10 biggest Championship football grounds 2025/26

The main question addressed in this post is: What are the 10 biggest Championship football grounds in the Championship?

The EFL Championship, England's second professional football division, features some of the most iconic stadiums in the country.

The history of these grounds is impressive, especially considering the efforts made by each club to modernise their facilities.

The rich heritage and passionate fan bases in English football can be experienced firsthand within the Championship stadiums. Each ground has its unique characteristics, contributing to the football atmosphere that makes some of them feel like fortresses.

The 10 biggest Championship football stadiums are listed based on their seating capacity, with each stadium accommodating at least 30,000 fans. Ranging from urban centres to industrial heartlands, these large stadiums highlight the scale of this fiercely competitive league.

Read on to discover the stadiums featured in this list of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds, along with their opening years and the teams that call them home.

The 10 biggest Championship football grounds

Beginning with Portman Road ranked at number 10, we have compiled a list of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds in England's Championship in ascending order.

10. Portman Road

• Team: Ipswich Town
• Capacity: 30,056
• Opened: 1884

Portman Road, the home stadium for Ipswich Town, is one of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds in England. Ipswich played in the Premier League during the 2024/25 season, so their return to the second tier of English football means Portman Road becomes a venue to watch in terms of Championship matchday attendances.

Portman Road was opened in 1884 and has become Ipswich's home stadium ever since. Today, the ground boasts a capacity of 30,056.

9. Bet365 Stadium

• Team: Stoke City
• Capacity: 30,089
• Opened: 1997

Previously named the Britannia Stadium, the ground has been the home of cult heroes Stoke City since it opened in 1997. The site rose to fame during the club's Premier League years, during which the Potters became renowned for their physicality and were admired by many.

A record attendance of 30,022 was achieved at the ground in 2018 during a Premier League clash with Everton. The Bet365 Stadium, built to replace the former Victoria Ground, cost the club over £14 million.

Aside from football, the ground has also been used as a venue for local fireworks displays and music concerts by artists such as Bon Jovi. England youth teams have also used the ground on several occasions. With that in mind, Stoke City's home ground is currently one of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds.

8. Ewood Park

• Team: Blackburn Rovers
• Capacity: 31,367
• Opened: 1882

Ewood Park has been the home of Lancashire outfit Blackburn Rovers since 1890. It is believed that the club first played at the site as early as 1881, although it was known as Ewood Bridge at that point and hosted a wide array of sporting events.

Its record attendance was set during an FA Cup sixth-round tie against Bolton Wanderers, with the match watched by over 60,000 fans. The ground was renovated as recently as 1995, when the modernisation of three of its sections was completed.

Primarily the home of Blackburn, Ewood Park has also hosted a handful of international matches, as well as six FA Cup semi-finals over the years. With Blackburn Rovers playing in the Championship for several seasons now, Ewood Park remains one of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds.

7. King Power Stadium

• Team: Leicester City
• Capacity: 32,259
• Opened: 2002

After Leicester City were relegated from the English Premier League last season, King Power Stadium joins the list of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds for the 2025/26 season.

The current capacity of Leicester City's ground is 32,259. Of course, this is expected to increase or decrease depending on the redevelopment plans that the Foxes have. But, for the record, King Power Stadium is not just a huge venue. It is also a fortress in English football. Opened in 2002, it is one of the newest grounds in the country.

6. St Mary's Stadium

• Team: Southampton
• Capacity: 32,384
• Opened:

With the Saints getting relegated from the Premier League during the 2024/25 season, their home stadium makes it to this list of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds.

St. Mary's Stadium has a capacity of 32,384, but with the club considering redevelopment, that might soon change. St Mary's Stadium is also among the newest Championship grounds. The venue was opened in August 2001 and has been the home ground for Southampton ever since.

A clash with Coventry on 28 April 2012 remains one of the record attendances ever registered at the stadium. A total of 32,362 spectators attended the match, which was nearly the full capacity.

5. Coventry Building Society Arena

• Team: Coventry City
• Capacity: 32,609
• Opened: 2005

Continuing the theme of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds, construction of the Coventry Building Society Arena was completed in 2005 and is currently the home of Coventry City. However, the club have had a turbulent relationship with the site since its initial opening.

In 2013, the club were forced to play their home matches elsewhere due to an ongoing rent dispute, returning to the ground in 2014. But, after Rugby Union side Wasps purchased the arena, Coventry were again required to leave the site for another two seasons. Eventually, the issue was settled, and the Sky Blues have called the CSB Arena home again since 2021.

The CSB Arena was incredibly modern when it was built. This is highlighted by the fact that it was the first cashless stadium in the United Kingdom.

