The Largest Football (Soccer) Stadiums In The World

The North Korean Rungrado May Day Stadium has a seating capacity of 114,000, making it the largest one in the world.

Football or soccer is the held to be the most popular sport in the world. It has simple rules and few essential types of equipment that make it possible to be played almost anywhere like in the beaches, streets, parks, gymnasium, and school grounds. According to the world’s football governing body FIFA, there were about 250 million soccer players and more that 1.3 billion people who had an interest in the sport in 2000. In 2010 FIFA world cup, there were more than 3.2 billion audiences watching football on television. In world cup 2014 FIFA generated more than $1.7billion in broadcasting rights. Therefore, football or soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world that transcends race, culture, gender or age. It has been referred as the game that unifies humanity. In order to qualify on our list, a stadium has to be primarily used for football (soccer) games. The list does not include NFL stadiums.

The 3 Largest Stadiums by Capacity

Rungrado May Stadium

Rungrado May Stadium is the largest football stadium in the world found in Pyongyang, North Korea. It has the capacity of 114,000 spectators. Its construction was completed in 1989, and it is used mainly for soccer matches, some athletic events, and mass games. It has a roof that features 16 curves that are arranged like a ring and has a floor space of around 2.2 million ft squared and a roof peak of over 197 ft from the ground.

Camp Nou

Camp Nou, of Barcelona, Spain, is the second largest football stadium in the world. Since 1957, this stadium has been the home of the Barcelona FC. It has a seating capacity of 99,354 and the largest football stadium in Europe. It has hosted many popular sports such as the 1992 Olympics, and finals of the UEFA Champion Leagues. The stadium took a span of three years to be constructed at a cost of around 288 million pesetas.

FNB Soccer City Stadium

Found in Johannesburg, South Africa , FNB Soccer City is the largest football stadium in Africa, and the third largest stadium in the world with a seating capacity for 94,736 fans. Besides, it is located next to the headquarters of the South African Football Association. The stadium staged and hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between Netherlands and Spain. The stadium featured the last public appearance of Nelson Mandela during the final closing ceremony of the world cup. In 1990, it became famous for the first speech of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg immediately after his release from prison.

Importance of Football

Football plays a significant role in promoting international relations between countries because of its popularity over the world. For instance, the International Olympic Committee has more than 200 member countries, more than the total number of UN member states that has 192 member countries. Further, football plays a vital role in impacting international relations as it brings together people all over the world through media and technology, where people sit and watch major football matches such as FIFA World Cup at the same time.