It can’t be said that no human on earth hasn’t done a sporting activity before, whether for competition or not. For instance, everyone runs at certain times; you’ve already done a sporting activity by running. Sport is very popular all over the world as it is enjoyed by both viewers and athletes who perform these sports for money or a prize. There are so many kinds of sports, for example, football, cricket, basketball, tennis, the list can go on and on, but our main focus in this article will be on the most watched and popular sport, football.
Football is so popular that it is watched and participated in by people all over the world on all continents. It is a sport that doesn’t have an age limit; both children and adults can participate and watch it. You can evidently see its popularity in schools all over the world as there is hardly a school you will enter that there isn’t a football field present and also on the streets where you see lots of kids, adults and youths troop out of their homes to play football every day. Football is said to be a ‘Magical sport.’ This article will give you a rundown of the world’s Top 10 biggest football stadiums.
Top 10 Biggest Football Stadiums in the World
1. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium – 114,000
The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is the biggest stadium in the world, having the largest seating capacity of 114,000. It is located in Pyongyang city, North Korea. Aside from football, the stadium hosts several sporting activities and is sometimes used for public gatherings. It is the home stadium for the North Korea Men’s and Women’s football teams. The stadium was opened in the year 1989 and was the main venue for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students.
2. Azadi Stadium – 100,116
This stadium is rated second when talking about the world’s biggest football stadiums, with a seating capacity of 100,116 seats, just 13,884 seats less than the Rungrado stadium. It is located in the city of Tehran, Iran. The stadium is the home stadium for Iran’s National football team and two Iranian clubs, namely Esteghlal FC and PC. Its construction started in 1970 and was completed in 1973.
3. Camp Nou stadium – 99,354
This stadium is popular as it is the home stadium of the famous Barcelona FC. It has a seating capacity of 99,354. It is located in Barcelona, Spain. This stadium has been used for Barcelona FC football matches, FIFA World Cup matches, UEFA champion league matches, and Olympic Games. Its construction started in 1954 and was completed in 1957.
4. FNB stadium (The Calabash) – 94,736
The FNB stadium is ranked number four in the world’s biggest stadium and is the number one biggest stadium in Africa. The FNB stadium has a seating capacity of 94,736. It is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the home stadium of South Africa’s National football team and a South African football team, Kaizer Chiefs.
Its construction started in 1986 and was completed in 1989. FNB Stadium is also called ‘Soccer City’ or ‘the Calabash.’ The stadium gets its calabash name from its design which is said to resemble an African calabash. The stadium hosted both The African Cup of Nations and the FIFA World cup in 2010.
5. Rose Bowl Stadium – 92,800
The Rose Bowl Stadium has a seating capacity of 92,800. It is located in California, United States. It is one the most popular soccer stadiums in the US, and it often gets its name from hosting the Rose Bowl American Football game. The stadium has been used for both Men’s and Women’s FIFA world cup, plus the Olympic Games and US football federation matches. Its construction started in 1921 and was completed in 1922. The stadium is now mostly used for American football games.
6. Wembley Stadium – 91,000
The Wembley Stadium has a seating capacity of 91,000, just 1800 less than the Rose Bowl Stadium. It is located in England, London and it is the home stadium of England’s National football team. Its construction started in 2002 and was completed in 2007. It hosts England league matches and has hosted an Olympic game before.
7. Estadio Azteca 87,573
The Estadio Azteca has a seating capacity of 87,573. It is located in Mexico City, Mexico. It was opened in 1966 and has hosted FIFA World cup matches and other Mexican club matches. It is the home stadium of the Mexican National football team and two Mexican clubs, namely Club America and Cruz Azul. This stadium gets its popularity from the history that was made in it; it was in this stadium that Maradona’s so-called “Hand of God” was done. The Estadio Azteca’s construction started in 1961 and was completed in 1966.
8. Bukit Jalil National Stadium – 87,411
This stadium has a seating capacity of 87,411. It is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was built to host the 1998 commonwealth games that took place in Kuala Lumpur. It is also used for Malaysian club matches and has hosted certain English clubs during their pre-season tours. It is the home stadium of the Malaysia National football team. Its construction started in 1892 and was completed in 1995.
9. Lusail Iconic Stadium – 86,000
This stadium has a seating capacity of 86,000. It is located In Lusail, Qatar. This stadium is the home stadium of the Qatar National football team. Its construction started in 2017 and was completed in 2021.
The stadium was launched on 9 September 2022 with the Lusail Super Cup between Al Hilal and Zamalek being the first competitive game to be played there. It will also host the 2022 fifa world cup with about 10 world cup games to be played there.
After the 2022 FIFA world cup, there are plans in place to reduce the seat capacity of the stadium to 40,000. By then, we will know if Lusail Iconic Stadium deserves to be on the list of the biggest stadiums in the world which will depend on if they go through with it.
10. Borg El Arab Stadium – 86,000
This stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in the world with a capacity of 86,000. It is located in Alexa, Egypt in Africa. It is the home stadium of the Egyptian National football team and two other Egyptian football clubs, Al Ittihad and Smouha. Its construction started in 2005 and was completed in 2007; it hosted Egyptian international games.
11. Salt Lake Stadium
The Salt Lake stadium has a seating capacity of 85,000, and it’s located in Kolkata, India. It was initially opened in 1984 with 20,000 seats, but since then, it has gone through two renovations, increasing its seating capacity and overall size. It’s the biggest stadium in India; there was a time when it could accommodate 120,000 people. However, the size was reduced following the 2017 renovation for the U-17 world cup.
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