11 Biggest Football Stadiums In the World

Have you ever wondered what the 11 biggest football stadiums in the world are? Here’s your chance to find out.

The first sport stadiums can be tracked back to Ancient Greece and the Olympic Games. The Romans, as they did with many other things, took the concept from the Greeks and improved it for their gladiator games and chariot races. This resulted with the Coliseum, a huge amphitheater that could sit between 50,000 and 80,000 people and is regarded as one of the wonders of the world.

Modern football stadiums have few things in common with the Coliseum, but at the same time they are much more than just sport arenas. Apart from playing area and bleachers placed on multiple terraces that can accommodate upward of 100,000 fans (our 11 biggest football stadiums in the world average 100,931), they contain luxury boxes for VIP visitors, dedicated press section and large scale amenities, like toilets, to service such huge crowds. They cost a fortune to build and maintain and not many teams can afford such home venues. If you want to know which one can, you can check it out in our the 10 most profitable US sports teams list . The bigger the stadium also means the bigger crowd of fans that will offer their supports for their team when playing at home.

One of the most curious facts about this list, at least to the non-Americans, is that it doesn’t contain a single professional NFL team. All of the 11 biggest football stadiums in the world belong to NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) university teams. In fact, this list would have to be expanded to 16 in order to include a single NFL stadium (MetLife in New York, the home of New York Giants and New York Jets). This is the result of American fascination with college sport and football. While many countries have some sort of university sport competitions, none can rival NCAA. It is by far the largest and the most profitable college sport association in the world. There are more than 650 football teams competing in NCAA football section. This list is the proof of popularity college football enjoys in the United States.

Most of these stadiums are located near or on campus grounds. They may seem excessive, but once you consider how many students and employees these universities have, the seating numbers seem much more logical. For example, University of Michigan has more than 43,000 students, plus some 25,000 employees. It isn’t even the largest university on our list. Pennsylvania State University has almost 100,000 students.

While some of them may not have big enough campuses to fill their stadiums, they draw their attendance from their entire state. For instance, the Crimson Tide is the most popular sport team in Alabama and people will gladly travel hundreds of miles to see them on their home turf. That is the kind of passion that drove the construction of all 11 biggest football stadiums in the world.

11. Rose Bowl

Located in Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl can accommodate 92,542 UCLA Bruins fans. It also hosts annual Rose Bowl Game.

10. Sanford Stadium

Home of the Georgia Bulldogs can sit 92,746 people and is located in Athens, Georgia. It is named after Dr. Steadman Vincent Sanford.

9. LA Memorial Coliseum

LA Memorial Coliseum is the largest stadium in Pac-12 division with 93,607 seats. It is the home turf of University of Southern California Trojans.

8. Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium

With 100,119 seats, Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium is the second biggest Texas stadium. With that much support, it is no wonder Texas Longhorns won 78% of home games in 2014.

7. Bryant–Denny Stadium

Home of the Alabama’s favorite sport team, Crimson Tide, Bryant–Denny Stadium has a capacity of 101,821. That’s more than the entire population of Tuscaloosa where the stadium is located.

6. Tiger Stadium

Affectionately called Death Valley, Tiger stadium is known as one of the worst stadiums for visiting teams in NCAA. It can sit 102, 321 LSU Tiger fans. Legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant once said that playing on Tiger Stadium felt like being inside a drum.

5. Neyland Stadium

Neyland stadium could once sit 104,000 people, which would make it number 4 on our list of biggest football stadiums in the world. In 2006 however, it was toned down to its current capacity of 102,455. It is the home of University of Tennessee football team, Tennessee Volunteers.

4. Kyle Field

The fourth on our list and the biggest stadium in Texas is Kyle Field, with capacity of 102,500. Texas A&M Aggies call it their home.

3. Ohio Stadium

Nicknamed The Horseshoe due to its original U shaped design, Ohio Stadium has a capacity of 104,944. It is mostly used for Ohio State Buckeyes home games, but it is also one of the most visited concert grounds in the United States.

2. Beaver Stadium

Named after James A. Beaver, governor of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1891, Beaver Stadium is the home of Penn State Nittany Lions. It can accommodate 107,282 people.

1. Michigan Stadium

The biggest football stadium in the world is the home of Michigan Wolverines, Michigan Stadium. With the capacity of 109, 901, it is the second largest stadium in the world, justifying its nickname the Big House.