English football, particularly the Premier League, is the most popular in the world, with fans flocking to the country from all over the planet. Much of the focus is often given to the players and coaches, and perhaps rightly so, given their ability to entertain and amaze on a weekly basis.
However, the stadiums that make the entire thing possible are often overlooked. Whether it is a small venue that creates plenty of noise, or one of the biggest venues in the world, each ground has its part to play in making English football what it is today. What's more, every single one fo them is incredibly unique.
That begs the question: which are the biggest stadiums in England? Also, how do they rank among the biggest football stadiums in Europe or the world? If you've ever wondered about the biggest stadiums in England, you're in the right place.
While recent redevelopments have elevated the capacity of many stadiums, the sheer size of Wembley remains unbeatable. That could change, though, if Manchester United actualise their plans to build ‘Wembley of the North‘ by 2030.
Elsewhere, Newcastle's plans for a new stadium at Leazes Park will mean the Magpies join the list of clubs with the biggest football stadiums in the country.

A guide to the biggest stadiums in England
With the release of the 2025/26 fixtures, it will also be interesting to see how new stadiums such as Everton's Bramley-Moore Dock rank against the rest in Premier League attendances. More than half of the stadiums in the Premier League will soon have a capacity of at least 50,000, thanks to the construction of new ones and renovation work on existing venues.
Below, we go beyond the likes of Wembley and Old Trafford to look at the biggest and smallest stadiums in each league in the EFL, from the Premier League through to League Two.
Premier League Stadium Capacity
Club name | Ground name | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Manchester United |
Old Trafford |
74,310 |
Tottenham Hotspur |
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
62,850 |
West Ham United |
London Stadium |
62,500 |
Liverpool |
Anfield |
61,276 |
Arsenal |
Emirates Stadium |
60,704 |
Manchester City |
Etihad Stadium |
52,900 |
Everton |
Hill Dickinson Stadium |
52,888 |
Newcastle United |
St James' Park |
52,258 |
Sunderland |
Stadium of Light |
48,707 |
Aston Villa |
Villa Park |
42,918 |
Chelsea |
Stamford Bridge |
40,173 |
Leeds United |
Elland Road |
37,890 |
Brighton |
American Express Stadium |
31,876 |
Wolves |
Molineux |
31,750 |
Nottingham Forest |
The City Ground |
30,404 |
Fulham |
Craven Cottage |
25,700 |
Crystal Palace |
Selhurst Park |
25,194 |
Burnley |
Turf Moor |
21,944 |
Brentford |
Brentford Community Stadium |
17,250 |
Bournemouth |
Vitality Stadium |
11,307 |
Championship Stadium Capacity
Club name | Ground name | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Sheffield Wednesday |
Hillsborough |
39,859 |
Middlesborough |
The Riverside Stadium |
33,746 |
Derby County |
Pride Park |
33,597 |
Sheffield United |
Bramall Lane |
32,702 |
Coventry City |
Coventry Building Society Arena |
32,609 |
Southampton |
St Mary's Stadium |
32,384 |
Leicester City |
King Power Stadium |
32,261 |
Blackburn Rovers |
Ewood Park |
31,367 |
Stoke City |
Bet365 Stadium |
30,089 |
Ipswich Town |
Portman Road |
29,673 |
Birmingham City |
St Andrew's |
29,409 |
Norwich City |
Carrow Road |
27,244 |
Charlton Athletic |
The Valley |
27,111 |
Bristol City |
Ashton Gate |
27,000 |
West Brom |
The Hawthorns |
26,850 |
Hull City |
MKM Stadium |
25,586 |
Preston North End |
Deepdale Stadium |
23,408 |
Watford |
Vicarage Road |
