The 10 biggest club stadiums in world football | OneFootball

World football continues to grow and develop on a seemingly never ending scale, with stadiums ever increasing in capacity to fit the demand of the modern football fan.

Tottenham are the latest Premier League side to have moved into their fancy new ground, following in the footsteps of London rivals Arsenal and West Ham who moved into brand spanking new homes in recent seasons.

But just how to these grounds compare with world football’s largest stadiums? For the purpose of our list we’ve used stadiums that are primarily used for club football, excluding grounds solely used for national teams and essentially multi-purpose venues.

Here are the 10 biggest stadiums in world football by seating capacity..

10. Stadio Olimpico – Rome, Italy

Home to fierce rivals in the Italian capital, the ground has been shared by both Roma and Lazio since 1953.

It is the largest sports facility in Italy and plays host to the Italian Cup final, the Coppa Italia, each season.

Rebuilt for the 1990 World Cup hosted in Italy, it has a capacity of 72, 698 and whilst grounds with running tracks are often lamented, it can create quite the atmosphere.

9. Olympiastadion – Berlin, Germany

One of the most aesthetically pleasing stadiums on this list, the Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Olympics and has been home to Bundesliga side Hertha BSC since 1963.

Holding a capacity of 74,475, it is the largest stadium in the German capital and amongst Europe’s largest club venues. The stadium also hosts the final of the German Cup, the DFB-Pokal, each season.

8. Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium – Isfahan, Iran

A surprising inclusion on this list is the home of Sepahan FC of the Persian Golf League, who became the first Iranian side to reach the AFC Champions League final in 2007.

Their ground is the Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium, which has a capacity of 75,000, placing them eighth in our list of club football’s biggest stadia.

7. Allianz Arena – Munich, Germany

A truly outstanding piece of football architecture, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena is one of the great modern stadiums in world football.

A capacity of 75,024 is supplemented by the world’s first colour changing exterior, with ETFE plastic panels enabling the stadium to light up in club colours.

The venue hosted the 2012 Champions League final, which Bayern ironically lost on home soil to Chelsea.

6. Old Trafford – Manchester, England

Nicknamed ‘The Theatre of Dreams’, Manchester United‘s home ground has been home to stars such as George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The biggest club ground in England, Old Trafford has a capacity of 75, 731 and is regularly sold out by the club’s fanatical support.

Having hosted several England games during the development of the new Wembley, the stadium also hosted Milan’s penalty shoot-out victory over Juventus in the 2003 Champions League final.

5. Azadi Stadium – Tehran, Iran

The second Iranian inclusion on this list is the home of Esteghlal and Persepolis of the Persian Gulf Pro, with a capacity of 78,116.

The stadium also hosts games for the Iranian national team, having had a record attendance of over 128,000 for a World Cup qualifier against Australia in 1998.

4. San Siro – Milan, Italy

Also known as the Giuseppe Meazza, the largest stadium in Italy is shared between two European giants, with both Inter and AC Milan using the 80,018 capacity venue for their home fixtures.

Steeped in history, the venue hosted the Champions League final as recently as 2016. Sadly, there are plans for the iconic venue to be demolished and a replaced with a new stadium, which would prove a sad loss for world football.

3. Santiago Bernabéu – Madrid, Spain

Home to 13-times European Cup winners Real Madrid, the Santiago Bernabeu is one of the most formidable stadiums in world football.

It’s crowd are ever demanding of their beloved Real, with 81,044 ‘Madridistas’ urging their side on to victory. It’s steeped sides help create an amazing atmosphere, the ground having been chosen to host the Champions League final on four occasion, most recently in 2010.

2. Signal Iduna Park – Dortmund, Germany

More commonly known as the Westfalenstadion, Germany’s largest stadium is home to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

The club’s ‘Yellow Wall’ standing terrace is the largest of its kind for spectators in European football, housing 24,454 fans amongst an overall capacity of 81,365. Dortmund’s famed home ground may not be amongst the very largest Sports Venues in the World, although it is one that nearly every hardcore football fan would like to tick off their bucket list.

1. Camp Nou – Barcelona, Spain

The biggest ground in world club football and home to Spanish giants Barcelona, the Camp Nou remains one of the most iconic venues in the sport.

Home to the Catalan side since 1957, the stadium’s capacity has fluctuated over the years and has hosted many memorable occasions including World Cup fixtures and a European Cup final.

It’s capacity crowd, currently 99,354, has seen the ground be home to some true legends of the game, including the likes of Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.

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