The United States is home to the world’s largest sporting arenas, boasting as many as eight 100,000-plus seater stadiums. Such is the religious following football enjoys in the US. These huge stadiums are filled to their capacity game in, game out.
It is, therefore, no surprise that many organizations are constantly seeking to partner with the American football community to push their brands to the hundreds of thousands of followers of the game.
Sports betting companies, particularly, have recently liked football in the US; many use the football route to promote their brands and offers. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel are now involved in American football in one form or another- little wonder their betting offers are considered amongst the most popular sportsbook bonuses in the United States.
The trend looks set to continue, with America increasingly embracing the involvement of sports betting in US sports.
So, what are the biggest football stadiums in America? We countdown the top 10.
Cotton Bowl
Coming in at No. 10 is the 92,100-seater Cotton Bowl in Dallas, one of only two venues on this list with a capacity of less than 100,000.
Located on the State Fair of Texas site, the stadium was previously known as the Fair Park Stadium between 1930 and 1936 before it was rechristened the Cotton Bowl.
It derives its name from the Cotton Bowl Classic, hosted from 1937 until 2009.
Unlike most other stadiums, the Cotton Bowl has no permanent tenant. Instead, it has been home to several teams over the years, including NFL sides Dallas Texans, Dallas Cowboys, and MLS side FC Dallas.
The Cotton Bowl was also one of the venues used for the 1994 Soccer World Cup.
Sanford Stadium
The Sanford Stadium is the second sub-100,000-seater stadium on our list of largest football stadiums in America.
The 92,746 capacity is decent. It is the 17th largest largest stadium in the world.
Located in Athens, Georgia, the Sanford Stadium has been the Georgia Bulldogs’ home ground since it opened in 1929.
The stadium also famously hosted the men’s and women’s Gold Medal matches at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, with Nigeria and its home nation, the USA, emerging victorious in the respective disciplines.
Bryant-Denny Stadium
At No. 8 comes our first 100,000-seater stadium, the Bryant-Denny Stadium. To be precise, the exact capacity of the stadium is 100,077.
The Alabama Crimson Tide has used the stadium to varying degrees since its inception.
Initially, Alabama played most of their home football matches at the Legion Field in Birmingham, with only a handful of games reserved for the Bryant-Denny. Still, as the Bryant-Denny got renovated and expanded in the late 90s to early 2000s, it became the permanent home of the tide.
Between its formal opening in 1929 and 1975, the venue was called the Denny Stadium, but Bryant was added to the official name in 1975 to honor legendary Alabama coach Paul Bryant.
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
The Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has undergone several nomenclatural changes. It was initially the War Memorial Stadium when it was opened in 1924, and then Memorial Stadium in 1948 before it became the Texas Memorial Stadium in 1977.
It would change again in 1996 when it was renamed after legendary football coach Darrell K Royal.
The DKR-Texas Stadium currently has a seating capacity of 100,119.
While the name and capacity of the stadium have changed over the years, the Texas Longhorns, who have played their home games here since 1924, have remained constant.
Neyland Stadium
The Neyland Stadium in Tennessee is the sixth largest football stadium in the United States, boasting a capacity 101,915.
It used to be larger, as it was previously expanded to 104,079 seats, but was reduced again to bring it down to its current capacity.
Opened in September 1921 as the Shield-Watkins Field, the stadium was renamed the Neyland Stadium in 1962 after former football coach General Robert Neyland.
The playing surface still retains the Shield-Watkins name (the Shield-Watkins Field). The Neyland Stadium is home to the Tennessee Volunteers football team.
Tiger Stadium
Into the top five now, and in comes the Tiger Stadium in Louisiana.
From its humble beginnings of 12,000 seats when it first opened in 1924, the Tiger Stadium has been expanded over the years, bringing the capacity to the impressive tally of 102,321.
The Tiger Stadium has primarily been the home of the Louisiana State University football team. Still, it has also had other tenants, with the NFL side New Orleans Saints briefly using the venue in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina rendered their Superdome unusable.
The Tiger Stadium has also found other uses outside football and sports, hosting concerts from top entertainers like Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks in recent years.
Kyle Field
Located at the Texas A&M University campus, Kyle Field is the home ground of the school’s Aggies Football team.
Kyle Field first existed in 1904, when University alumnus and Professor of Horticulture Edwin Jackson Kyle took it upon himself to convert a ground meant for his agricultural use into a sporting field.
He had done that because the University would not supply funds to create an athletics field.
Support would eventually come, with a proper concrete stadium opened in 1927. The Kyle Stadium seats 102,733 spectators.
Ohio Stadium
Continuing the trend of 100,000-plus seater football stadiums in the United States is the Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes team.
The Buckeyes are the football team of Ohio State University.
Situated in Columbus, the Ohio Stadium is another venue that has been around for a long time, opening in October 1922.
Then, the Ohio Stadium had a capacity of just over 66,000, but it has been expanded through its century-long existence. Since 2019, it has had a total of 102,780 seats.
Beaver Stadium
The Beaver Stadium hosts the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Pennsylvania State University football team.
The stadium has a capacity of 106,572 spectators and is the fourth-largest sports stadium in the world.
When it was first opened in 1960, the Beaver Stadium sat 69,000 people, but like many of its contemporaries, it has been gradually expanded over the decades.
The Beaver Stadium is one of the most revered venues in the NCAA, featuring at the top bracket of many polls ranking the best stadiums in college football. In 2016, it emerged as the No. 1 football stadium in a survey organized by USA Today.
Michigan Stadium
With an official capacity of 107,601, the Michigan Stadium is the largest in the United States and the third largest globally.
Located in Arn Arbor, Michigan, the stadium officially opened in October 1927 and plays host to the Michigan Wolverines- the University of Michigan football team.
Aptly nicknamed “The Big House,” the Michigan Stadium originally had a capacity 72,000 when it was first constructed. Still, it has undergone several expansions to reach its currency size.
Unsurprisingly, the Michigan Stadium holds numerous NCAA attendance records in US football, including the incredible streak of 100,000-plus spectators for every Wolverines home game for over 300 games!