The Biggest Soccer Stadiums in the World

The biggest soccer stadium in the world by capacity is the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which seats roughly 114,000 people. It is a multi-purpose arena used for mass gymnastic displays, athletics and football, which is why many football-only rankings instead hand the crown to Barcelona’s Camp Nou at 99,354.

Measuring the biggest soccer stadiums is not as simple as reading a single number. Some giants are multi-purpose bowls, capacities rise and fall with renovation, and older grounds once packed in far more standing spectators than modern all-seater rules allow. Here is the leaderboard of the biggest stadiums used for football, the largest by region, and the context behind the figures. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

Opened in 1989 on Rungra Island in the Taedong River, the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is best known for North Korea’s enormous choreographed mass-games spectacles, but it also stages international football and athletics. Its scalloped roof and vast bowl give it a capacity of around 114,000, comfortably the largest of any venue that hosts football. Because it is a state-run stadium in a closed country, exact figures are hard to verify, and its multi-purpose role means some football lists set it aside in favour of dedicated club grounds.

The full leaderboard of the biggest soccer stadiums

The table below ranks the biggest stadiums used for football by capacity. Several are multi-purpose or under renovation, so figures are approximate.

Rank	Capacity	Stadium	Location	Home team / use
1	~114,000	Rungrado 1st of May Stadium	Pyongyang, North Korea	Multi-purpose / national team
2	99,354	Camp Nou	Barcelona, Spain	FC Barcelona
3	94,736	FNB Stadium (Soccer City)	Johannesburg, South Africa	Kaizer Chiefs / South Africa
4	90,000	Wembley Stadium	London, England	England national team
5	~88,500	Rose Bowl	Pasadena, USA	Major soccer finals
6	87,411	Bukit Jalil National Stadium	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Malaysia national team
7	~87,000	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City, Mexico	Club América / Mexico
8	86,000	Borg El Arab Stadium	Alexandria, Egypt	Egypt national team
9	85,000	Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK)	Kolkata, India	Indian football
10	83,186	Santiago Bernabéu	Madrid, Spain	Real Madrid

Camp Nou is mid-renovation and currently operating at a reduced capacity, but it is on track to reach roughly 105,000 seats once the rebuild is finished, which would restore it as the largest club football ground in the world. Estadio Azteca’s figure will also drop, to about 83,000, after the remodel for the 2026 World Cup.

The biggest by region

Different regions crown different giants. In Europe, Camp Nou leads, with Real Madrid’s rebuilt Santiago Bernabéu and Germany’s Signal Iduna Park (81,365) close behind. FNB Stadium, which hosted the 2010 World Cup final, is the largest in Africa. In Asia, Malaysia’s Bukit Jalil and India’s Salt Lake Stadium top the list, while North America’s biggest regular soccer venues are American football stadiums such as the Rose Bowl and MetLife Stadium, host of the 2026 World Cup final. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024) occasionally hosts football but is primarily a cricket and Australian rules venue, so it sits outside a strict soccer ranking.

These grounds are also home to the sport’s biggest transfers and trophies, from record signings on our most expensive football transfers list to the clubs chasing our most Champions League titles leaderboard.

How capacities have changed

The biggest football crowds actually predate today’s rankings. Brazil’s Maracanã held an estimated 199,000 for the 1950 World Cup final, and old terraced grounds packed in standing spectators that modern safety rules no longer permit. India’s Salt Lake Stadium once held around 120,000 before renovation cut it to 85,000. As a result, current capacity lists reward newer, seated stadiums and shift constantly as venues are expanded or downsized. For the broader picture across every sport, see our guide to the largest stadiums in the world, and for the game’s most iconic grounds, our list of the best football stadiums.

Why the record matters

A stadium’s size is a statement of ambition, whether for a nation or a football club. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium stands at the top today, but the rankings are unusually fluid, blending politics, sport and architecture, and the Camp Nou rebuild could soon reshuffle the order. That is what makes the list of the biggest soccer stadiums endlessly debated.

The short version: the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea is the biggest soccer stadium in the world at about 114,000, with Camp Nou (99,354, expanding past 105,000) the largest dedicated football ground and FNB Stadium (94,736) the biggest in Africa, as of the 2025 season.