What are the largest football stadiums in Europe? Which club has the best soccer stadium on the European continent, and what is the capacity?

You know, Europe is the headquarters of club football and the epicentre where the most money is generated. This is because of the increased sponsorship from public and private investors on football teams and their leagues.

Also, Europe is more like the base where passionate fans are willing to support their clubs till the end. This and more is behind the continued increase in developing the best sporting facilities.

Here, it is more of a competition. The bigger and more attractive stadia is, the better the revenue for the club and investors. So improved stadia facility increases the likelihood of more return on investment.

On the field of play, a better stadium means an improved standard of play and good results. Also, the quality of broadcasts tends to be better in suitable stadia than in old-fashioned stadiums.

Generally speaking, Europe has continued to deliver entertaining football to fans worldwide. This is due to investments in various areas, including playing staff, tv coverage and improved stadium facilities.

Largest football stadiums in Europe 2023

10. Old Trafford – 74,140

André Zahn, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

The Old Trafford, located in Greater Manchester, is the largest Premier League stadium in England. It has a capacity of 74,140 seats and is home to Manchester United.

The stadium remains one of the most famous venues in the world. Manchester United is a global brand with fans all over the world. Old Trafford is one of the most visited sporting facilities in Europe.

The stadium is also used for other sporting activities and social events like concerts, anniversaries, weddings, Christmas parties and business meetings.

Read: Top 10 Biggest Stadiums in England

9. Allianz Arena – 75,000

Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

The Allianz Arena, also known as Fußball Arena München, is the second biggest football stadium in Germany behind the Signal Iduna Park. It has a seating capacity of 70,000 for international matches and 75,000 for domestic competitions.

The Allianz Arena is one of the finest stadiums in Europe, which has inflated ETFE plastic panels at the exterior, that changes colour. The Allianz Arena is one of the most visited in Europe.

Added to the list of UEFA Category 4 stadiums, the Allianz Arena hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final and expectedly to stage to Champions League 2025 Final.

The stadium features a partial roof covering all seats, upper, middle and lower-tier seats, business seats, press room, luxury boxes, FC Bayern Munich Megastore, restaurants etc. The club’s Museum, the RFC Bayern Erlebniswelt, sits inside the Allianz Arena.

MORE: Biggest football stadiums in Germany

8. Atatürk Olympic Stadium – 75,145

Валерий Дед, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Atatürk Olympic is an all-seater stadium in Istanbul. It is the largest-capacity stadium in Turkey. It has a seating capacity of 75,145.

The stadium was built for the 2008 Olympic Games, which went the way of Beijing. It was subsequently added to the list of UEFA Category 4 Stadiums and hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final.

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium featured the best technical facilities like modern speaker systems and 1,400 lux illumination. Other features include private-view lodges, bars, first-aid, etc.

The Stadium is also configured to host music concerts and Tours.

7. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro) – 80,018

D7ckon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as the San Siro, is one of the most famous football stadiums in Europe. It is home to two city rivals, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

The San Siro has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the biggest stadiums in Europe and the biggest in Italy.

The stadium is a UEFA category four stadium selected by the continent’s football governing body. It was one of the venues for the 1934 and 1990 FIFA World Cups. It was also one of the venues for the UEFA European Championship in 1980.

The San Siro continues to be a centre of attraction considering that Milan is a famous city globally. It has continued to host top music concerts since the 1980s.

AC Milan and Inter Milan are two of the best teams in the Italian league. AC Milan and Inter Milan have won the Série A and Champions League.

MORE: Biggest football stadiums in Italy

6. Stade de France – 80,698

Zakarie Faibis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Stade de France is the biggest football stadium in France and one of the finest in Europe. The French Men’s National Team adopted it for its home matches.

The Stade de France has a seating capacity of 80,698, making it the seventh-largest stadium in Europe. It is a multi-sports stadium that allows other sporting activities like track and field events rugby to be hosted.

The Stade de France is listed as a Category 4 stadium by UEFA. It has hosted top competitions, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2006, etc.

In the domestic scene, the stadium is the venue for the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue (now defunct), and Trophée des Champions.

Interestingly, the Stade de France has a movable stand that can be retracted to uncover part of the athletics track. Its roof was designed to cover every spectator without obstruction.

The Stadium is also used for other social activities like music concerts.

5. Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex – of 81,000

T3ru, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Luzhniki Stadium is the national stadium of Russia, which is the biggest stadium in the country. It has a seating capacity of 81,000, making it the fifth-largest football stadium in Europe.

Considered a UEFA Category 4 stadium, it has hosted major football competitions, including the UEFA Champions League final in 2008. It was the main stadium of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In the domestic scene, Luzhniki is the main venue for the Russian Cup and home ground for the Russian Men’s National Team. It is also a hub for major music concerts and Tours since 1983.

MORE: Biggest football clubs in Russia ranked

4. Santiago Bernabéu – 81,044

Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Santiago Bernabéu is the home of the most successful team in Europe, Real Madrid. It is the second biggest stadium in Spain.

