Which cities have the highest number of sporting stadiums around the world? Stadiums are venues or places with tiers of beautifully arranged seats for spectators to watch events, either track or field events. Stadiums are now more than just sports grounds. People also use them for outdoor events, musical shows and concerts, and other recreational gatherings. It is a roofless structure as opposed to an arena that is always enclosed. Arenas are generally smaller than stadiums. Some stadiums even have casino grounds to play Australian casino games if you don’t want to play online.
At some point in life, it is the dream of every young and old to attend concerts hosted in a stadium or to watch a Cup Final between two football clubs. There are thousands of stadiums across the world in different countries. Some countries have more stadiums than others, and these stadiums have different capacities, i.e. the number of seats available for people to occupy for any event.
Highest Number of Sporting Stadiums Around the World
Size Matters
In the sports world, the stadiums with the most extensive capacities are often used for more prominent match fixtures, such as the UEFA Champions League Final or the World Cup Final. Likewise, most mainstream artists who cannot host shows in arenas due to space often use big stadiums for their concerts in the music industry. However, even in countries with many stadiums, they are still more common in some cities than in others.
Although, you often find out that the city with the highest number of stadiums in a country is that country’s capital. Cities that have a higher number of stadiums always host league matches between different official clubs. The clubs are registered under a sports body, and they host matches in different stadiums. These clubs own some stadiums while some are the official stadiums of the country, and they can be used for any special event.
In this article, we want to consider cities worldwide that have the highest number of sporting stadiums. Such cities are:
- Buenos Aires
- Beijing
- Mexico City
- Seoul
- Athens
- London
Let’s go into details about the number of stadiums in the cities, the capacities, and the biggest stadiums in those cities. Ready? Let’s start!
1. London (22)
The first on the list is the famous city and the capital of England, London. The city is at the forefront of the world’s commercial and financial centres, and it is widely recognized for its passion for sports. New stadiums are always built while the old ones increase in capacities. London is often referred to as the ‘world capital of football.’ It is speculated that London might be able to host a World Cup tournament in some years to come. Apart from the official stadiums, London has lots of small arenas that can host minor events.
The most extensive sports ground in London is Wembley stadium. It is the home for the England national team. It has a capacity of 90,000. Wembley was opened in 2007, and it replaced the old Wembley. It is also the most prominent music venue in England. Over the years, events hosted in the stadium have been the talk of the town, ranging from music to football and even sports generally. It is the second-largest stadium in Europe after Nou Camp in Barcelona, Spain. Wembley hosts the FA cup every year, and it has hosted a World Cup final and some UCL finals. The second biggest stadium in London (in terms of capacity) is Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal Football Club. It has a 76,000 seat capacity. Other big stadiums in London are Stamford Bridge (owned by Chelsea FC), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (owned by Tottenham Hotspur), etc.
2. Buenos Aires (19)
The second on the list is Buenos Aires, the capital of the South American country, Argentina. It is the most popular city in the country and is located on the continent’s southeastern coast. Buenos Aires means ‘good airs’ or ‘fair winds.’ Being the most populous city in the country, they have the best structures for different purposes, ranging from commercial buildings to sports arenas. In Buenos Aires, there are 19 different sports grounds you can visit. The city has long dominated the Argentine football leagues because you can find bigger clubs than anywhere else.
The biggest stadium in Buenos Aires is El Monumental, owned by River Plate Club. It has a capacity of 70,000 seats. It was formerly called Estadio Monumental. This stadium was opened on May 26, 1938 (83 years ago), and the record attendance ever since was over 100,000. It was a match between River Plate and Racing Club in 1975. The stadium got renovated a year ago. This particular stadium hosted the 1978 World Cup final between Argentina and the Netherlands. It has also hosted four Copa America finals which the recent one in 2011.
Some other big stadiums in Buenos Aires are Estadio Presidente Peron (owned by Racing Club), La Bombonera (owned by Boca Juniors), etc. These stadiums have over 50,000 seat capacity. However, the pitch in the Boca Juniors stadium is the smallest required according to FIFA regulations.
