricket teams in Australia. And an Australian football team. And four soccer clubs as well. That being said, I have no idea how they decided to call it a cricket ground, but they do come from land down under. Anyways, the stadium is in Melbourne, and it hosts 100,024 people. Now, if you are like me, you have to wonder why the additional 24 people. They ruined it.

Camp Nou

Camp Nou or Nou Camp, whichever you prefer, is a cult stadium and home for F.C. Barcelona, a multiple Champions League winner and one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world. It is located in the city of Barcelona, which you already may have guessed. It hosts 99 thousand people, but in a soccer game versus Juventus in 1986, they have managed to squeeze in 120 thousand people in the stadium.

FNB Stadium

The First National Bank Stadium, or FNB Stadium, in Johannesburg was built for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. It is one of the biggest stadiums in the world, with a capacity of 94,736 seats. It is home to the South African national soccer team, the South African national rugby team, and a soccer club, Kaizer Chiefs F.C.

New Administrative Capital Stadium

Africa’s second-largest soccer stadium and home of the Egypt national soccer team is located in Cairo, and it has to be one of the most stunning new stadiums in the world. It is designed to look like a headcrown of Egypt’s queen Nefertiti. It has a capacity just shy over 93 thousand.

Lusail

Lusail is another beautiful and huge stadium. But not for long. This enormous structure was built for the 2022 Soccer World Cup, hosting ten matches, including the final match between Argentina and France. It has a capacity of 92 thousand, but it will soon be reduced to 44 thousand as that part of the stadium isn’t a part of the permanent structure and was only used to host the World Cup.

Wembley

For all of you soccer lovers out there, this is the one you will know. Wembley Stadium in London is one of the most famous soccer stadiums in the world. It is home to the England National Soccer team, but apart from that, it hosts many events like rugby matches, the F.A. Cup, and some motorsports, and it hosted some events for the 2012 Olympic games that took part in London. It has a capacity of mind-blowing 90 thousand seats.