The Largest Stadiums In North America

The abundance of stadiums in North America can be attributed mostly to the large number of professional sports leagues that are present in the United States.
The abundance of stadiums in North America can be attributed mostly to the large number of professional sports leagues that are present in the United States.
  • The largest stadium in North America is Michigan Stadium, home to the Michigan Wolverines, part of American College Football.
  • Kyle Field was the place where the football game with the highest attendance in the history of Texas happened, with 110,633 people present at the game.
  • Neyland Stadium is named after Robert Neyland, the head coach at the University of Tennessee from 1926 to 1952.

The abundance of stadiums in North America can be attributed mostly to the large number of professional sports leagues that are present in the United States. Many of these stadiums are small modern architectural wonders, and their magnificence should be experienced at least once in our lifetime.

However, that will be impossible for the majority of our readers, so we are here to talk about some of the biggest stadiums in North America. Of course, stadiums continue to be built, so by the time you are reading this, there may be a chance that a larger one popped up somewhere.

When fans visit sporting events, they want to get the biggest bang for their buck. This means that, since they are paying high ticket prices, they want to spend their time enjoying sporting events in a place that fills them with awe. Not many things are comparable to witnessing a huge sporting event live, and this is especially true if the event is held in a large stadium.

This experience is much more intense than watching the games on your television sets, and this is why many people pay high prices to get good seats at sporting events. The stadiums themselves can reach legendary status, and in this article, we will discuss the biggest ones in North America.

1. Michigan Stadium: 107,601 Capacity 

Visitors meet players and others at Michigan stadium during Michigan Football Youth Day on August 10, 2014 in Ann Arbor, MI.
Visitors meet players and others at Michigan stadium during Michigan Football Youth Day on August 10, 2014, in Ann Arbor, MI. Image credit: Susan Montgomery / Shutterstock.com

Michigan Stadium is actually the second-largest stadium in the entire world. However, it is actually a college football stadium. To an outsider, it might seem weird that a stadium that is not connected to one of the big leagues is so big, but the people from the United States understand. College football is huge in the US, and this stadium is just one of the things that prove it.

The stadium is home to the Michigan Wolverines, and it has a capacity of 107,601 people. It is located in Ann Arbour, and the Wolverines fans are known to be some of the wildest, most loyal fans in the entire country. The attendance in this stadium often gets bigger than a lot of NFL games, which only goes to show how passionate people can get over sports.

2. Beaver Stadium: 106,572 Capacity 

Penn State punter scoreboard and upper deck before a game with Illinois at Beaver Stadium on October 9, 2010 in University Park, PA
Penn State punter scoreboard and upper deck before a game with Illinois at Beaver Stadium on October 9, 2010, in University Park, PA. Image credit: Richard Paul Kane / Shutterstock.com

Another college football stadium on the list, Beaver Stadium, is known as being the first stadium in the world to have its entire interior included in Google Street View. Of course, it is known for this all over the world. However, people in the United States know it for being the home to Penn State Nittany Lions, another college football team with a dedicated fanbase.

The seating capacity of this stadium is 106,572, which makes it the fourth largest stadium in the world. It is located in University Park, Pennsylvania, and the stadium is known as being an extremely tough venue for opposing teams.

3. Ohio Stadium: 104,944 Capacity 

Aerial view of Ohio Stadium, also known as the Horseshoe, the Shoe, is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio
Aerial view of Ohio Stadium, also known as the Horseshoe, the Shoe, is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Image credit: Grindstone Media Group / Shutterstock.com

It should come as a surprise to no one that the third-largest stadium on this list is another college football stadium. People outside of the United States reading this might finally start to realize just how big and important college football is in the US. This stadium is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it is owned and operated by the Ohio State University.

It is the home to the Ohio State Buckeyes team, and it can seat 104,944 people. This stadium actually served as the home venue for the Major League Soccer team Columbus Crew from 1996 to 1998. The team got their own stadium in 1999, so the Ohio Stadium became completely focused on serving as the home grounds to the Ohio State Buckeyes. This stadium is also often used as a concert venue.

4. Kyle Field: 102,512 Capacity 

Kyle Field at Texas A&M University
Kyle Field at Texas A&M University. Image credit: Hussam Al-Mashhadani / Shutterstock.com

Continuing the tradition of college football stadiums being extremely large, we have Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, with a seating capacity of 102,512 people. If you haven’t realized how big college football is in the United States, there is no hope for you. This stadium is interesting because it is where the highest football game attendance in the history of the state of Texas happened.

It was on October 11th, 2014, during a game against the Ole Miss Rebels, and 110,633 people came to support the Texas A&M Aggies, the home team of this stadium. Kyle Field is the sixth-largest stadium in the world.

5. Neyland Stadium: 102,455 Capacity 

Neyland sports stadium arena at Downtown Knoxville Tennessee USA
Neyland sports stadium arena at Downtown Knoxville Tennessee USA. Image credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com

By now you can probably guess that this stadium is the home of a college football team as well, rounding out the top five of the largest stadiums in North America. It is the home of the Tennessee Volunteers, and its capacity is 102,455 seats.

It is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. It used to be larger actually, due to the constant expansions; however, it was reduced again. The stadium derives its name from Robert Neyland, who served as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee from 1926 to 1952.

The honorable mentions section of this list needs to include several important stadiums. This includes Tiger Stadium, the Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Estadio Azteca, and Sanford Stadium. Out of these five, three serve as stadiums for college football teams. The only ones that do not are Estadio Azteca and Tiger Stadium. Estadio Azteca is home to the Mexico National soccer team, soccer club Club América, and Cruz Azul. Tiger Stadium used to be the stadium of the Detroit Tigers, a Major League Baseball club. However, it was shut down in 1999. 

The Largest Stadiums In North America

RankStadiumCapacityCityCountry
1Michigan Stadium107,601Ann ArborUSA
2Beaver Stadium106,572University ParkUSA
3Ohio Stadium104,944ColumbusUSA
4Kyle Field102,512College StationUSA
5Neyland Stadium102,455KnoxvilleUSA
6Tiger Stadium102,321Baton RougeUSA
7Bryant–Denny Stadium101,821TuscaloosaUSA
8Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium100,119AustinUSA
9Estadio Azteca95,500Mexico CityMexico
10Sanford Stadium92,756AthensUSA
11Rose Bowl92,542PasadenaUSA
12Cotton Bowl92,100DallasUSA
13Ben Hill Griffin Stadium88,548GainesvilleUSA
14Jordan-Hare Stadium87,451AuburnUSA
15Memorial Stadium86,047LincolnUSA
16MetLife Stadium82,500East RutherfordUSA
17Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium82,112NormanUSA
18Memorial Stadium82,000ClemsonUSA
19FedExField82,000LandoverUSA
20Lambeau Field80,978Green BayUSA
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