3. Beijing (16)
The next on the list is an Asian city, Beijing, China. Beijing is the capital of China, and it is the most populous capital city in the world, with over 20 million residents. It is located on the northern side of the country. It is one of the world’s leading centres of politics, technology, business, diplomacy, and culture. There are many tourist centres in the city, including the beautiful sports arenas where various musical and sports events are hosted. Sport is trendy in Beijing, and the most popular ones are soccer, cycling, basketball, and swimming.
The biggest stadium in Beijing is the national stadium, also known as the Bird’s nest.
It is located at the Olympic Green, and it has an 80,000 seat capacity. It is an entire roofless building where the eastern and western stands are taller than the northern and southern stands. The stadium was initially designed for a capacity of 100,000 people, but due to some renovation and design, several seats were removed, reducing the stadium’s capacity to 80,000. The stadium has hosted lots of ceremonies, athletic events, and football finals of the Olympics. It also hosted the 2008 summer Paralympics. Other big stadiums in Beijing are Workers Stadium, Olympic Sports Centre, Liuzhou Sports Center, etc.
4. Mexico City (13)
Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is another city with a large number of stadiums. Mexico City is the most populated in North America, and it is one of the global financial and cultural centres. The city has over 21 million residents, according to the recent census conducted. The most popular sport in the city is football, followed by baseball, basketball, and boxing. In addition, it has dozens of sports grounds where the citizens can host track and field events, musical concerts, and significant occasions. Mexico City hosted the Summer Olympics in the year 1968, the first-ever hosted in Latin America.
Estadio Azteca is the biggest stadium in Mexico City. It is the home stadium of the Mexico national team with a capacity of 87,000 seats. This stadium is one of the most iconic in the world, and it holds the record of being the first to host two World Cup finals. The first was in 1970 where Brazil defeated Italy 4 – 1, while the second was in 1986, where Argentina defeated Germany 3 – 2. In the second World Cup final, the Argentine legend Diego Maradona scored the famous ‘Hand of God goal,’ which was also the Goal of the century.
Other big stadiums in Mexico City are Estadio Azul, Estadio Olimpico Universitario, etc.
5. Seoul (12)
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is another city widely known for sports such as football and basketball. They have several stadiums where these sports are played. The official league in the city is the K-League. Seoul is the 16th world’s largest city with a population of 9.7 million people. As of May 2017, about 70% of this population declared their love for sports, making their favourite sports viral.
The biggest stadium in Seoul is the Seoul Olympic stadium. The sports ground, with a 69,900 seat capacity, was formerly called Jasmil Olympic stadium. It was built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. It was initially built to contain 100,000 seats before being reduced to its current capacity. The stadium was officially opened on September 29, 1984. This stadium was the home soil for the Korea Republic national team before the Seoul World Cup stadium. Seoul World Cup Stadium is the second biggest in the city, with a 66,700 seat capacity. The stadium was one of the venues for the 2002 World Cup, 2007 U-17 World Cup, and the venue for the 2013 AFC Champions League final.
6. Athens (11)
Athens, the largest city and the capital of Greece, is one of the world’s oldest cities. Athens alone harbours about 35% of the population in Greece. It is the center of economic, political, industrial, and cultural life in Greece. The national sport in the city is football, and basketball seconds it as it has increased its popularity since the 80s. The national team qualified for its first World Cup final in 1994 and won the European Championship 10 years after.
The biggest stadium in Athens is the Olympic Stadium. It was originally designed in 1980 and built in the next two years. It has a 75,000 seat capacity. So many artists in the 80s and 90s did their tours, concerts, and shows in the stadium. The stadium also hosted the UCL final in 2007 between Liverpool and AC Milan, the 1994 UCL final between Barcelona and Milan, and some other historical events. But there are other stadiums in the city that have hosted some important events in the past.
Conclusion – Cities with the Highest Number of Stadiums
There are lots of stadiums in other cities around the world, such as Sydney (New South Wales), Istanbul (Turkey), Cairo (Egypt), Madrid (Spain), Tokyo (Japan), and many more. Some of these stadiums have hosted the World Cup tournament that takes place every four years. Some other stadiums have hosted the UEFA Champions League final too. Mainstream artists have sold stadiums’ capacities to host shows for their fans worldwide in the music industry. In years to come, these cities will build more stadiums with larger capacities to host more significant events that cannot be hosted in smaller sports grounds.
