Largest Arena

The largest arena in the world is the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. It has a capacity of 160,000. The stadium is for the North Korean national football team.

Overview

The stadium was built in 1989 for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. Aside from football, the stadium is also used for athletics and the Mass Games. The stadium’s name is taken from the River Taedong where the stadium is located. It is also taken from May Day, the international day for workers.

The arena has sixteen arches aligned like a ring. The roof is scalloped. This gives the roof the appearance of a magnolia blossom or parachute.

The floor space is 207,000 m2 (2.2 million ft2). This is spread along 8 stories. The main pitch is 22,500 m2 (242,200 ft2). The roof lobes are 60 m (197 ft) over the ground.

Other Events Held at the May Day Stadium

The largest arena in the world is also the stage for events celebrating North Korea and its leader Kim Il-sung. This was also the venue where Kim Jong-Il welcomed then US State Secretary Madeleine Albright. In July 2002, the “Arirang” athletics and gymnastics show was held there. The participants numbered 100,000. Foreigners were allowed to watch.

The Top Ten Biggest Stadiums by Capacity

Second to the May Day Stadium in capacity is the Salt Lake Stadium. It has a capacity of 120,000. It is located in Kolkata, India. The venue is used for association football.

Michigan Stadium is at number 3 with a capacity of 109,901. The venue is in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US and used by the Michigan Wolverines football team. Beaver Stadium of State College, Pennsylvania is the fourth biggest. Home to Penn State Nittany Lions football, it has a capacity of 107,283.

At number five is Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It has a capacity of 105,000. The sixth spot is held by Neyland Stadium with a 102,455 capacity. It is in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The Ohio Stadium is at seventh place. It has room for 102,329 people. It is found in Columbus, Ohio. The eighth spot is occupied by Bryant-Denny Stadium. Its capacity is 101,821. This is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US.

The Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is the ninth largest arena in the world. Located in Austin, Texas, it has a capacity of 100,119. At tenth place is Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. The capacity is 100,018.