# List of American football stadiums by capacity
[American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) stadiums are ranked by seating capacity, the number of permanent seats sold for a regular football game, excluding standing-room tickets and temporary seating. The largest football-specific stadium in the United States is [Michigan Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/michigan-stadium) in Ann Arbor at 107,601, while the largest NFL venue is [MetLife Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/metlife-stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 82,500.[1](https://stadiuminsight.com/largest-stadiums-in-the-usa/) • [2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) Eight university grounds sit above the largest NFL venue on combined lists.[1](https://stadiuminsight.com/largest-stadiums-in-the-usa/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Largest US football stadium | Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, 107,601; it has packed in 115,109 for a single game[1](https://stadiuminsight.com/largest-stadiums-in-the-usa/) • [3](https://legionreport.com/college-football-stadium-capacity/) |
| Largest NFL stadium | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 82,500 seats, home of the Giants and Jets[2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) • [4](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/) |
| Smallest NFL stadium | Highmark Stadium, Buffalo, 60,108 seats[5](https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/nfl-largest-stadiums/) |
| Largest single-event football crowd | Bristol Motor Speedway, a racetrack, 153,000 capacity; it broke the all-time American football attendance record in 2016[6](https://stadiumdb.com/lists/top-20-biggest-football-stadiums) |
| NFL range | About 60,000 to 82,500 permanent seats; the league has generally not let a full-time team play under 50,000 seats since 1971[4](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/) |
| Average sizes | NFL stadiums average 70,017 seats versus 47,353 for collegiate stadiums, per a 2014 Nevada legislative study[7](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Library/Documents/ReportsToLeg/2013-2015/177-14.pdf) |
| Largest NFL building overall | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas; with ticketed end-zone plazas and platforms, capacity can reach over 100,000[8](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DAL.pdf) |
## What capacity means
Listed capacity is not a single unambiguous number. Rankings usually count permanent football seating, the seats sold for a regular-season game, not standing room or temporary seating.[9](https://www.goodseats.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/) Some published figures are operational approximations rather than exact seat inventories; game notes for Penn State's Beaver Stadium still repeat 106,572, which is described as an approximate operational figure.[10](https://fueledbysports.com/largest-college-football-stadiums/) When a source cites a stadium's size, it matters whether the figure means seats for football or the largest crowd the building has ever held.[9](https://www.goodseats.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/)
## NFL stadiums
The largest current NFL stadium by permanent football seating is MetLife Stadium at 82,500, followed by [Lambeau Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambeau-field) and [AT&T Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/at-and-t-stadium).[2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) • [11](https://www.sports24.us/article/largest-nfl-stadiums-by-capacity) Published figures differ slightly between databases: StadiumDB lists Lambeau Field at 81,041, while a 2026 ranking places it at 81,441.[2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) • [11](https://www.sports24.us/article/largest-nfl-stadiums-by-capacity) Lambeau Field is notable for its market: Green Bay is by far the smallest NFL market, but the community-owned Packers sell out every game and have expanded the stadium repeatedly, from about 32,000 at its 1957 opening to over 81,000 today, with major additions in 2003 and 2013.[11](https://www.sports24.us/article/largest-nfl-stadiums-by-capacity)
At the other end, Highmark Stadium in Buffalo is the smallest NFL stadium at 60,108.[5](https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/nfl-largest-stadiums/) The full current range runs from about 60,000 to 82,500 seats.[4](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/)
Some NFL buildings hold far more people than their listed football capacity. AT&T Stadium's Cowboys media guide states that with ticketed areas in the end-zone plazas and platforms, capacity can reach over 100,000, and the stadium is the largest enclosed stadium in the NFL by cubic volume at 104 million cubic feet.[8](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DAL.pdf) A FourFourTwo World Cup guide lists AT&T Stadium's seated capacity as 94,000.[12](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/at-and-t-stadium-world-cup-2026) Capacity also expands for special events: [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) normally seats about 63,000 for football, and organizers expanded it to roughly 68,000 for [Super Bowl XLVI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlvi), mostly through standing-room tickets.[13](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-finalizing-lucas-oil-stadium-seating-capacity-for-super-bow-09000d5d8264934c)
