Going to watch the football on matchday is almost always an unforgettable experience, made even more special with the buildup of fan atmosphere, pre-match excitement – and, of course, the sheer magnitude and beauty of the stadium.
Football boasts an incredible roster of impressive stadiums and grounds, and sometimes, the utter immensity of them can be overwhelming.
Certain stadiums are as iconic as the clubs and teams that they host, with the England national team 's home of Wembley Stadium in London and Barcelona's Camp Nou one of the most famous and historic in the world.
Goal rounds up the world's biggest stadiums in terms of seating capacity, counting down from the top 20.
Top 20 largest stadiums in the world
You might be surprised to learn that the world's largest stadium is North Korea's Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, otherwise known as the May Day Stadium.
North Korean officials claim that the stadium supposedly has a capacity of 150,000 people, but its real capacity is under 114,000. Even so, it is still the world's biggest venue by a few thousand.
The May Day Stadium's first event was the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. It also hosted the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang.
Other notable stadiums include Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, followed by Barcelona's home of Camp Nou.
South Africa's FNB Stadium, which hosted several 2010 World Cup games including the final, also makes the top 10, followed by California's Rose Bowl and London's Wembley Stadium.
| Rank | Stadium | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rungrado 1st of May Stadium | 114,000 | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| 2 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 100,024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| 3 | Camp Nou | 99,354 | Barcelona, Spain |
| 4 | FNB Stadium* | 94,736 | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 5 | Rose Bowl | 90,888 | Pasadena, California |
| 6 | Wembley Stadium | 90,000 | London, England |
| 7 | Estadio Azteca | 87,523 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 8 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | 87,411 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 9 | Borg El Arab Stadium | 86,000 | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 10 | Salt Lake Stadium | 85,000 | Kolkata, India |
| 11 | ANZ Stadium | 84,000 | Sydney, Australia |
| 12 | MetLife Stadium | 82,500 | East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| 13 | Croke Park | 82,300 | Dublin, Ireland |
| 14 | Signal Iduna Park | 81,365 | Dortmund, Germany |
| 15 | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis, France |
| 16 | Santiago Bernabeu | 81,044 | Madrid, Spain |
| 17 | Luzhniki Stadium | 81,004 | Moscow, Russia |
| 18 | Shah Alam Stadium | 80,372 | Shah Alam, Malaysia |
| 19 | Estadio Monumental "U" | 80,093 | Lima, Peru |
| 20 | San Siro | 80,018 | Milan, Italy |
*FNB Stadium became the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,736, though, its maximum capacity during the 2010 World Cup was 84,490 due to allocated seating for the press and other VIPs members.