Since ancient times, people have gathered in large stadiums to watch various sporting events. Today, fans watch live sporting events in stadiums that are large enough to fit crowds of 100,000+. Many of these stadiums have glitzy, state-of-the-art scoreboards, viewing screens, and private boxes; everything you would expect in a world-class sporting venue. But ultimately, it is the sports played in these stadiums that are the main attraction. Introducing the world’s ten largest stadiums by crowd capacity.
- Rungrado May Day Stadium - 150,000
- Sardar Patel Stadium - 110,000
- Michigan Stadium - 107,601
- Beaver Stadium - 106,572
- Ohio Stadium - 102,780
- Kyle Field - 102,733
- Neyland Stadium - 102,455
- Tiger Stadium - 102,321
- Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium - 100,119
- Bryant-Denny Stadium - 100,077
1. Rungrado May Day Stadium - 150,000
The Rungrado May Day Stadium is the largest stadium in the world. Its official crowd capacity is 150,000, though it is thought that the actual capacity of the venue is closer to 114,000, which still makes it the world’s biggest stadium by capacity. The stadium is shaped like a parachute, though it was intended to resemble a magnolia flower. It is designed to host numerous types of sporting events, including football (soccer) matches involving North Korea’s national team. More often than not, however, the stadium is used to host military parades. In 1995, the stadium posted a world attendance record of 190,000 during a wrestling event at the facility.
2. Sardar Patel Stadium - 110,000
The world’s second largest stadium is located in Ahmedabad, a city in India. It has a capacity of 110,000. Sardar Patel Stadium, also called the Motera Stadium, was built in the same space once occupied by a former stadium of the same name, which had a much smaller capacity of 49,000. The current venue is the newest stadium on our list, having been inaugurated in 2020 by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then U.S. President Donald Trump. Sardar Patel Stadium is now the biggest cricket stadium in the world. Cricket has fans around the world, but India is one country where the sport is especially popular.
3. Michigan Stadium - 107,601
As its name implies, Michigan Stadium is located in the U.S. state of Michigan, or more specifically, the University of Michigan, in the city of Ann Arbor. It is the largest stadium in the U.S. and the third largest in the world. The stadium, nicknamed “The Big House” by University of Michigan students, has a capacity of 107,601. The sport most often played in the venue is U.S. college football. It does, however, host other sporting events, including the International Champions Cup soccer tournament. In 2014, it set an attendance record of 105,491 for NHL hockey when it hosted a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
4. Beaver Stadium - 106,572
The world’s fourth largest stadium and second largest in the U.S. is located in University Park, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1960, the venue has a capacity of 106,572. It now serves as the home field of Pennsylvania State’s football team, the Nittany Lions. Beaver Stadium is first and foremost a venue for college football. In fact, in 2016, the stadium was voted the best college football venue in a poll conducted by USA Today.
5. Ohio Stadium - 102,780
Ohio Stadium, nicknamed “The Horsehoe”, or just “The Shoe” because of its shape, is located in Columbus, in the U.S. state of Ohio. It was first opened in 1922, and refurbished in 2001. The venue now has a capacity of 102,780, making it the fifth largest stadium in the world. The stadium is used primarily for U.S. collegiate sports, especially college football. In 2016, the stadium hosted a record crowd of 110,045 people, who came to see the home team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, play a game against Michigan. Ohio Stadium also hosts non-sporting events, including concerts played by the likes of Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones.
6. Kyle Field - 102,733
Controlled by Texas A&M, and located in College Station, Texas, Kyle Field is the world’s sixth largest stadium, with a capacity of 102,733. Like many other stadiums on our list, Kyle Field is primarily a venue for U.S. college football. The stadium was first opened in 1905. In 2014, it began a massive redevelopment phase, one of the biggest in U.S. collegiate sports history, which was completed the following year. Since then, the home football team, the Aggies, have welcomed crowds of 100,000 or more for each game.
7. Neyland Stadium - 102,455
Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, Neyland Stadium is the world’s seventh largest stadium. The venue is yet another monument to, you guessed it, U.S. college football. Neyland Stadium was first opened in 1921, then under the name Shields-Watkins Field. Its name was changed to Neyland Stadium in 1962 to honor the man considered the father of the University of Tennessee’s football program, Robert Neyland. Between 2004 and 2019, the venue underwent major renovations as part of an extensive, five-phase plan to refurbish it. Today, Neyland Stadium has a capacity of 102,455 people.
8. Tiger Stadium - 102,321
Nicknamed “Death Valley,” Tiger Stadium is the eighth largest stadium in the world. Located in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, Tiger Stadium is the home venue for Louisiana State University’s football team, the Tigers, hence its name. The stadium was built in phases, beginning in 1924, when it had only one spectator stand with a capacity of 12,000. Today’s Tiger Stadium has a capacity of 102,321. If you attend a football game there, the odds are that the home team will win. Indeed, in 1998, Sport Magazine called the stadium “the most feared road playing site in America”.
9. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium - 100,119
Officially known as the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Campbell-Williams Field, this stadium is the ninth largest in the world, with a capacity of 100,019. The venue is based in Austin, the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of the University of Texas’ football team, the Texas Longhorns. First dedicated in 1924, the stadium has gone through several renovations over time. In 2018, it hosted its largest crowd ever, when 103,507 spectators took in a game between the Longhorns and the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans.
10. Bryant-Denny Stadium - 100,077
With a crowd capacity of 100,077, Bryant-Denny Stadium rounds out our list of the top ten largest stadiums in the world. The venue serves as the home of the University of Alabama’s football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Based in the city of Tuscaloosa, it was first opened in 1929, and like many stadiums built for U.S. college football, it has been expanded many times since. In fact, in 2018, plans were announced for another renovation to take place following the 2019 football season, at a cost of $107 million.
