The world's ten biggest permanent-seat stadiums, led by a 132,000-seat cricket colossus in India.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, is the largest sports stadium in the world, with 132,000 seats. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang is second at 113,281 seats and Michigan Stadium third at 107,601. The ranking uses official permanent seating capacity, as compiled in Wikipedia's List of stadiums by capacity, as of September 2026.
From a 132,000-seat cricket cauldron in Ahmedabad to the brick-and-steel cathedrals of American college football, the world's largest stadiums are defined by a single number: permanent seating capacity. Temporary bleachers and record crowds are stripped out — this list ranks the venues by the seats they actually have. College football dominates the ranking — eight of the ten biggest stadiums on Earth are on American campuses, where 100,000-plus Saturdays have been a tradition for a century.
The largest stadium on Earth by nearly 19,000 seats. Built for 132,000 on the site of the old Sardar Patel Stadium (demolished in 2015), it reopened in 2021 and hosted the 2023 Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia.
The second-largest stadium in the world — and the largest outside India and the United States. Opened in 1989 for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, it is listed at 113,281 seats (often rounded to 114,000) and hosts the Arirang mass games.
The largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, nicknamed the Big House. It opened in 1927 with 72,000 seats and drew an NCAA-record crowd of 115,109 for the 2013 Notre Dame game.
Second-largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere. Its official capacity of 106,572 was set after the 2001 expansion and a 2011 accessibility adjustment, though big-game crowds routinely exceed it — the record 111,030 came against Ohio State in November 2024.
The Horseshoe opened in 1922 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At 102,780 official seats it is the largest stadium in Ohio and one of the most recognizable silhouettes in college football.
Home of the 12th Man, redeveloped into a 102,733-seat venue in the 2015 rebuild. Its record crowd of 110,633 came against Ole Miss in 2014, and it hosted the largest ticketed concert in US history (George Strait, June 2024).
Death Valley opened in 1924 with roughly 12,000 seats and grew over a century into a 102,321-seat giant — the largest stadium in Louisiana and one of the loudest night-game venues in college football.
Named for General Robert Neyland in 1962, this 101,915-seat venue opened in 1921 and set its record crowd of 109,061 in 2004. It is the largest stadium in Tennessee.
Texas' 100,119-seat home opened in 1924 and reached six figures after the 2021 south end zone expansion enclosed the bowl. Its record crowd of 105,215 came against Georgia in October 2024.
Alabama's 100,077-seat fortress opened in 1929 and was renamed for coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1975. Its record crowd of 101,821 has been reached 52 times — most recently against LSU in November 2019 — the smallest gap between capacity and record on this list.
| # | Name | country | location | opened | sport | tenant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narendra Modi Stadium | India | Ahmedabad, Gujarat | 2021 | Cricket | India national cricket teams; Gujarat Titans (IPL) |
| 2 | Rungrado 1st of May Stadium | North Korea | Pyongyang | 1989 | Association football; athletics; mass games | North Korea national football team |
| 3 | Michigan Stadium | United States | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 1927 | American football | Michigan Wolverines |
| 4 | Beaver Stadium | United States | University Park, Pennsylvania | 1960 | American football | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 5 | Ohio Stadium | United States | Columbus, Ohio | 1922 | American football | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 6 | Kyle Field | United States | College Station, Texas | 1927 | American football | Texas A&M Aggies |
| 7 | Tiger Stadium | United States | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 1924 | American football | LSU Tigers |
| 8 | Neyland Stadium | United States | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1921 | American football | Tennessee Volunteers |
| 9 | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium | United States | Austin, Texas | 1924 | American football | Texas Longhorns |
| 10 | Bryant–Denny Stadium | United States | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 1929 | American football | Alabama Crimson Tide |
Ranked by maximum permanent seating capacity — the number of spectators a stadium can normally accommodate, including permanent standing areas, per the International Stadium Building Convention. Capacities are taken from the official figures stated by the stadium or its primary tenant (as compiled by Wikipedia's "List of stadiums by capacity"). Inclusion: active stadiums currently serving competitive sports; temporary seating and one-off record attendances are excluded; race tracks (e.g., Indianapolis Motor Speedway) are excluded by convention; closed or defunct venues are excluded. The top 10 are those with the highest such figures; Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024) is the first venue outside the cut.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, at 132,000 seats. It passed every other venue on the planet when its rebuilt structure opened in 2021, and it hosted the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor (107,601 seats), known as the Big House. It is the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere; eight of the world's ten largest stadiums are US college football venues.
Permanent, regular capacity — the number of spectators the stadium can normally accommodate, including permanent standing areas, per the International Stadium Building Convention. Temporary seating and one-off record crowds don't count, which is why record attendances (e.g., 111,030 at Beaver Stadium) often exceed the official capacity.
Yes, but it wouldn't change the top 10: the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 100,024 would be #11. Race tracks like Indianapolis Motor Speedway are excluded by convention — this list covers stadiums only.
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