10 Biggest Stadiums in the U.S.

What is the biggest stadium in the United States?​

For everything from college football to arena concerts, thousands of people find reasons to pack into sports stadiums across the country. But just how many people can the biggest stadiums in the U.S. hold? Amazingly, some of these facilities reach record-breaking capacities on game days — holding populations larger than some cities. Wondering where these large arenas are? We’ve got the list!

The biggest stadiums in the United States

Here are 10 of the largest stadiums in the United States, based on the official capacity numbers from the institutions.

1. Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI. Known as “The Big House,” this college football arena holds 107,601 people, which is actually a 2,000 capacity decrease from 2015. They removed seats to allow for accessibility updates, but the renovation didn’t dethrone this stadium as the largest in the country.

2. Beaver Stadium, State College, PA. Home to the Penn State Nittany Lions, this stadium can hold 106,572 fans. It’s named after James A. Beaver, former Pennsylvania governor.  

3. Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH. This stadium, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, moved up on the list after renovations in 2016. The unique double deck horseshoe design currently holds 104,944 people, however, future plans will decrease seating in the fall of 2018.

4. Kyle Field, College Station, TX. A newcomer to the Top 10 list, Kyle Field expanded to hold 102,733 fans after a $485 million redevelopment in 2014-2015. It’s named after Edwin Jackson Kyle, who served as the dean of agriculture and president of the athletic council. He donated an area on the south side of campus to become the football field in 1905, and it’s been the home of Aggie football ever since.

5. Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN.  This stadium is not only used for the Volunteers football team, but also for large conventions and NFL exhibition games. The original stadium was built in 1921 and held just 3,200 people. After almost a century of renovations and growth, the current capacity is 102,455. The signature look on the field includes orange and white checkerboard end zones.

6. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA. Home to the LSU Tigers, “Death Valley” can have up to 102,321 fans on game day, when the stadium size makes it the third largest city in Louisiana. Perhaps the most notable game was the “Earthquake Game” in 1998, when the crowd’s reaction to a touchdown pass registered as an earthquake on the seismograph.

7. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL. This is the seventh-largest stadium in the U.S. with a capacity of 101,821. The visitor’s locker room is called “The Fail Room” after alumnus and donor James M. Fail. He chose the naming rights to that locker room so opponents had to prepare in The Fail Room before facing the Alabama Roll Tide.

8. Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX. Holding 100,119 Texas Longhorn fans, this is the largest football-only venue in Texas. It earned the eighth spot on the largest stadiums list after renovations in 2007 added 9,000 seats.

9. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA. 93,607 people can fit in this stadium, which is home to the USC Trojans. However, unlike the other college venues, this site is actually owned by the state of California, Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles. Along with hosting football games, it’s been home to Super Bowls, the Olympics, and the World Series, earning it a spot as a National Historic Landmark.

10. Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA. Rounding out the list of the biggest stadiums is the home of the Georgia Bulldogs, which has a capacity of 92,746 people. Games at the Sanford Stadium are said to be played “between the hedges” due to the privet hedges surrounding the field. The original hedges from 1929 were removed in 1996 to accommodate the 1996 Summer Olympics, but were replanted as soon as the event was over from cuttings of the original hedges.

That completes our list of the top 10 biggest stadiums in the U.S., but wait, there’s more! Below, you’ll find 15 more of the biggest sports venues in the country.

More of the largest stadiums by capacity

1. Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA — 92,542

2. Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX — 92,100

3. Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE — 90,000

4. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL — 88,548

5. Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL — 87,451

6. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK — 86,112

7. MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ — 82,500

8. FedExField, Landover, MD — 82,000

9. Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI — 81,441

10. Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN — 80,795

11. Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI — 80,321

12. Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC — 80,301

13. Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC — 80,250

14. AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX — 80,000

15. Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL — 79,560

What about the biggest stadiums in the world?

Wondering about even more stadiums? Here are a few facts about the biggest stadiums around the world:

• The largest stadium in the world is Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, located in Pyongyang, North Korea. It’s also known as May Day Stadium, named because it was completed on May 1, 1989.  It’s home to the Korea DPR national football team, which is a part of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). It has a total capacity of 114,000 people and covers 51 acres, also making it the largest stadium by area.
• The largest stadium no longer in use is the Great Strahov Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic. Its capacity was around 220,000. It now serves as a training facility.
• The biggest sports venue in the world is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located just outside of Indianapolis, IN. It hosts 257,325 fans for motor racing events.

Is your favorite stadium on the list? Which of these stadiums have you visited? Leave us a comment below!