Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Every self-respecting football fan knows a lot about the specifics of such matches and will confidently say that the stadium plays an important role here. And if we are talking about giants among sports arenas in football, then these are no longer just stadiums, but sports complexes that have become legendary, whose fame was brought not only by their impressive size. Your attention is the rating of the largest and most famous stadiums in the world in football.
Steel giants of football: the top 10 largest stadiums in the world
| Nomination | a place | stadium | capacity, people | rating |
| Steel giants of football: the top 10 largest stadiums in the world | 10 | Luzhniki, Russia | 81 000 | 4.1 |
| 9 | Borg El Arab, Egypt | 86 000 | 4.2 | |
| 8 | 'Maracanã ', Brazil | 87 101 | 4.3 | |
| 7 | 'Bukit Jalil ', Malaysia | 87 411 | 4.4 | |
| 6 | 'Azteca' (Estadio Azteca ), Mexico | 87 523 | 4.5 | |
| 5 | Wembley , UK | 90 000 | 4.6 | |
| 4 | Soccer City, South Africa _ | 94 736 | 4.7 | |
| 3 | 'Camp Nou', Spain | 99 354 | 4.8 | |
| 2 | 'Salt Lake' (Saltlake ), India | 120 000 | 4.9 | |
| 1 | 'May Day Stadium', DPRK _ | 150 000 | 5.0 |
Luzhniki, Russia
Rating: 4.1
Capacity: 81,000 people
Moscow city
The largest stadium in Russia is rightfully considered the country's sports pearl. Created more than half a century ago (in 1956), this huge sports complex hosted the famous 1980 Olympics: it was from it that the symbol of this large-scale event – the Olympic bear – flew into the sky. Located not far from Vorobyovy Gory, the capital complex was built in record time – only 450 days, and it was officially opened with a friendly match between the national teams of the Soviet Union and China.
The football stadium has seen a lot in its lifetime: it hosted the match of the century for Russian football between the national teams of Russia and FIFA, the UEFA Cup and Champions League finals, and more recently, in 2018, the Luzhniki Stadium was honored to host the final of the world football championship.
During 1995-1996, large-scale reconstruction works were carried out at the stadium, including the repair of the stands, replacement of the field covering and the installation of a fixed roof. After the completion of the work, the capacity of the Luzhniki stadium decreased from 101,000 to 81,000 people. In 1997, UEFA included the Moscow stadium in the list of 5-star football stadiums in Europe.
Borg El Arab, Egypt
Rating: 4.2
Capacity: 86,000 people
City: Borg El Arab
Located in the resort of the same name (near Alexandria), the stadium is the largest in the country and is deservedly considered the second largest on the continent. Opened a little over a decade ago (in 2007), this sports complex has rapidly burst into the ranking of the largest football arenas in the world. The country's national team fights here.
The main motivation for the construction of this grandiose sports facility was the participation of Egypt in the world football championship in 2010. The stadium is justly proud not only of its 'size', but also of hospitality: it can offer about 200 hotels to accommodate guest football teams. In addition, within the perimeter of the Borg El Arab, there are impressive jogging tracks that are used for international sports competitions in the summer.
'Maracanã', Brazil
Rating: 4.3
Capacity: 87101 people
City: Rio de Janeiro
The 'first stone' of the construction of this grandiose stadium was laid back in 1950 – on the eve of the World Cup, but the work was finally completed 15 years later. A record 200,000 people came to the final match of the world football championship to support their team in the fight against Uruguay in 1956.
In the history of this famous sports complex, once the largest in South America, there were several attendance records, as well as large-scale reconstruction work carried out in 2000 and 2007 for the final matches of the football world championship. The result was the installation of seating in absolutely all stands.
For the second World Cup final in its grand history, Maracana prepared very thoroughly: before the 2014 World Championship and the Olympic Games, the stadium underwent significant changes (large-scale renovation works were carried out). The home arena of Brazilian national teams of all ages is distinguished not only by its 'freshness' appearance, but also by one unique feature: a water moat is located between the field and the spectator stands.
'Bukit Jalil', Malaysia
Rating: 4.4
Capacity: 87411 people
City: Kuala Lumpur
The largest stadium in Malaysia is the permanent venue for the country's football championship and part of the national sports complex. Another young participant in the rating 'saw the light' back in 1998: it was built specifically for the Commonwealth Games (sports competitions held between the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations).
The stadium is proud of its achievements: in 2007, it was one of the main football arenas of the Asian Championship and hosted 7 matches, including a duel between the national teams of Iraq and South Korea, which fought in the semi-final. It should be noted that the capacity of the Malaysian stadium is significantly increased with the introduction of additional (standing) seats – up to 110,000 people. Within the framework of the Asian football championship, the famous British club Manchester United visited the sports arena twice.