The Bernabeau has a seating capacity of 81,044. It is also a UEFA Category 4 stadium used for major European club football finals like the Champions League and Super Cup. The Bernabeau is one of the world’s most famous football venues.

The Santiago Bernabéu is currently one of the finest football stadiums in Europe. The newly dubbed ‘The Digital Stadium’ consist of a 360-degree scoreboard, new heating system, retractable roof, car park, new mega fan shop, etc.

MORE: Biggest football stadiums in Spain

3. Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion) – 81,365

Dmitrij Rodionov, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Westfalenstadion, officially called the Signal Iduna Park, is the biggest football stadium in Germany with 81,365 spectators.

The Signal Iduna Park is home to German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. It is known for the intense atmosphere and intimidation for visiting teams.

There’s a section at the Westfalenstadion known as the Yellow Wall, famously known as the epicentre of opponents intimidation as Dortmund fans sing and chant to motivate the players on the pitch.

The Signal Iduna Park is also a UEFA Category 4 stadium. The 81,365 seating capacity is reserved for domestic matches) while 65,829 is for international competitions.

2. Wembley Stadium – 90,000

Ian Wilson from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Wembley Stadium is the national stadium of England. It is the largest stadium in the United Kingdom with a seating capacity of 90,000 and the second largest in Europe behind Camp Nou.

Located in London, it is a UEFA Category 4 stadium used for major English domestic finals like the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield.

Wembley also serves as the headquarters of the Football Association (the FA).

Apart from football, it has hosted boxing bouts, American football matches, Rugby union matches and the Summer Olympics. Other social events like music concerts are also held in the stadium.

Wembley is one of the finest in the country. It has two partially retractable roof structures over the east and west ends of the stadium. The construction cost was £798 million.

1. Camp Nou – 99,354

Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Camp Nou is the largest football stadium in Europe. It has a capacity of 99,354 seats and is home to FC Barcelona.

Barcelona has hosted La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League matches and enjoyed the best crowd support.

Barcelona, the largest city in Catalonia, the Camp Nou is one of the most visited Sporting facilities on the European continent through the Stadium Tour program.

The construction cost of Camp Nou was valued at €1.73 billion. The club boast of having one of the highest annual turnovers from ticket sales.

The stadium was selected to host some of the matches during the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Apart from football, it has hosted social activities like Music Your and concerts.

Other notable mentions

11. Olympiastadion

12. Millennium Stadium

13. Stadio Olimpico

14. NSC Olimpiyskiy

15. Baku Olympic Stadium

16. Wanda Metropolitan

17. Gazprom Arena

18. Stade Vélodrome

19. Puskás Arena

20. Estadio da Luz

Famous European football clubs and their stadiums

• Real Madrid

Real Madrid is the most successful European football club. The Los Blancos won the first five editions of the European Cup, now known as the Champions League.

Real Madrid is a global brand with millions of fans worldwide and has consistently attracted a large crowd every year.

In 2020, the club announced it would begin the renovation works on the stadium with plans to install modern facilities like never seen before.

The new Bernabéu dubbed the Digital Stadium’ is expected to increase the club’s annual turnover for the coming years.

Apart from football, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, upon completion, would host concerts, meetings, anniversaries and more. It would also have retractable turf to protect the playing surface.

• Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the famous teams on the European continent. The club is also the biggest in the Premier League.

United have consistently drawn fans from all over the world to the famous Old Trafford, sometimes referred to as the Theater Of Dreams.

• Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich is the best football club in Germany with record national league and domestic Cup titles. The Munich based club is also Germany’s most successful football club Internationally, having won the Champions League, Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, etc.

Bayern Munich plays its home games at the Allianz Arena, which has an inflated ETFE plastic panel on its exterior. The Allianz Arena is the first stadium globally with full colour changing the cover.

The beauty of the Bayern Munich Stadium is much appreciated in the night as it can be seen glowing with different colours, predominantly red and white and rainbow colour combinations.

• Barcelona

FC Barcelona is the second most successful Spanish football club behind Real Madrid. The Blaugrana are the owners of Camp Nou, the biggest football stadium in the world by seating capacity.

Camp Nou has been behind Barcelona’s revenue generation as it attracts thousands of fans every matchday.

• Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain plays its home games at the Parc des Princes which is one of the famous football venues in the world.

PSG is ranked among the biggest football clubs in Europe, with a large fan base in North America. Each year, the Parc des Princes continues to attract people from all over the world who visit during games and stadium tours.

• Signal Iduna Park

Borussia Dortmund’s safe heaven is one of the famous football venues in Europe. It is known for its intimidating atmosphere.

The Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund is the largest football stadium in Germany. It is also one of the most visited sporting facilities in Europe.

Borussia Dortmund is the second most successful team in Germany. The club contests the Der Klassiker, the biggest rivalry in the country.

• Tottenham Hotspur New Stadium

Architecture at its best, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium is one of the best modern football stadiums in the world. It is ranked the third-largest stadium in England, with a seating capacity of 62,850.

The Hotspur New Arena is a multi-purpose stadium. It features the world’s first dividing, retractable football pitch, which reveals a synthetic turf field underneath for NFL London Games, concerts and other events.

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