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The 25 biggest stadiums in world soccer

The 25 biggest stadiums in world soccer have a combined capacity of over 2.15 million.

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Beijing's National Stadium was designed and used for the 2008 Olympics, during which it had an extra 11,000 temporary seats on top of its normal capacity. For soccer, it has only been used for a variety of showcase fixtures between big European clubs.

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Home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, the AT&T Stadium often plays host to soccer matches, most frequently during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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Designed by American architectural firm Ellerbe Becket, the stadium in Guangzhou was inspired by the city's nickname, 'The Flower City," and its roof was made to resemble layers of petals. It is currently the home of Guangzhou Evergrande FC.

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Though it holds 80,016, the San Siro is operating at a reduced capacity throughout the 2019/20 season due to concerns over it's structure, according to Corriere Dello Sport. Both AC Milan and Inter Milan currently play their home games here.

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Club Universitario de Deportes play its games here, in what is the biggest soccer arena in the whole of South America. The Peru national team have also called it home since 2001, though it hasn't proven to be a fortress, as the team has won just five times in 18 matches.

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The first ever soccer tournament at the Shah Alam was in 1994, when home side Selangor FA competed against Dundee United, Bayern Munich, Leeds United, Flamengo, and Australia's Olympic team, the "Olyroos."

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First erected in 1956, the Luzhniki has housed two of the 21st century's biggest soccer events the 2008 Champions League final, and the 2018 World Cup final.

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129,690 fans once flocked to the Bernabeu to see Real Madrid play AC Milan in April 1956, though many of those were in the standing area, which has since been removed.

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France's national stadium is the only arena in the world to have held both the football and rugby union World Cup finals. The former was in 1998 when France beat Brazil 3-0, and the latter was in 2007 as South Africa defeated England.

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Also known as the Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund's home ground is Germany's largest and is famed for its fierce and vibrant atmosphere, helped in no short part by it selling out every week, according to Stadium Database.

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The ground, which is often used for international soccer matches, downgraded it's capacity from 91,000 in 2011 due to a lack of demand for tickets, according to The Washington Post.

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Though it was built nearly 60 years ago, it wasn't until 2007 that anything but Gaelic football or hurling was played at Croke Park. Its first soccer game took place in March of that year when Ireland played Wales in a Euro 2008 qualifier.

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The MetLife is the home of both the New York Giants and the New York Jets, hence being most regularly used for American football. It does however host soccer matches from time to time for the USMNT and other South/North American countries.

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Stadium Australia was built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but has since been used for international soccer matches, amongst other things. It's soon set for a $540 million revamp, after plans to demolish and rebuild were scrapped in 2018, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Not to be confused with MLS side Salt Lake City, the arena in Kolkata is the biggest of its kind in India, and acts as a home to no less than five teams East Bengal FC, Mohammedan SC, Mohun Bagan AC, ATK, and the Indian national team.

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The El Arab was originally commissioned as part of Egypt's bid to host the 2010 World Cup, however after the proposal was rejected, it was since become the home of the national football team.

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Situated in the wealthy suburb of Kuala Lumpur, the spherical arena hosts most of the country's international football matches, as well as domestic cup finals such as the Malaysia FA Cup.

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Currently used by Club America, Cruz Azul and the Mexico national team, the Azteca has housed two of international football's most memorable ever moments Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986, and the "Game of the Century" between Italy and West Germany four years later.

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Built on the ground of the demolished original, the new Wembley Stadium opened in 2007 and has since been the home of the England football team. All of the country's major domestic finals are also played beneath its 440 ft arch, which can be seen across the whole of London.

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While predominantly used for American football, California's Rose Bowl regularly hosts international soccer matches, most famously the 1994 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy.

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Soccer City is more than just a football stadium it's a historic landmark. Nelson Mandela gave his first ever speech here after his release from prison in 1990, and it also acted as the venue for his memorial service in 2013.

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Europe's biggest football stadium is a fitting home for the continent's most successful team. Since moving to the Camp Nou in 1957, Barcelona has won 66 major honors, including 20 La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions Leagues.

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Unsurprisingly, the Australian stadium is used predominantly for cricket, however it's also used by the Socceroos the country's national football team, and is the home of the Australian Sports Museum.

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Opened in 1989, the stadium in Pyongyang is used by the North Korean national team. Often before matches, thousands are involved in mass choreographed routines, the biggest of which was in 2007, when 100,090 participants put on the world's largest ever gymnastics display.

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The world's largest soccer venue is situated in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa, and lies just a few miles from the Congo River. Home of the country's national team, it is named in honor of four Congolese ministers, or "martyrs," who were hung nearby by former president Mobutu Sese Seko in 1966.

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