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What is the biggest stadium in the world? See which have the highest capacity.

clare mulroy, usa today

Every two years, we watch Olympic athletes compete at some of the world’s largest sporting venues. This year, more than 10,000 athletes competed in the 35 venues designated for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium.

Created for the 1998 Football World Cup, the Stade de France has hosted World Athletics Championships, Rugby World Cups and a Euro Football Championship. It can seat more than 80,000 fans, according to the Paris Tourist Office.

But while the Stade de France’s seating capacity may sound gargantuan, it doesn’t even crack the top 10 list.

What is the biggest stadium?

Located in Pyongyang, North Korea, the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is the largest stadium in the world. It has 150,000 seats and a total floor area of over 2.2 million square feet. It stands eight stories high.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium – also known as the May Day stadium – was built with its overpowering size in mind. North Korea constructed the stadium in 1989 during the Cold War, just a year after South Korea hosted the Summer Olympics. Tensions between the North and the South caused the two nations to look for any opportunity to one-up each other. This resulted in North Korea creating an Olympics-style competition of its own, expanding a major airport and constructing new streets, a skyscraper and the May Day stadium, which cost $200 million to build, The New York Times reported.

However, it’s not the only stadium that can fit over 100,000 people. Here are the top 10 largest stadiums in the world and their capacities, according to the International Olympic Committee and official seating records:

  1. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium (Pyongyang, North Korea): 150,000

  2. Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad, India): 132,000

  3. Michigan Stadium (Michigan, U.S.): 107,601

  4. Beaver Stadium (Pennsylvania, U.S.): 106,572

  5. Ohio Stadium (Ohio, U.S.): 102,780

  6. Kyle Field (Texas, U.S.): 102,733

  7. Tiger Stadium (Louisiana, U.S.): 102,321

  8. Neyland Stadium (Tennessee, U.S.): 101,915

  9. Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama, U.S.): 101,821

  10. Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Texas, U.S.): 100,119

What is the largest stadium in the U.S.?

The largest stadium in the U.S. is Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s dubbed “The Big House” for a reason – the University of Michigan sports arena has a seating capacity of 107,601, making it the largest stadium in college football, in the U.S. and even in the entire western hemisphere. It was ranked No. 3 this year in an ESPN ranking of the best stadiums in college football, coming in behind LSU’s Tiger Stadium and UCLA’s Rose Bowl.

Aptly named "The Big House," Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the U.S. and the second-largest in the world.
Aptly named "The Big House," Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the U.S. and the second-largest in the world.

Here are the top 10 largest college football stadiums in the U.S., according to the NCAA:

  1. Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Michigan): 107,601

  2. Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pennsylvania): 106,572

  3. Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio): 102,780

  4. Kyle Field (College Station, Texas): 102,733

  5. Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana): 102,321

  6. Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee): 101,915

  7. Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama): 101,821

  8. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas): 100,119

  9. Sanford Stadium (Athens, Georgia): 92,746

  10. Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): 91,136

Though not technically stadiums, there are many U.S. motor speedways with seating capacities that rival the largest stadiums in the country. For example, the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, which has a “stadium-like structure,” has a spectator capacity of 162,000, according to NASCAR. The Texas Motor Speedway has a seating capacity of about 150,000 but has seen crowds of over 200,000, Texas Monthly reports.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest stadium in the world: Top 10 arenas with largest capacity