Top Ten Highest Capacity Sports Stadiums
All of the top ten highest capacity sports stadiums in the world seat in excess of 100,000 people. These megaliths of architecture provide the environment for people to enjoy some of their favorite events in the world. From cricket, soccer, football, concerts, and even hockey, these stadiums have seen it all. Most of these stadiums started out from humble beginnings and continued to grow over time to continue to meet the needs of their eager fans. Here are the top ten highest capacity sports stadiums in the world:
10
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne, Australia
Capacity: 100,018
Built: 1854
Up until the 70’s, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, referred to locals as “The G” crammed more than 130,000 people into its seats. Since then it has actually shrunk in size. Occupational health and safety legislation now limits the maximum seating capacity to 95,000 with an additional 5,000 permanent standing area seats. Melbourne Cricket Ground is by far the oldest stadium on this list. The original grandstand was built using nothing but wood. Since then it has come a long way and has gone through a number of modern renovations.
9
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Austin, Texas
Capacity: 100,119
Built: 1924 (originally)
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this time it proves to be true. Not only is the Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium one of the largest stadiums in the world, it is also home to one of the largest video displays in the world. Colloquially it is referred to as Godzillatron. The gigantic scoreboard measures 81 feet tall and 136 feet wide with a pixel resolution of 2064 x 848. When it was installed in 2006 it was the largest high-definition screen in the world. Since then it has been surpassed by a larger screen located in Tokyo. It certainly compliments the massive screen at Cowboys Stadium nearby.
8
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Capacity: 101,821
Built: 1929 (originally)
Bryant-Denny Stadium is the resident stadium of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team at the University of Alabama. When the stadium first opened in 1929 the original capacity was only 18,000 people. Since then it has been expanded literally ever decade excluding in the 70’s. It is also home to one of the best home winning records of any stadium in collegiate athletics. Between 1929 and 2012, The Crimson Tide owns a 224-52-3 all-time record. If the last couple of seasons are any indication of where the program is heading, they will have no problem making that record even more extraordinary.
7
Ohio Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Capacity: 102,329
Built: 1922 (originally)
Ohio Stadium popularly nicknamed “The Horseshoe” because of its shape, opened in 1922 as replacement for Ohio Field. The official capacity of the stadium is listed as 102,329, but crowds exceeding 105,000 are quite common. Over the years Ohio Stadium has been a popular concert venue too. It has hosted U2, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Pink Floyd among many other acts. Unlike most modern stadiums, Ohio Stadium does not have any permanently fixed field lights. When there are night events, temporary lighting is brought in to illuminate the field. At the north end of the stadium there is a giant rotunda which was designed to look similar to the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.
6
Neyland Stadium
Knoxville, Tennessee
Capacity 102,455
Built: 1921 (originally)
Neyland Stadium is the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team. It is named after the famous University of Tennessee football coach Robert Neyland. In addition to hosting the Volunteers, it has on more than one occasion been the location of NFL exhibition games. Even since its early days, Neyland Stadium has been a place of stories and rich history. When the stadium was being built, the funding ray out and sat unfinished temporarily. Ultimately, the student and faculty helped finish the construction of the stadium. Most amazingly of all they did so in a 2-day period and the stadium ended up being finished ahead of schedule.
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5
Estadio Azteca
Mexico City, Mexico
Capacity: 105,000
Built: 1966
Estadio Azteca was originally built to host the 1968 Summer Olympics football (soccer) final game. Today’s its primary use is for the Mexico national football team and the Mexican club Club America. It is also the only stadium to have hosted the FIFA World Cup Finals on two separate occasions. During the off season it is used for a variety of political and religious events. In 199, John Paul II made an appearance at the stadium. Possibly the best thing about this stadium is its affordability. As of 2012 you can get a ticket for as little as 150 pesos, which based on the current conversion rate is about $12.50. The stadium’s name pays tribute to the Aztec heritage of Mexico City.
4
Beaver Stadium
State College, Pennsylvania
Capacity: 106,572
Built: 1960 (originally)
Only marginally smaller than Michigan Stadium, Beaver Stadium is the second largest sports stadium in the United States. It is home to the Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions football team. Beaver Stadium has a reputation of being one of the hardest places for opposing teams to play at. In 2008, the school was voted as having the best student section in the country. As an interesting side note, Beaver Stadium was the first stadium to have its interior included in Google Street View. Over the years the stadium has been expanded several times in order to accommodate the ever-growing number of fans.
3
Michigan Stadium
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Capacity: 109,901
Built: 1927 (originally)
Know as “The Big House”, Michigan Stadium is the largest sports stadium in the United States. When it was originally built it had a seating capacity of 82,000, which was still exceptionally large considering it was built in the 20’s. It was expanded several times throughout its history with the first expansion taking place in 1949, then in 1955, then 1992, 1998, and the last expansion occurring in 2010. Luckily the original designers of the stadium predicted it would need to be expanded over time and designed it in such a way that adding additional seats would be somewhat easy. The stadium is primarily used for the Michigan Woverines football team, but is also used for the university’s lacrosse team, and as crazy as it sounds, the hockey team.
2
Salt Lake Stadium
Kolkata, India
Capacity: 120,000
Built: 1984
Salt Lake Stadium is located in Salt Lake City, a district of Kolkata, India. The stadium features 3 distinct seating tiers and is mainly used for athletic events, football (soccer), in particular. The stadium hosts the home games of local clubs Mohun Bagan A.C, East Bengal F.C., Mohammedan S.C., and Prayag United S.C, which are four of the largest clubs in India. The stadium is so large that the floodlights that illuminate the field at night contain 624 2 kW bulbs. The scoreboard uses 36,000 25 watt bulbs.
1
Rungrado May Day Stadium
Pyongyang, North Korea
Capacity: 150,000
Built: 1989
The massive Rungrado May Day Stadium located in the capital city of North Korea was built a little over 20 years ago in 1989. The design of the stadium is supposed to resemble a blossom flower about to bloom. During a wrestling match in 1995 over 190,000, including ground seating, people crammed into the stadium to watch spectacle. It is currently primarily used for football (soccer) matches and a few other athletic matches. The stadium was named after the Rungnado Islet in the Taedong River on which it sits.
Source of Facts: Wikipedia
Featured Image: Flickr by (Stephan)