What is the biggest football stadium in the world? Big crowds are what creates electrifying atmospheres with all the noise, the chants and the tension.
Biggest Football Stadiums
Not all the biggest football stadiums have hosted World Cup matches. Some stadiums will even surprise you where they are in less traditional footballing nations. Let's take a look at the 10 biggest football stadiums in the world.
10. Salt Lake Stadium, India – 85,000
The biggest stadium in India was once the biggest stadium in the world with a capacity of 120,000. Its capacity has gradually shrunk to the 85,000 capacity stadium that it is today.
Officially called the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium, it was built in 1984 and is home to India's national football team as well as I-League teams ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan.
The stadium has famously hosted Bayern Munich and Oliver Kahn's farewell match, as well as an Argentina friendly featuring Lionel Messi.
📝 FUN FACT: Lionel Messi made his debut as the captain of Argentina with a 1-0 win over Venezuela [Goal: Nicolás Otamendi, Assist: Lionel Messi] on 2nd September, 2011 before thousands of delirious fans in a 120,000 capacity Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, India. 🇮🇳🐐🌟 pic.twitter.com/hix7yS6Mnd
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) December 19, 2020
9. Borg El Arab Stadium, Egypt – 86,000
The second largest stadium in Africa was built to help Egypt’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to host the 2010 World Cup which was awarded to South Africa.
Borg El Arab has played host to FIFA competitions such as the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. It's also the home base of the Egyptian national team as well as two Egyptian Premier League teams Smouha SC and Al Ittihad.
A panoramic view of the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria ahead of the Egypt vs Ghana game. Wow! 86,000 fans. #WCQ2018 #SSFootball pic.twitter.com/3pT18SD1H0
— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) November 13, 2016
8. Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Malaysia (87,411)
Bukit Jalil National Stadium was built to host the 1998 Commonwealth Games which took place in September of that same year. The stadium has served mostly as the home ground of the Malaysian national team.
The stadium is also often used to host major tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games and the ASEAN University Games. Premier League giants Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have headlined matches at Bukit Jalil during preseason tours.
#LFC defender @jon_flan93 on Malaysia and playing at the huge Bukit Jalil Stadium: http://t.co/nhx7nkJt3f #LFCTour pic.twitter.com/R2fBdbJLUd
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 18, 2015
7. Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico – 87,523
The Estadio Azteca is one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world and has hosted memorable events including the 1986 FIFA World Cup, 1968 Summer Olympics, and one of the greatest moments in football history - the “Hand of God” goal by Diego Maradona against England in a 1986 World Cup quarter-final match.
The stadium is the biggest in Mexico and has even played host to events such as a Micheal Jackson concert. The Estadio Azteca is the home of the Mexican national team as well as Liga MX clubs Cruz Azul and Club America.
Estadio Azteca might be one of the best views in sports 😍 pic.twitter.com/epYgPuls24
— B/R Football () July 31, 2020
...I'll be back tomorrow with part two!
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.