The Biggest Soccer Stadiums in the World
On this page14
- 01Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
- 02Camp Nou (Spotify Camp Nou)
- 03FNB Stadium (Soccer City)
- 04Wembley Stadium
- 05Rose Bowl
- 06Bukit Jalil National Stadium
- 07Estadio Azteca
- 08Borg El Arab Stadium
- 09Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK)
- 10Santiago Bernabéu
- 11How we ranked the biggest soccer stadiums
- 12Dedicated football grounds versus multi-purpose bowls
- 13At a glance: the top 10 by capacity
- 14Why these capacities keep changing
We rank by verified seated capacity for venues that actually stage football, and we flag which figures are multi-purpose or mid-renovation. A dedicated football ground and a convertible bowl can both make the list, but we note the difference so the numbers are comparable.
- Record holder
Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
No venue that hosts football seats more people. Opened in 1989 on Rungra Island in Pyongyang's Taedong River, the stadium is credited with a capacity of roughly 114,000 by seat-count audits, though North Korean sources have long claimed 150,000. Either figure clears every other entry here by a wide margin.
It ranks first but sits apart from the rest of the list: this is a state-run, multi-purpose arena built for mass gymnastic displays and athletics, and independent access is limited, so many football-only rankings set it aside and hand their crown to Camp Nou instead.
Location: Pyongyang, North Korea · Capacity: ~114,000 (claimed 150,000) · Use: multi-purpose / national team
- Largest club ground
Camp Nou (Spotify Camp Nou)
Before its current rebuild, Camp Nou seated 99,354, the largest capacity of any stadium built specifically for football. That is what separates it from Rungrado at the top: it is a purpose-built club ground, not a convertible bowl, which is why editors so often name it the biggest football stadium rather than the biggest stadium that stages football.
The venue is mid-renovation and operating at reduced capacity through 2026, with the full ground not expected until 2027. When finished it targets about 105,000 seats, which would reclaim its place as the biggest club football ground in the world. The clubs that fill it also headline our most Champions League titles leaderboard.
Location: Barcelona, Spain · Capacity: 99,354 (rebuilding toward ~105,000) · Home: FC Barcelona
- Africa's biggest
FNB Stadium (Soccer City)
Nicknamed "The Calabash" for its African-pottery shape, FNB Stadium holds 94,736 and is the largest stadium on the African continent. It hosted the 2010 World Cup final, when Spain beat the Netherlands, giving it a global final that no other entry below Wembley on this list can claim.
It ranks above Wembley on raw capacity by roughly 4,700 seats. Day to day it is home to Kaizer Chiefs and a regular host for the South African national team.
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa · Capacity: 94,736 · Home: Kaizer Chiefs / South Africa
- England's largest
Wembley Stadium
Rebuilt and reopened in 2007, Wembley seats 90,000 under its 134-metre signature arch, making it the largest stadium in the United Kingdom and the second-largest in Europe behind Camp Nou. It is the permanent home of the England national team and the traditional host of the FA Cup final.
Its capacity is fixed and all-seater, so unlike Camp Nou or Azteca its number is not about to move. That stability is why it reliably holds this rank while venues around it expand and contract.
Location: London, England · Capacity: 90,000 · Home: England national team
- USA's biggest
Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, at roughly 88,500, is the largest venue in the United States regularly used for major soccer. It staged the 1994 men's World Cup final and the 1999 Women's World Cup final, the latter drawing a crowd above 90,000 for the United States' penalty-shootout win over China.
It is fundamentally a college-football and multi-sport bowl rather than a soccer-first ground, which is the caveat that keeps it out of a strict football-stadium ranking even though its seat count would place it here.
Location: Pasadena, USA · Capacity: ~88,500 · Use: major soccer finals / college football
- Southeast Asia's largest
Bukit Jalil National Stadium
Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Jalil holds 87,411 and is the largest stadium in Southeast Asia. Built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, it is the home of the Malaysia national team and the centerpiece of the country's biggest football nights.
It edges Estadio Azteca and Borg El Arab just below it, and unlike those two its capacity is not scheduled to shrink, so it is quietly climbing the practical rankings as older giants downsize.
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia · Capacity: 87,411 · Home: Malaysia national team
- Only three-time World Cup host
Estadio Azteca
Azteca's distinction is history, not just size: it is the only stadium to host three men's World Cup tournaments — 1970, 1986 and 2026 — and it staged both the 1970 and 1986 finals, including Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century" in one 1986 quarter-final.
Its capacity, long cited around 87,000, is dropping to roughly 83,000 after the remodel for the 2026 World Cup, and it now carries a sponsor name for the tournament. That renovation is why it slips a place or two on current seat-count lists despite its stature.
Location: Mexico City, Mexico · Capacity: ~87,000 (falling to ~83,000) · Home: Club América / Mexico
- Egypt's national ground
Borg El Arab Stadium
Borg El Arab in Alexandria seats 86,000, making it the largest stadium in Egypt and one of the biggest in Africa behind FNB. It was built by the Egyptian Armed Forces engineering corps and sits on a vast site well outside the city.
Its distinguishing feature is isolation: a wide security buffer and a running track separate the stands from the pitch, so its sightlines trade intimacy for the sheer scale that earns it this rank.
Location: Alexandria, Egypt · Capacity: 86,000 · Home: Egypt national team
- Former super-capacity giant
Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK)
Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan holds 85,000 today, but it belongs on any capacity list for what it once was: before its renovation it packed in an estimated 120,000, among the largest football crowds the modern game has seen.