4. Bramall Lane

• Team: Sheffield United
• Capacity: 32,702
• Opened: 1855

Bramall Lane has played an integral role in English football and is currently regarded as one of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds. The stadium was opened in 1855 and is one of the oldest grounds in the world. It has been central to the club since its inception, providing the Blades with a platform to reach the Premier League heights multiple times.

Originally used as a cricket venue, the first football match hosted on the ground didn't take place until 1862 – a contest involving Sheffield FC and Hallam FC in a fixture widely regarded as football's first-ever local derby. Unfortunately, the game didn't quite meet expectations and ended in a goalless draw.

Bramall Lane was used regularly by the England national team in the past, particularly before Wembley opened in 1923. However, it still remains relevant in international football today and recently hosted four matches at the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.

3. Pride Park

• Team: Derby County
• Capacity: 33,597
• Opened: 1997

Pride Park is a relatively new stadium, having opened in 1997. It has been the home of Derby County for just over 30 years.

The ground may have one of the most interesting official opening stories in the entire country, given that Pride Park was first opened by the Queen, in front of a crowd of approximately 30,000 fans on 18 July 1997.

It wasn't until 4 August of that year that the Rams would host their first match at the stadium, welcoming Italian outfit Sampdoria to the venue, a game which left a bitter-sweet taste in the mouths of fans as the club slipped to a 1-0 defeat.

Having been built in an era controlled and regulated by various health and safety rules, Pride Park's record attendance is perhaps underwhelming compared to other clubs. It was set in 2000 when a crowd of 33,378 watched on as the Rams took on Liverpool in the Premier League.

2. Riverside Stadium

• Team: Middlesbrough
• Capacity: 33,746
• Opened: 1995

A throwback to a more traditional stadium style, Riverside Stadium opened in 1995 and has been the home of Middlesbrough Football Club ever since. Like many other grounds on this list, it was constructed in response to the Taylor Report, which mandated that all stadiums be all-seated facilities, leading to the replacement of the former Ayresome Park.

Its record attendance was set less than 10 years after its opening, when, in 2003, the England national team welcomed Slovakia to the ground in front of 35,000 spectators.

Riverside hosted several international fixtures during this time and has also been the venue for multiple rugby matches and music concerts. As one of the 10 biggest Championship football grounds, there are reportedly provisional plans in place to expand the current capacity if and when the club feel it is necessary.

1. Hillsborough

• Team: Sheffield Wednesday
• Capacity: 39,859
• Opened: 1899

It is impossible to talk about Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium without touching on the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. On this day, a combination of poor organisation, sub-par health and safety regulations, as well as gross misconduct, resulted in a catastrophic incident which saw 97 Liverpool fans tragically lose their lives.

Hillsborough's reputation has been tarnished ever since; however, the ground has also done plenty of good within the sport. It was used as a venue at both the 1966 World Cup, made even more special by England‘s eventual triumph in the competition, and also for the 1996 European Championships.

Its record attendance obliterates that of the aforementioned Elland Road, with a figure of over 72,000 being achieved during an FA Cup clash with Manchester City in 1932. Hillsborough also reportedly holds the record for the highest attendance at a third-tier football match in England, when a crowd of over 49,000 were in attendance as Wednesday thrashed their bitter rivals, Sheffield United, 4-0 in 1976.

The biggest stadium ever in the Championship

Cover your eyes, Sunderland fans – you aren't going to like this. The biggest stadium to have been used by a side competing in the Championship is… St James' Park, the home of Newcastle United since 1892.

Although the Magpies are currently hailed as one of the best teams in the Premier League, that hasn't always been the case, and at various points, Newcastle have played their football in the second tier of English football.

With a capacity of 52,405, it is the largest stadium in the country, marginally beating out the second-placed Stadium of Light by around 3,000. With an expansion plan underway, the venue will soon become one of the biggest football grounds in the UK.

Matchdays at St. James' Park 😍

HWTL! ✊ pic.twitter.com/RnanyBlagA

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) May 11, 2024

Carrow Road expansion plans: Could Norwich's home ground join the Championship’s Biggest Stadiums?

According to recent reports, Norwich City have announced plans to expand Carrow Road, which currently holds 27,244 seats. The historic ground, home to the Canaries since 1935, is set for a facelift that includes a new fan zone behind the Barclay Stand, upgraded facilities, and a new segregated away entrance as part of proposed changes to the South and Regency Security Stands.

At present, Carrow Road ranks 12th among the 24 Championship venues, leaving Norwich outside the division’s top 10 largest stadiums. While the proposed expansion remains a long-term vision, it sparks an interesting question: where would Carrow Road stand among the Championship’s biggest grounds once the work is complete? With promotion ambitions and redevelopment plans in motion, the answer may ultimately depend on what division the Canaries are competing in when the project becomes reality.