Innocent BenjaminWith football fans returning to Premier League games in controlled droves following the sudden, unfortunate and unwelcomed hiatus brought about by the covid-19 pandemic, many viewers are interested in finding out which are the biggest football stadiums in England .
This excitement and positive palpitations are not limited to fans of the beautiful games as even the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, expressed his exuberant enthusiasm to England potentially hosting the delayed Euro 2020 and the forthcoming 2030 World Cup,
“We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030,” the PM said. “I do think it’s the right place. It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.”
With the population of England being one of the largest in Europe, the country has marked that number with the largest base of soccer fanatics in the world. The EPL generates over £2 billion to the UK government alone and over £600 million of that amount is generated from fans within the stadiums for live matches.
This intense and iron-willed passion has instigated clubs to extend the capacity of their stadiums, with even clubs deficient of major trophies such as Tottenham, West Ham and Everton, taking the charge.
So if you are visiting the UK today or are an indigene of this independent island, here are the biggest football stadiums in England by capacity.
Biggest Football Stadiums in England
10. Villa Park – 42,785
The last club on our list of biggest football stadiums in England is the historically rich Villa Park. The structure located in Birmingham, England, was inaugurated in 1897.
It has a capacity for 43,000 spectators (currently being expanded to accommodate 51,000 spectators) and is the official home ground of Premier League side, Aston Villa.
9. Stadium of Light – 49,000
The Stadium of Light is a football stadium located in the city of Sunderland, in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear in northeast England. It serves as the home stadium for Sunderland Association Football Club, making it the only structure on this list of biggest football stadiums in England currently not in top-flight football. It is also a UEFA elite stadium, a certification which allows them to host European competition finals.
8. St James Park – 52,401
The St James’ Park is a football stadium located in the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, belonging to the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear in the North East of England in the United Kingdom. It is the home stadium for Newcastle United Football Club, one of the league’s sleeping giants.
7. Anfield – 54,074
Anfield is a stadium located in the homonymous district, in the city of Liverpool. The stadium was built in 1884 and was the home of Everton Football Club until 1892, the year the club left after an economic disagreement. Since then the stadium has been the home of Liverpool Football Club, a team formed after Everton’s departure from Anfield.
It is an elite category stadium according to UEFA criteria and has hosted numerous international matches at professional level, including crunch ties involving the English national football team. The building was also used during the 1996 Euro Cup.
The stadium comprises four grandstands: The Kop, Main Stand, Centenary Stand and Anfield Road. The record attendance of 61,905 was set in 1952 in an FA Cup match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers. This milestone took place before seats were installed for each spectator in the venue. The installation of seats was carried out following the recommendations of the Taylor report.
Along with ranking with one of the biggest stadiums in the world, Anfield is noted for having arguably the most charged ambience and atmosphere in European football.
6. Etihad Stadium – 55,000
The City of Manchester Stadium, known since 2011 as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium located in the city of Manchester, which is the official stadium of Manchester City. It was originally designed for Manchester’s failed bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Ultimately, the stadium was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games at a cost of £110 million. Following the completion of the games, the stadium was converted into a soccer field and became the regular home of Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City left their old Maine Road ground in 2003, signing a lease whereby they could play their home games at the City of Manchester Stadium for 250 years.
The stadium is oval in shape, with two tiered stands surrounding the entire pitch and a third tier on both sides of the stadium with a capacity for 55,097 spectators. On October 4, 2006 it was announced that it would host the 2008 UEFA Cup final.
5. London Stadium – 60,000
The London Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in the British capital. It was the host stadium for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is located inside the London Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley. Construction of the stadium began on May 22, 2008. After the Olympic Games, it was restricted to sit 60,000 spectators for football, and from the 2016/2017 Premier League season it became the new home of West Ham United Football Club, who were leaving the Boleyn Ground stadium. In 2017 it hosted the World Athletics Championships.
As well as being one of the biggest stadiums in England, the oval-shaped structure historically hosted the first regular-season U.S. Major League Baseball game in Europe, to a sellout crowd.
4. Emirates Stadium – 60,260
The Emirates Stadium is a football stadium located in the Holloway neighborhood of the city of London, England. With a capacity of 60,260 people, it is one of the biggest football stadiums in England. It is owned by Arsenal Football Club of the Premier League.
It was inaugurated in the summer of 2006 in a friendly match between Arsenal Football Club and Ajax Amsterdam as a tribute to Dutch legend, Dennis Bergkamp. The stadium was constructed as the new ‘Arsenal stadium’ to replace the old Highbury Stadium, in which a residential complex has now been built, respecting the exterior facade and the green areas of the field.
The stadium was designed by the HOK Sport company, which also designed the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon and the New Wembley Stadium. Its name comes from a 15-year contract since 2006 with Emirates Airlines. In 2007 Sevilla played their first UEFA Champions League game at the Emirates Stadium.
3. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – 62,062
A piece of art constructed to reflect the meteoric growth that Tottenham has experienced in recent years, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a sports venue located in the city of London, England. It was inaugurated in April 2019. Built on the same site as its predecessor, White Hart Lane, it has a capacity for 62,062 spectators, ranking it has one of the biggest football stadiums in England. It is also the youngest stadium on this list.
The stadium was officially inaugurated on April 3, 2019 in a match between Tottenham and Crystal Palace on Match Day 31 of the Premier League. Spurs winger, Son Heung-min, scored the first official goal in the history of the venue at the 55th minute before Christian Eriksen secured the 2-0 win in the 80th minute.
2. Old Trafford – 76,100
Old Trafford is a football stadium located in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, in the North West region of England, and the home of Manchester United.
With a capacity of 76,100, it is the largest club football stadium in the UK, and the 11th largest in Europe. Nicknamed “The Theater of Dreams” by Sir Bobby Charlton, Old Trafford has been the home of United since 1910.
The stadium underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, including the addition of new levels to the North, West and East bleachers, almost returning the stadium to its original capacity of 80,000. The stadium’s record attendance was documented in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town.
The stadium has played host to FA Cup semi-finals, England matches, matches in the 1966 World Cup, Euro 1996 and the 2003 Champions League Final, as well as the Super League Grand Final of the League of rugby and the final of two Rugby League World Cups. It also hosted soccer matches at the 2012 Olympics, including international women’s soccer for the first time in its history. Not only is the Manchester-based monument one of the biggest football stadium in England, it is also one of the richest historically.
1. Wembley Stadium – 90,000
A no-brainer. The legendary Wembley is the biggest stadium in England by a sizeable difference. The new Wembley, as it is now called, is home to the England football team.
It annually hosts the FA Cup, the English League Cup and the Community Shield finals, hence the traditional phrase “We are going to Wembley.”
The edifice replaced its eponymous old stadium in 2002 in a rebuilding and expansion project that cost 757 million pounds. Immediately after completion, the glorious piece of architecture featured in well-received horror movie, 28 Weeks Later. In addition, it was the temporary home of Tottenham Hotspur while White Hart Lane was being demolished and the club’s new stadium was under construction. It is currently the headquarters of the English Football Association and the biggest football stadium in England.
Biggest Football Staudims in England
1. Wembley Stadium – 90,000
2. Old Trafford – 76,100
3. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – 62,062
4. Emirates Stadium – 60,260
5. London Stadium – 60,000
6. Etihad Stadium – 55,000
7. Anfield – 54,074
8. St James Park 52,401
9. Stadium of Light 49,000
10. Villa Park 42,785
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