Back in the 2010s, China threatened to become a major powerhouse in the world of football, much in the same way that Saudi Arabia have done in recent years. Some of the biggest names in world football made the move to the Chinese Super League including Oscar, Carlos Tevez and Axel Witsel.
While the league hasn't taken off in the way that many people predicted, the footballing infrastructure in the country remains impressive and it will only be a matter of time before China hosts the FIFA World Cup. Below, is a list of the ten biggest stadiums in China and key information about each one, including the capacity and location.
The ten biggest stadiums in China – ranked
10) Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Stadium
- Location: Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Capacity: 60,334
- Year opened: 2011
The Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium that is used for various sports and events including football, swimming and basketball. The stadium was primarily used as the home stadium for Shenzhen FC but they were dissolved at the end of the 2023 Chinese Super League. Basketball team, Shenzhen Leopards, still play their home matches here.
9) Dalian Sports Centre Stadium
- Location: Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Capacity: 61,000
- Year opened: 2013
The Dalian Sports Centre Stadium was a stadium purpose-built for the 2013 Games of China – a prestigious sporting event in China that occurs every four years. The stadium has been used for various sports including swimming, football, baseball and tennis and it was the home ground of former Chinese Super League side, Dalian Professional, for six years.
8) Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium
- Location: Nanjing, China
- Capacity: 61,443
- Year opened: 2005
The Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was opened in 2005 for that year's National Games of China. It was then used nine years later as the main venue for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Outside of track and field events, the stadium has been used for concerts and football, with the stadium playing previously being the home stadium Jiangsu Football Club.
7) Shanxi Sports Centre Stadium
- Location: Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Capacity: 62,000
- Year opened: 2011
The Shanxi Sports Centre Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Taiyuan that has been used for basketball and football matches over the years. At present, the stadium is virtually abandoned despite only being built thirteen years ago. However, due to its impressive size and capacity, it surely won't be long until someone calls it home again.
6) Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium
- Location: Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Capacity: 63,671
- Year opened: 2023
The Barracuda Bay Football Stadium is one of the newest stadiums in China having only been formally opened in 2023. It was built to be the new home stadium of Dalian Professional but just in January 2024, the club officially dissolved due to unaffordable debts. The Chinese national football team have also played here, beating Myanmar 4-0 in a friendly in the summer of 2023.
5) Workers' Stadium
- Location: Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
- Capacity: 68,000
- Year opened: 2023
The Workers' Stadium is another new Chinese football stadium that was officially opened in 2023. The stadium was originally meant to be one of the host venues for the 2023 Asian Cup before China had to give up their hosting rights due to COVID-19 regulations in the country. It is the new home stadium of the Chinese Super League side, Beijing Guoan.
4) Shanghai Stadium
- Location: Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
- Capacity: 72,000
- Year opened: 1997
The Shanghai Stadium has always primarily been a football stadium in China and between 2009-2019 it was the home stadium of Shanghai SIPG. Since 2023, it has been the home stadium of Shanghai Shenhua. The Shanghai Stadium was also used for football matches during the 2008 Olympics and hosted the Italian Super Cup match between Juventus and Lazio in 2015.
3) Hangzhou Sports Park
- Location: Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Capacity: 80,000
- Year opened: 2018
Hangzhou Sports Park is one of the most visually stunning stadiums from the outside due to its unique design. The stadium is commonly known as “The Big Lotus” and it was built specifically for the 2022 Asian Games. The stadium has predominantly been used for football matches, including the final of the 2022 Asian Games football tournament, but it has also been used for concerts.
Although the size of the stadium is impressive, the design is its most stunning feature. The lotus design makes it stand out from the crowd and should be used as inspiration for new stadium builds in Europe.
2) Guangdong Olympic Stadium
- Location: Guangzhou, China
- Capacity: 80,012
- Year opened: 2001
The Guangdong Olympic Stadium is the second biggest stadium in China, pipping Hangzhou Sports Park by a mere 12 seats. The stadium was built ahead of the ninth National Games of China in 2001 and at the time, it was actually meant to be the main stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
As it transpired, the Chinese government elected to build a brand-new national stadium for the Olympics which made the Guandong Olympic Stadium rather redundant but it still stands today.
1) Beijing National Stadium
- Location: 1 National Stadium South Road, Beijing, China
- Capacity: 91,000
- Year opened: 2008
The Beijing National Stadium is one of the most iconic sports arenas in the world and it deserves its status as the biggest stadium in China. Better known as the ‘Bird's Nest', the stadium was purpose-built for the 2008 Olympic Games and was the scene of the most spectacular Olympic Opening Ceremony of all time.
The stadium was used throughout the games and has since been used for the 2015 Athletics World Championships and the 2022 Winter Olympics. The record attendance at the stadium is 89,102 from the Men's Football Gold Medal match at the 2018 Olympics.