Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Top 10 biggest sports stadium

#1 - Rungnado May Day Stadium (150,000 capacity)

Rungnado May Day StadiumThe monumental Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea was built in 1989 and seats a staggering 150,000 people. Resembling a blossom flower, it has 16 arches arranged in a ring. In 1995, an incredible 190,000 people crammed in for a professional wrestling event. It is not the only large stadium in Pyongyang - the Kim-Il Sung Stadium, with a capacity of 70,000, also resides there.

#2 - Salt Lake Stadium (120,000)

Rungnado May Day StadiumSalt Lake Stadium (officially known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Stadium of the Indian Youth) is located in Salt Lake City, a district of Kolkata in India. Built in 1984, the stadium boasts a capacity of 120,000 over a 3-tier construction and is mainly used for football and athletics events.

#3 - Estadio Azteca (114,465)

Estadio AztecaThe Azteca Stadium, located in Mexico City, comes in third on our list of the biggest stadiums in the world with an official capacity of 114,465 people. Used mostly for football matches, it is the home of the Mexico national team and Mexican club team America. It is the only stadium ever to host two World Cup final matches, in 1970 and 1986.

#4 - Michigan Stadium (107,501)

Michigan StadiumNicknamed "The Big House", this is the American Football stadium of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Built in 1927, it had an original capacity of 72,000 which has gradually increased over the years through various expansions, maintaining its position as the largest American Football stadium. A very popular stadium, it has incredibly not had a sub-100,000 attendance since 1975.

#5 - Beaver Stadium (107,282)

Beaver StadiumSmaller than Michigan Stadium by just 219 seats, Beaver Stadium is the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions and is located at the Pennsylvania State University. Assembled in its current location in 1960 with a capacity of just 46,284, Beaver Stadium went through numerous expansions until its most recent expansion in 2001 which brought it to its current capacity of 107,282.

#6 - Jornalista Mario Filho (103,045)

Estadio do MaracanaMore commonly known as the "Estadio do Maracana", the Jornalista Mario Filho stadium is a soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is difficult to pinpoint the stadium's exact capacity (it seats about 90,000 but also had an official attendance of 199,500 for the 1950 World Cup Final) but recent figures suggest they work to a safe capacity of 103,045. Owned by the State Government, it is mostly used by the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro including Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense.

#7 - Ohio Stadium (102,329)

Ohio StadiumWith numerous nicknames (The House Harley Built, The Horseshoe, or simply The 'Shoe), Ohio Stadium is the home of the Buckeyes American Football team at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Originally built in 1922 (having undergone numerous renovations over the years since then) the stadium officially holds 102,329, regularly achieving attendances of over 100,000 at Buckeye games. It also often hosts music concerts, when the stadium can seat up to 110,000.

#8 - Neyland Stadium (102,037)

Neyland StadiumAnother American football stadium, the Neyland Stadium serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team in Knoxville, Tennessee. While its current capacity stands at just over 102,000, the stadium did in fact hold 104,079 until a 2006 renovation when executive seating was installed. Over the years Neyland Stadium has been used to host large conventions and numerous NFL exhibition games.

#9 - National Stadium Bukit Jalil (100,200)

National Stadium Bukit JalilThe Bukit Jalil National Stadium lies 20km south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the National Sports Complex. Built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, construction work began in 1992 and was completed 3 months ahead of schedule. The stadium is now the home of the Malaysian football team and hosts a variety of sporting and non-sporting events, most notably the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

#10 - Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,000)

Melbourne Cricket GroundThere are numerous sports stadiums around the world that hold 100,000 (Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia; Azadi Stadium, Iran; Jawaharlal Stadium, India) but we have decided to highlight Melbourne Cricket Ground, due to its great history. The oldest of the stadiums on our list, it was built in 1853 with the first game of cricket played on 30 September 1854. Until the 1970s, up to 130,000 people could be crammed into the stadium - however renovations and safety regulations have since restricted the capacity to its current 100,000.

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