21,557 |
Swansea |
Swansea.com Stadium |
21,088 |
Portsmouth |
Fratton Park |
20,688 |
Millwall |
The Den |
20,146 |
QPR |
Loftus Road |
18,360 |
AFC Wrexham |
Racecourse Ground |
12,600 |
Oxford United |
Kassam Stadium |
12,500 |
League One Stadium Capacity
Club name | Ground name | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Birmingham City |
St Andrew's |
29,409 |
Bolton Wanderers |
Toughsheet Community Stadium |
28,723 |
Charlton Athletic |
The Valley |
26,875 |
Wigan Athletic |
Brick Community Stadium |
25,133 |
Huddersfield Town |
John Smith's Stadium |
24,500 |
Reading |
Select Car Leasing Stadium |
24,161 |
Barnsley |
Oakwell |
24,009 |
Blackpool |
Bloomfield Road |
16,220 |
Peterborough |
Weston Homes Stadium |
15,314 |
Wrexham |
Racecourse Ground |
12,600 |
Rotherham |
New York Stadium |
12,000 |
Bristol Rovers |
Memorial Stadium |
12,000 |
Stockport County |
Edgeley Park |
10,832 |
Wycombe Wanderers |
Adams Park |
10,137 |
Lincoln |
LNER Stadium |
10,130 |
Shrewsbury Town |
Montgomery Waters Meadow |
9,875 |
Leyton Orient |
Gaughan Group Stadium |
9,271 |
Mansfield |
One Call Stadium |
9,186 |
Exeter |
St James Park |
8,830 |
Cambridge United |
Cledara Abbey Stadium |
8,127 |
Northampton Town |
Sixfields Stadium |
7,798 |
Burton |
Pirelli Stadium |
6,912 |
Stevenage |
The Lamex Stadium |
6,722 |
Crawley Town |
Broadfield Stadium |
6,134 |
League Two Stadium Capacity
Club name | Ground name | Capacity |
---|---|---|
MK Dons |
Stadium MK |
30,500 |
Bradford City |
Northern Commercials Stadium |
25,136 |
Notts County |
Meadow Lane |
21,388 |
Port Vale |
Vale Park |
18,947 |
Carlisle |
Brunton Park |
18,202 |
Tranmere Rovers |
Prenton Park |
16,789 |
Swindon |
County Ground |
15,728 |
Doncaster Rovers |
Keepmoat Stadium |
15,231 |
Gillingham |
Priestfield Stadium |
11,582 |
Walsall |
Banks Stadium |
11,300 |
Chesterfield |
SMH Group Stadium |
10,504 |
Crewe |
Mornflake Stadium |
10,153 |
Colchester United |
JobServe Community Stadium |
10,105 |
Grimsby Town |
Blundell Park |
9,546 |
AFC Wimbledon |
Plough Lane |
9,215 |
Newport County |
Rodney Parade |
7,850 |
Cheltenham Town |
Completely-Suzuki Stadium |
7,066 |
Morecambe |
Mazuma Stadium |
6,476 |
Accrington Stanley |
The Wham Stadium |
5,450 |
Fleetwood Town |
Highbury Stadium |
5,327 |
Salford City |
The Peninsula Stadium |
5,108 |
Bromley |
H2T Group Stadium |
5,000 |
Harrogate Town |
The EnviroVent Stadium |
5,000 |
Barrow |
Holker Street |
2,829 |
Future stadiums
A whole host of stadiums are either currently under construction or will be in the future and will one day be included in the tables above.
Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock is technically completed and will be the Toffees' new home ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. It was recently reported that Law Firm Hill Dickinson has won the rights to sponsor the venue, which effectively comes with a new name.
The new Everton stadium boasts a 52,888-capacity, which is an increase of approximately 13,000 on Goodison Park, making it a larger venue than St James' Park.
More than football – Hill Dickinson Stadium pic.twitter.com/fb3P8buPc3
— Everton (@Everton) May 16, 2025
However, they shouldn't have a bigger stadium than Newcastle for too long, as the Magpies are planning on building a new stadium with a capacity of 65,000 on Leazes Park. This will mean Newcastle will have the second-biggest club stadium in England.
In recent years, the redevelopment of Old Trafford has been heavily reported. In March 2025, the club confirmed its plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium next to the current site.
