The Biggest Football Stadiums in the UK: A Capacity Ranking

Current capacities (2025-26 season):

• 1. Wembley Stadium — 90,000 (London, England national team and major finals)
• 2. Old Trafford — 74,310 (Manchester United)
• 3. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — 62,850 (Tottenham Hotspur, opened 2019)
• 4. London Stadium — 62,500 (West Ham United, originally built for 2012 Olympics)
• 5. Anfield — 61,276 (Liverpool, after the 2023-24 expansion)
• 6. Etihad Stadium — 60,704 (Manchester City; reduced number to be increased post-expansion)
• 7. Emirates Stadium — 60,704 (Arsenal)
• 8. St James' Park — 52,305 (Newcastle United)
• 9. Stadium of Light — 49,000 (Sunderland)
• 10. Villa Park — 42,682 (Aston Villa, with planned 2026-27 expansion to ~50,000)

Wembley Stadium re-opened in 2007 as a replacement for the original Empire Stadium (1923-2003). The new ground features a 134-metre arch — the tallest single-span roof structure in the world — and a 90,000-seat capacity that makes it the largest football stadium in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.

Wembley hosts: the England men's and women's national-team home matches, the FA Cup Final and semi-finals, the EFL Cup Final, the Championship play-off final and divisional play-off finals, the Community Shield, occasional Champions League and Champions League finals (most recently 2024). Concerts and NFL fixtures fill the calendar between football events.

Manchester United's home since 1910, Old Trafford has been the largest English club ground for most of the post-war era. Its current capacity of 74,310 is the highest of any Premier League stadium. The South Stand expansion (often discussed but not yet committed) could push capacity past 90,000.

Old Trafford was nicknamed "The Theatre of Dreams" by Bobby Charlton in 1987. The ground hosted the 1966 World Cup and the 2003 Champions League final.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in April 2019 on the site of the previous White Hart Lane ground. Its 62,850-capacity football configuration is the largest of any English club ground built in the 21st century. Bespoke features include a fully retractable pitch (allowing it to host NFL fixtures without damaging the football surface), the single-tier south stand seating ~17,000 (the largest in any UK club ground), and a dedicated micro-brewery.

The construction cost was approximately £1.1 billion — among the most expensive stadium builds in Europe. The complex also includes the south stand's bar (one of the largest in Europe), a glass-walled tunnel club, and player-facing facilities widely cited as the best in world football.

Stadiums outside the top 10 still warrant note:

For readers who want the full international picture rather than the UK-only ranking, the World Atlas of Football Stadiums and Grounds is a useful reference: it catalogues capacities, opening dates, and architectural notes for hundreds of grounds across the global game, with the same Hampden, Maracanã, Camp Nou and Bernabéu landmarks given the historical context they deserve alongside the modern megastadiums.

• Hampden Park (Glasgow) — 51,866. Scotland's national stadium and home of major Scottish finals.
• Celtic Park (Glasgow) — 60,411. Scotland's largest club ground and the second-largest UK club ground for football specifically.
• Ibrox Stadium (Glasgow) — 50,817. Rangers' home, recently renovated.
• Principality Stadium (Cardiff) — 73,931 for football. Wales's national stadium, retractable roof, also a rugby venue.
• Windsor Park (Belfast) — 18,614. Northern Ireland's national stadium, modest by global standards.
• Aviva Stadium (Dublin) — 51,711. Ireland's national stadium, technically not in the UK but routinely included in British stadium discussions.

The largest crowd ever to attend a football match in the UK was at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on 17 April 1937. 149,547 spectators watched Scotland beat England 3-1 in a Home International. Modern safety regulations make this number impossible today; the official capacity has since been reduced for all-seater requirements.

For reference, the all-time UK club-football attendance record is 146,433 — also at Hampden, for a 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen.

Several Premier League clubs have stadium-expansion projects in the pipeline. Liverpool completed an Anfield Road expansion in 2024 (61,276 from ~54,000). Manchester City's Etihad Stadium expansion (announced 2023) targets a ~62,500 capacity. Aston Villa has plans to push Villa Park to ~50,000 by 2026-27. Manchester United's Old Trafford redevelopment under Sir Jim Ratcliffe could reach 100,000 in the long term — proposals were unveiled in 2024 but no firm timeline exists.