'Azteca' (Estadio Azteca), Mexico
Rating: 4.5
Capacity: 87,523 people
City: Mexico City
The largest sports arena in the country and the only football arena in the world at the moment, where the two final matches of the world football championships were held. It was here that Diego Maradona sent two of his famous goals that became significant in his career: the goal of the century and the hand of God. In addition, the stadium has hosted many major international competitions and is ready to host the next one: it was honored to be the sports arena of the World Cup in 2026.
But these are not all the events that one of the highest mountain stadiums in the world can boast of (located at an altitude of more than 2 km above sea level): it hosted the iconic 1970 football match, called the 'Match of the Century'. Azteca has some design features. For example, it cannot be called tall when viewed from the outside (the secret is that the playing field is located 9 m below the street). Another 'highlight' in the location of the arena relative to the sun: its rays cross the stadium field perpendicularly. Thus, both teams fighting on the field are on an equal footing.
Wembley, UK
Rating: 4.6
Capacity: 90,000 people
City: London
Opened in May 2007, Wembley Stadium is the successor to the iconic stadium of the same name. The new Wembley has become one of the most expensive in the world, given the total cost of upgrading it (including transport infrastructure). Thus, the amount spent on the renovation of the legendary world arena became no less legendary, and amounted to about 1 billion pounds sterling (more than 1 billion dollars).
Initially, only the reconstruction of the old complex was really supposed, but the local authorities, together with the developer company, came to the conclusion that it was easier to demolish the old building and rebuild a new one. If we talk about the peculiarities of the old stadium, then one cannot fail to note 2 majestic twin towers. The renovated football arena, however, has its own special feature: the 134 m high Wembley Arch. This massive structure is considered the longest single-span roof structure in the world.
Soccer City, South Africa _
Rating: 4.7
Capacity: 94,736 people
City: Johannesburg
Soccer City is the largest stadium on the African continent and the hospitable host of the final match of the 2010 World Cup between Spain and the Netherlands. The arena, opened in 1989, was radically renovated to host this particular sports tournament.
It is noteworthy that the original name of the stadium sounds completely different: First National Bank Stadium, and this sports complex bears the name 'Soccer City' during the period of tournament matches under the auspices of FIFA. The stadium has one more (already unofficial) name – 'Calabas'. He received such a nickname due to the similarity in its shape with a bottle pumpkin.
In addition to its main purpose – the venue for football matches, the Football City stadium also became in 2012 a kind of stage for the world music star – Lady Gaga, who gave a concert in the capital as part of her tour 'The Born This Way Ball'. And a year later, the arena fell to be the place of farewell of the country's residents to the former president of the country – Nelson Mandela, who at one time became a cult personality and a great fighter for human rights.
'Camp Nou', Spain
Rating: 4.8
Capacity: 99 354 people
City: Barcelona
The largest stadium in the country and also the largest in Europe, Camp Nou has been a multiple venue for European and world football championships. In addition, the Camp Nou is a true sanctuary for the iconic Spanish team of blue garnet – Barcelona.
Opened in 1957, the sports arena was called FC Barcelona Stadium for many years, and only 43 years later it received its present name. The iconic stadium is the venue for not only sports competitions, but also significant musical performances. On his field, Frank Sinatra, U2, Michael Jackson and many others performed their hits for fans.
In 2007, large-scale renovation work began, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the stadium, beloved by many fans of the country. 80 architects entered an incredibly heated competition for the right to realize their project. The winner was the British company Foster and Partners, known for the construction of a new 'version' of another famous sports arena – Wembley.
'Salt Lake' (Saltlake), India
Rating: 4.9
Capacity: 120,000 people
City: Kolkata
The three-tiered sports arena, also known under another name ('Indian Youth Stadium'), is considered the largest in the country and the second largest in the world with an area of more than 309 thousand square meters. It is the venue for the largest national tournaments, the traditional arena for the games of the strongest football clubs in India and a venue for large-scale cultural events.
Inaugurated in 1984, the capital's stadium stands out for a number of features: it has a unique synthetic running track, special lifts for VIPs visiting VIP sectors, perfectly matched peripheral lighting, and its own diesel generator and water supply system. By the way, it was in this sports arena that the former player of the German 'Bayern' – Oliver Kahn spent his last match.
'May Day Stadium', DPRK _
Rating: 5.0
Capacity: 150,000 people
City: Pyongyang
The largest football stadium in the world is located, oddly enough, in a country, in fact, far from football. The construction of this huge arena was timed to coincide with the 13th National Festival of Youth and Students. The design has a unique feature: it is presented in the form of a circle, above which there are 16 arched elements, connecting in the center so that a kind of magnolia flower is obtained.
And, although the sports arena is indeed used for football matches, which periodically take place here, its main purpose is the 'Arirang' holiday. For two months a year, massive colorful performances are held here in honor of the birthday of the iconic Korean leader Kim Il Sung.
This sports arena is also known for its sad events: after the generals' conspiracy against the former leader of the DPRK was exposed in the 90s, the culprits were executed by burning directly at the main stadium of the country.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
