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Size isn’t everything when it comes to impressing at a football stadium, but it can certainly help create an unmatched atmosphere.
Football’s most iconic stadiums, regardless of continent or country, can often accommodate huge numbers of supporters. When filled to the brim with tens of thousands of passionate fans, these stadiums can produce deafening noises that measure up to the Richter scale.
For some, travelling the world to visit these legendary venues is akin to a spiritual pilgrimage, but you’d leave quite the mark if you tried to visit the ten greatest stadiums in world football.
Here are the courses with the largest capacities in the world.
Location:Dallas, United States
Ability: 92 100
Cotton Bowl Stadium has hosted many soccer matches over the years, previously hosting the Dallas Tornado and Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas). Beginning in 2024/25, it will host the Dallas Trinity Women’s team for their inaugural season in the USL Super League.
The gigantic stadium, with a capacity of 92,100, hosted six matches of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the most notable being Brazil’s 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the competition.
It once hosted semi-regular games of the United States men’s national team, but has not been used as a venue for the Stars and Stripes since 2004.
Location: Pasadena, United States
Ability: 92,800
California is home to the Rose Bowl, best known for hosting the Rose Bowl college football game every New Year’s Day. However, when it comes to our football, it is most famous for hosting the 1994 World Cup final in which Roberto Baggio slammed that penalty over the crossbar.
It was also home to the LA Galaxy for six years before their departure in 2002, while it regularly hosts pre-season friendlies for some of Europe’s top teams.
8. New stadium of the administrative capital
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Ability: 93 940
The newest stadium in the top 10, the New Administrative Capital Stadium, did not open until January 2024. The first match did not take place until March, with Egypt hosting New Zealand in the 2024 ACAD Cup.
The stadium, which can hold nearly 94,000 people, is the second largest in Africa and is part of the Olympic City in Cairo. It could prove useful in future bids to host major sporting events, including the World Cup.
Location:Johannesburg, South Africa
Ability: 94,736
The First National Bank Stadium, also known as Soccer City, is the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of nearly 95,000. It is the home of Kaizer Chiefs, one of South Africa’s biggest clubs, and was also used during the 2010 World Cup.
Since the World Cup, where the final between Spain and the Netherlands was held, the venue has grown by almost 10,000 seats. Three years later, it hosted the Africa Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Burkina Faso. It was also where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech in Johannesburg after his release from prison in 1990.
Location:Mexico, Mexico
Ability: 95,500
Estadio Azteca is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world and is home to Mexican team Club America, as well as the Mexico national team.
This is the stadium where the first World Cup final took place, the first in 1970, when Brazil beat Italy 4-1. The second came 16 years later, when Diego Maradona led Argentina to glory. The stadium hosted the quarter-final that saw the diminutive South American score the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England.
The stadium will also host matches of the 2026 World Cup, but it will share its functions with venues in Canada and, mainly, the United States.
5. Camp Nou
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Ability: 99 354
Barcelona’s men’s team are currently playing their home games at the Estadio Lluis Companys while the Camp Nou is undergoing renovations and the Blaugrana will be keen to return to their huge stadium as soon as possible.
The site of all of FC Barcelona’s triumphs since 1957, it welcomed the Catalan giants after they moved from their former home at Camp de Les Corts. It is still the largest stadium in Spain and Europe, holding nearly 100,000 spectators at its peak.
Unsurprisingly, five matches of the 1982 World Cup were played at the Camp Nou, including the semi-final between Poland and Italy.
4. Melbourne Cricket Ground
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Ability: 100 024
This is not a catch. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, as the name suggests, hosts many cricket matches, as well as Australian rules football, rugby union and rugby league. However, it also hosts soccer matches.
The stadium has been used on numerous occasions by the Australian men’s national team, while touring European teams have hosted friendly matches there in front of large crowds. The post-season friendly between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in May 2024 was played at the ground.
Several matches of the 2032 Summer Olympics are expected to be played at the 100,024-seat stadium.
3. Ohio Stadium
Location: Columbus, United States
Ability: 102,780
Back in the United States, we have Ohio Stadium in Columbus. It is currently used by the Ohio State Buckeyes college football team, but was formerly the home of the Major League Soccer team Columbus Crew between 1996 and 1998.
However, the Columbus Crew’s opening game at the venue drew just over 25,000 fans and the club vacated the arena when Columbus Crew Stadium was built in 1999.
Manchester City’s 4-2 win over Chelsea in the 2024/25 pre-season came at the Ohio Stadium, with Erling Haaland adding another hat-trick to his tally.
2. Michigan Stadium
Location: Ann Arbor, United States
Ability: 107 601
Michigan Stadium is huge. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the third largest stadium in the world, all categories combined. It has an incredible capacity of nearly 108,000 people, with crowds reaching 115,000 in the past.
In fact, the record attendance in the United States for a soccer match was recorded at Michigan Stadium, during a friendly match between Real Madrid and Manchester United, which saw 109,318 people sit in its seats.
The Michigan Wolverines play college football in this stadium, which has only rarely been used to host football games in the past. It has also occasionally hosted ice hockey games.
1. Rungrado May Day Stadium
Location: Pyongyang, North Korea
Ability: 114,000
Rungrad May Day Stadium, a multi-purpose venue in Pyongyang, North Korea, opened in 1989 and now seats up to 114,000 people. It has been used to host various sporting events, but also for political speeches in front of a mass audience.
North Korea’s men’s and women’s national teams have made the stadium their home, but it has also hosted the world’s largest gymnastics and wrestling exhibition ever.
Some say the venue could be expanded to accommodate 150,000 people.
