The 13 Biggest Stadiums in China

While China is somewhat conservative when it comes to marketing its football to the rest of the world, the country has some of the biggest stadiums in the world.

Interestingly, many of the venues in this review of the 13 biggest stadiums in China were purpose-built. For example, the 91,000-capacity National Stadium in Beijing, China, was built to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

With that, China's football infrastructure is undoubtedly advanced, and it is only a matter of time before the country bids to host the FIFA World Cup.

With some of China's stadiums having a capacity exceeding 100,000, let's find out which venues have made it to this list.

The 13 biggest stadiums in China – ranked

13) Guangxi Sports Centre

• Location: Nanning, Guangxi, China
• Capacity: 60,000
• Year opened: 2010

Another stadium that makes it to the top 13 biggest stadiums in China is the Guangxi Sports Centre. This is a multi-purpose sports complex that mostly hosts football matches.

Guangxi Sports Centre is located in Nanning, Guangxi, China. The sporting facility was opened in 2010 and boasts a massive capacity of 60,000.

In 2017, all the China Cup matches were hosted at the Guangxi Sports Centre. A notable feature of the complex is an indoor arena with a capacity of 9,247.

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Several other stadiums in China also have a listed capacity of 60,000, including Longxing Football Stadium, Hefei Olympic Sports Centre Stadium and the newer Greater Bay Area Culture and Sports Centre. As a result, Guangxi Sports Centre shares the same capacity as several other venues competing for the final places in this ranking.

12) Xi'an International Football Center

• Location: Xi'an, Shaanxi
• Capacity: 60,235
• Year opened: 2025

Xi'an International Football Center, also known as Fengdong Stadium, staged its first official match in September 2025 and is one of China's newest major football venues.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the 60,235-capacity stadium became the new home of China League One side Shaanxi Union for the 2026 season.

The venue made its official debut on September 3, 2025, when China defeated Timor-Leste 2-1 in an AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifying match.

Its capacity places it above the 60,000-seater stadiums that complete this ranking, earning Xi'an International Football Center a place among China's biggest football venues.

11) 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 used for various sports and events, including football, swimming, and basketball.

The stadium was primarily used as the home stadium for Shenzhen FC, but the club was dissolved at the end of the 2023 Chinese Super League. The basketball team, Shenzhen Leopards, still play their home matches here.

10) Xiamen Egret Stadium

• Location: Xiamen, Fujian
• Capacity: 60,592
• Year opened: 2023

Xiamen Egret Stadium is one of China's newer major stadiums, having opened in September 2023 as part of the city's Olympic Sports Centre.

The stadium was originally built with a view to hosting matches at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup before China withdrew as tournament hosts, and it has since become a venue for both football and athletics.

Its seating configuration can be changed depending on the event, with movable stands allowing the capacity to rise to 60,592 for football, compared with 53,443 when the athletics track is in use.

The design takes inspiration from a white egret spreading its wings as well as traditional southern Fujian architecture, while its location in Xiamen's Xiang'an district gives the venue views towards the sea.

The stadium is also the home of the Xiamen Diamond League meeting, adding an international athletics event to its growing list of major sporting occasions.

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 previously being the home stadium of 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.

Currently, the stadium is virtually abandoned, despite being built only 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 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 intended to be one of the host venues for the 2023 Asian Cup, but China had to relinquish its 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 primarily been a football stadium in China, and between 2009 and 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. It hosted the 2015 Italian Super Cup match between Juventus and Lazio.

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, and has also hosted concerts.

Although the stadium's size is impressive, its 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-largest stadium in China, surpassing 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 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. It made the Guangdong 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 rightfully holds the title of China's largest stadium.

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, set during the Men's Football Gold Medal match at the 2018 Olympics.

Where do China's stadiums rank among the biggest in Asia?

Despite having 13 venues capable of holding 60,000 or more, China occupies three of Asia's top 10 stadiums by capacity, with the Beijing National Stadium cracking the continent's top three.

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Indonesia) – 77,193

Narendra Modi Stadium (India) – 132,000

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium (North Korea) – 114,000

Beijing National Stadium — Bird's Nest (China) – 91,000

Bukit Jalil National Stadium (Malaysia) – 87,411

Jakarta International Stadium (Indonesia) – 82,000

Shah Alam Stadium (Malaysia) – 81,144

Guangdong Olympic Stadium (China) – 80,000

Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium (China) – 80,000

Azadi Stadium (Iran) – 78,116