The cut from 120,000 to 85,000 is the single clearest example on this list of how all-seater safety rules have reshaped the rankings, trading standing terraces for seats and history for comfort.
Location: Kolkata, India · Capacity: 85,000 (once ~120,000) · Use: Indian football
- Modern rebuild
Santiago Bernabéu
Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu reopened after a major redevelopment with a capacity of 83,186, a retractable roof and a retractable pitch that let it double as a concert and event arena. That flexibility is its calling card and part of why the rebuild pushed its capacity up rather than down.
It rounds out the top 10 just ahead of Germany's Signal Iduna Park (81,365). The Bernabéu is where many of the record signings on our most expensive football transfers list have played their home games.
Location: Madrid, Spain · Capacity: 83,186 · Home: Real Madrid
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- Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
- Camp Nou (Spotify Camp Nou)
- FNB Stadium (Soccer City)
- Wembley Stadium
- Rose Bowl
- Bukit Jalil National Stadium
- Estadio Azteca
- Borg El Arab Stadium
- Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK)
- Santiago Bernabéu
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How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
The leaderboard above ranks the biggest stadiums used for football by capacity, from North Korea’s record-holding Rungrado down to Real Madrid’s rebuilt Bernabéu. The numbers look simple, but the story behind them is not: some giants are multi-purpose bowls, several are mid-renovation, and older grounds once held far more than any modern figure allows.
How we ranked the biggest soccer stadiums
We used verified seated capacity as the primary measure, drawing on published figures from official and reference sources rather than a single list. Where a venue is multi-purpose (Rungrado, the Rose Bowl) or mid-renovation (Camp Nou, Estadio Azteca), we say so, because a convertible bowl and a purpose-built football ground are not measuring exactly the same thing. Figures are approximate for stadiums whose capacity is actively changing, and we favor current, confirmed numbers over historic peaks.
Dedicated football grounds versus multi-purpose bowls
The single biggest source of argument in any “largest stadium” list is what counts. Rungrado and the Rose Bowl seat huge crowds but were not built football-first, so many editors compare them separately and name Camp Nou the largest football stadium. It is a genuine distinction: a running track, a convertible pitch or a mass-games infield changes how a venue is used and how close fans sit to the action. We include both types and label the difference rather than pretending the numbers are identical.
At a glance: the top 10 by capacity
| Rank | Capacity | Stadium | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ~114,000 | Rungrado 1st of May Stadium | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| 2 | 99,354 | Camp Nou | Barcelona, Spain |
| 3 | 94,736 | FNB Stadium | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 4 | 90,000 | Wembley Stadium | London, England |
| 5 | ~88,500 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, USA |
| 6 | 87,411 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 7 | ~87,000 | Estadio Azteca | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 8 | 86,000 | Borg El Arab Stadium | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 9 | 85,000 | Salt Lake Stadium (VYBK) | Kolkata, India |
| 10 | 83,186 | Santiago Bernabéu | Madrid, Spain |
Just outside the ten sit Germany’s Signal Iduna Park (81,365) and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024), which occasionally hosts football but is primarily a cricket and Australian rules venue, so it falls outside a strict soccer ranking.
Why these capacities keep changing
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 all-seater safety rules no longer permit. Salt Lake Stadium’s fall from about 120,000 to 85,000 is the clearest recent example. As a result, current lists reward newer seated stadiums and reshuffle whenever a venue is expanded or downsized — the Camp Nou rebuild alone could reorder the top two within a couple of seasons. 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest soccer stadium in the world?+
By seated capacity it is the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, credited with roughly 114,000 (North Korean sources claim 150,000). Because it is a multi-purpose arena used for mass games and athletics as well as football, many rankings instead crown Barcelona's Camp Nou as the largest venue built specifically for the sport. Both figures dwarf the rest of the leaderboard.
What is the largest dedicated football stadium?+
Barcelona's Camp Nou is widely regarded as the largest ground built specifically for football, with a capacity of 99,354 before its current rebuild. That renovation is running until 2027 and targets about 105,000 seats. Until it fully reopens the stadium is operating at reduced capacity, but once complete it would reclaim its title as the biggest club football ground in the world.
What is the biggest soccer stadium in the United States?+
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, at around 88,500, is the largest venue in the United States regularly used for major soccer, having hosted the 1994 men's and 1999 women's World Cup finals. Several NFL stadiums also stage soccer at capacities above 80,000, including MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the host of the 2026 men's World Cup final.
Which stadium has hosted the most World Cups?+
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is the only stadium to host three men's World Cup tournaments — 1970, 1986 and 2026 — and it staged both the 1970 and 1986 finals. Its capacity, long cited near 87,000, is dropping to roughly 83,000 after its remodel for 2026, and it carries a sponsor name for the tournament, but the venue itself remains one of football's most historic grounds.
Why is the Rungrado stadium left off some football rankings?+
Two reasons. First, it is a multi-purpose arena built primarily for North Korea's choreographed mass-games spectacles and athletics, not a football-first ground, so purists compare it against other convertible bowls rather than club stadiums. Second, it sits in a closed country where independent verification is difficult, which is why its capacity is quoted anywhere from about 114,000 to 150,000 depending on the source.
What was the biggest football crowd ever recorded?+
The 1950 World Cup final at Brazil's Maracanã drew an estimated 199,000 to 200,000 spectators, the largest football crowd on record, when standing terraces were still permitted. Modern all-seater safety rules make such numbers impossible today, which is why current capacity lists reward newer seated stadiums and why grounds like Salt Lake Stadium hold far fewer than they once did.
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