The club is highly ambitious and believes it can operationalise the new stadium by 2030. If this goal is achieved, the new Manchester United stadium will become the largest football stadium in the United Kingdom, surpassing Wembley. Regarding capacity, it will rank second in European football, only behind Camp Nou.
This is your future.
Your home.
Your United.#MUFC pic.twitter.com/cK7yVnOm1X— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 11, 2025
There is also an expansion on the way at Villa Park. The club are going to add 7,000 seats to the North Stand at the stadium, which will take the overall capacity to over 50,000. Consequently, this will alter the dynamics of this list, meaning the Premier League will have ten stadiums with a capacity exceeding 50,000, including Bramley-Moore Dock and the upcoming Stamford Bridge expansion.
Other notable stadiums that will be expanded in the future are:
- Stamford Bridge – Chelsea
- Elland Road – Leeds United
- Power Court Stadium – Luton Town
Stadiums by capacity – a brief overview
The list of football grounds and their associated English football leagues reveals a significant variation in spectator capacities across different stadiums. This diversity is intrinsic to the nature of professional football in this country.
Naturally, the major Premier League stadiums have the necessary financial backing to build such impressive structures, whereas the stadiums that are all the way down in League 2 tend to have a more intimate setting.
At the other end of the spectrum, the smallest stadium by capacity is Holker Street, home of Barrow, with just a capacity of under 3,000. And as you might imagine, the atmosphere is somewhat less explosive at this ground compared to United’s.
The best part is not what one type of stadium is better than the other and they all provide different things that naturally appeal to different people. If you want a luxurious experience, then the big Premier League stadiums are probably your best bet. However, if you prefer a more traditional experience, something more akin to the early days of the sport, then the more modest, smaller venues might suit you better.
These discrepancies in stadium sizes, atmospheres, and general capacity are what bring true spice to the game we all know and love in this country; however, we wouldn’t change it for anything! On that note, check out some other cool facts about some of the stadiums listed on this page right here.
Other fun facts relating to these football grounds
Largest-ever attendance in English football
An interesting fact about the stadiums on this list is that the largest attendance ever recorded at an English football match occurred during a Champions League group stage game in 2006 between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen. On a chilly winter evening at Wembley Stadium, 85,512 fans were present, setting a record that still stands today.
Smallest-ever attendance in English football
In 1921, English football saw its lowest recorded attendance, a stark decline from over 85,000 fans to just 15. At that time, stadiums were very different from today's standards. Official reports indicate that only 13 spectators attended the match between Leicester City and Stockport County. Fortunately, no video footage exists from that era, as it might be a rather disheartening memory for both clubs!
Capacity requirements
Did you know that when a team enters League 2, the first league where teams are considered ‘professional,’ there is a required stadium capacity that must be met? The governing body mandates that a League 2 stadium must have a minimum capacity of 4,000 to qualify as a professional team. What could happen if the stadiums fail to meet this requirement?
This isn't the only condition, however, as Gateshead found out in 2024 when they achieved promotion via the play-offs. Gateshead don't own the stadium they play in. Instead, the local council rents the Gateshead International Stadium on a long lease. The issue was with the club's 10-year lease, which wasn't good enough for the EFL, which saw Gateshead remain in the National League.
FGG says: Moving on up
Stadiums are constantly evolving, and if they aren't, they risk being replaced. Recently, we've witnessed a competitive push among clubs to increase their seating capacity, aiming to boost their revenue through increased attendance. Unfortunately, this trend has led to the replacement of iconic stadiums with generic, bowl-shaped structures.
While Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium is impressive, it lacks a distinct identity. Similarly, the plans for new stadiums at Manchester United and Newcastle United suggest that they may face the same issue. As stadiums expand to accommodate larger crowds, what makes them unique slowly disappears, and it's an issue with no easy fix.
Regardless of your opinion on this matter, it's likely that such stories will become increasingly common in the coming years.