Biggest soccer stadiums in the world: Largest arenas by capacity including Mexico's Estadio Aztec

Biggest soccer stadiums in the world: Largest arenas by capacity including Mexico’s Estadio Aztec originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Whether you call it football or soccer, the world’s game has been packing stadiums for well over a century.

Estadio Azteca has been part of that story since long before this World Cup, and in 2026 it made history as the first stadium ever to host three separate men’s World Cups, following 1970 and 1986.

Even at 87,523 seats, though, the Azteca isn’t close to the biggest soccer venue on the planet.

The Sporting News has identified the largest venues from around the globe, both specific to the sport of football and beyond, along with the biggest crowds the game has ever drawn.

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Biggest football stadiums in the world

Below are the top 10 stadiums around the world where the primary occupant is a soccer club or national team.

The list excludes venues that primarily host other events, such as cricket’s Narendra Modi Stadium in India, and it leaves out the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, which is used mostly for athletics and mass games, along with NCAA stadiums in the United States that have hosted occasional soccer matches, like Michigan Stadium and Ohio Stadium.

No.VenueCapacityLocationKnown For1Camp Nou99,354Barcelona, SpainFC Barcelona2FNB Stadium94,736Johannesburg, South AfricaSouth Africa national team3Misr Stadium93,940New Administrative Capital, EgyptEgypt national team4Wembley Stadium90,000London, EnglandEngland national team, FA Cup5Lusail Stadium88,966Lusail, QatarQatar national team, World Cup 2022 final6Estadio Azteca87,523Mexico City, MexicoMexico national team, World Cup 20267Bukit Jalil National Stadium87,500Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaMalaysia national team8Borg El Arab Stadium86,000Alexandria, EgyptEgypt national team9Estadio Monumental85,018Buenos Aires, ArgentinaArgentina national team, River Plate10Salt Lake Stadium85,000Kolkata, IndiaIndia national team, Mohun Bagan

Camp Nou tops the list, and its number is only going up. Barcelona’s home is mid-renovation, currently operating at a reduced capacity while construction finishes, but it’s on track to reach roughly 105,000 seats once complete, which would make it the biggest club ground in the world.

MORE: El Tri’s incredible record at fortress home in Mexico City

How big is Estadio Azteca?

Estadio Azteca holds 87,523 fans, good for No. 6 on the football-specific list and the largest true soccer stadium anywhere in North America. It opened in 1966, built ahead of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and once held well over 100,000 fans for the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals before later renovations trimmed capacity down for safety.

Sitting 2,240 meters, about 7,220 feet, above sea level, it’s also the highest-elevation stadium to host a World Cup match since 1986. That altitude has been a quiet advantage for Mexico for decades: the ball travels further, opposing players fatigue faster, and recovery between sprints takes longer.

Where the Azteca truly stands apart is history. No other venue has hosted three separate men’s World Cups, a distinction that none of the stadiums ranked above it on the capacity list can claim.

Biggest sporting venues in the world

Football doesn’t regularly take place at the largest venues ever built. Cricket holds the top spot worldwide, and a handful of American college football stadiums follow close behind. Below are the five largest sporting venues on the planet used for something other than soccer.

No.VenueCapacityLocationBest Known For1Narendra Modi Stadium132,000 (114,600 seated)Ahmedabad, IndiaCricket, India national team2Rungrado 1st of May Stadium113,281Pyongyang, North KoreaAthletics, mass games3Michigan Stadium107,601Ann Arbor, Michigan, USANCAA football, Michigan Wolverines4Beaver Stadium106,572State College, Pennsylvania, USANCAA football, Penn State Nittany Lions5Ohio Stadium102,780Columbus, Ohio, USANCAA football, Ohio State Buckeyes

Largest soccer crowds in history

Most football-primary venues don’t rank among the biggest stadiums in the world, but that hasn’t stopped the sport from drawing some of the largest crowds in sports history. On occasion, clubs and national teams have played showcase matches at massive multi-purpose venues that pulled in historic attendance figures.

The Maracana Stadium in Brazil, which has an official capacity of 73,000 today, actually holds the nine largest official attendances in football history, most of them from decades ago when unticketed fans regularly stormed the gates. A similar situation played out often at Hampden Park in Glasgow and at the 1923 FA Cup final at Wembley, still the record crowd in English football.

There’s also real debate about the single largest crowd ever. Some in Brazil claim a 1963 derby between Flamengo and Fluminense drew more than 194,000 fans, but Guinness World Records officially credits the 1950 World Cup finale between Brazil and Uruguay with the top spot. Reported figures of 150,000 for a 1980s North Korea vs. South Korea match and a 1985 Indonesian league game are excluded here, since both numbers are widely disputed.

RankStadiumAttendanceMatchDate1Maracana Stadium173,850Brazil 1, Uruguay 2 (1950 World Cup)Jul. 16, 19502Hampden Park149,407Scotland 3, England 1 (British Home Champ.)Apr. 17, 19373Salt Lake Stadium131,781East Bengal 4, Mohun Bagan 1 (Federation Cup)Jul. 13, 19974Santiago Bernabeu129,690Real Madrid vs. AC Milan (European Cup)Apr. 19, 19565Wembley Stadium126,047Bolton 2, West Ham 0 (FA Cup final)Apr. 28, 1923