## College stadiums
[College football](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football) dominates the top of any combined ranking. Michigan Stadium seats 107,601, about 25,000 more than the largest professional venue in the country, and it has drawn 115,109 for a single game.[3](https://legionreport.com/college-football-stadium-capacity/) The next largest are [Beaver Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/beaver-stadium) (Penn State, 106,572), [Ohio Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-stadium) (Ohio State), Kyle Field (Texas A&M, 102,733), Tiger Stadium (LSU, 102,321), Neyland Stadium (Tennessee, 101,915), Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119), and Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama).[14](https://www.venuestats.com/college-football/) • [2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) Databases disagree on some of these figures: StadiumDB lists Ohio Stadium at 102,780 and Bryant-Denny at 100,077, while VenueStats lists 104,944 and 101,821 respectively.[2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) • [14](https://www.venuestats.com/college-football/)
A 2024 Auburn research symposium study of 66 schools and municipalities hosting Power 5 football found a median stadium size of 62,061 seats, with the smallest median by conference for the Pac-12 at 52,722 and the largest for the [Southeastern Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southeastern-conference) at 82,801.[15](https://research.auburn.edu/_assets/pdf/2024-research-symposium-abstracts-booklet-rev-4-2-24.pdf)
On a combined list, MetLife Stadium ranks only 15th among American football stadiums.[4](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/)
## Trends and new buildings
New NFL stadiums are generally smaller than the ones they replace, favoring smaller bowls with more premium seating.[16](https://legionreport.com/nfl-stadium-capacity/) • [4](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/) Announced or under-construction projects illustrate the pattern: the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns)' new Huntington Bank Field will have 67,500 football seats plus 2,500 standing-room spaces;[17](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-continue-progress-on-the-build-of-the-new-huntington-bank-field) the [Jacksonville Jaguars](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-jaguars)' "stadium of the future" is designed for about 63,000;[18](https://stadiumdb.com/designs/usa) and the Titans' new enclosed [Nissan Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/nissan-stadium) in Nashville is listed at 60,000, with the 2030 Super Bowl awarded to it.[18](https://stadiumdb.com/designs/usa) • [19](https://apnews.com/article/a3522bd938e09fa523082c98e4d44330) A 2014 Nevada legislative study found the average NFL stadium cost $878 million to build, over four times the $183 million average for collegiate stadiums, with NFL projects drawing 54 percent public funding versus nine percent for collegiate ones.[7](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Library/Documents/ReportsToLeg/2013-2015/177-14.pdf)
College venues are also changing. Nebraska regents approved a $600 million renovation of 103-year-old Memorial Stadium with a planned capacity of 80,000, down from its listed 85,458, including 20,000 new chairback seats.[20](https://apnews.com/article/f6c32cfd79d29a4b8884cf5516ebf073) • [2](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/) Renovation projects can leave capacity undetermined during construction; the [Bank of America Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/bank-of-america-stadium) overhaul in Charlotte, a $1.3 billion project to be completed by 2030, has an exact stadium capacity listed as TBD.[21](https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/07/23/bank-of-america-stadium-renovation-renderings)
## References
1. [The Largest Stadiums in the USA, Ranked by Capacity, Stadium Insight](https://stadiuminsight.com/largest-stadiums-in-the-usa/)
2. [Stadiums in United States of America, StadiumDB.com](https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/)
3. [College Football Stadium Capacity: Top 100 Ranked (2026), Legion Report](https://legionreport.com/college-football-stadium-capacity/)
4. [NFL Stadiums by Capacity: 2026 Seat Counts Ranked, Reserved Seat](https://www.reservedseat.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/)
5. [Ranking the Biggest & Smallest NFL Stadiums by Capacity, BetMGM](https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/nfl-largest-stadiums/)
6. [Top 20 Biggest Football Stadiums, StadiumDB.com](https://stadiumdb.com/lists/top-20-biggest-football-stadiums)
7. [Study of the Need for and Feasibility of a New Multi-Purpose On-Campus Stadium (177-14), Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Library/Documents/ReportsToLeg/2013-2015/177-14.pdf)
8. [Dallas Cowboys Design Statistics, 2025 NFL Media Guide](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/DAL.pdf)
9. [NFL Stadiums by Capacity: Largest to Smallest (2026), Good Seats](https://www.goodseats.com/guides/nfl-stadiums-by-capacity/)
10. [Largest College Football Stadiums by Capacity, Fueled by Sports](https://fueledbysports.com/largest-college-football-stadiums/)
11. [The 20 Largest NFL Stadiums by Capacity, sports24](https://www.sports24.us/article/largest-nfl-stadiums-by-capacity)
12. [AT&T Stadium: Capacity, location, World Cup 2026 games, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/at-and-t-stadium-world-cup-2026)
13. [NFL finalizing Lucas Oil Stadium seating capacity for Super Bowl, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-finalizing-lucas-oil-stadium-seating-capacity-for-super-bow-09000d5d8264934c)
14. [College Football Stadiums Ranked by Capacity, VenueStats](https://www.venuestats.com/college-football/)
15. [The size of college football stadiums and the towns they are in, Auburn University 2024 Research Symposium](https://research.auburn.edu/_assets/pdf/2024-research-symposium-abstracts-booklet-rev-4-2-24.pdf)
16. [NFL Stadium Capacity in 2026: All 30 Stadiums Ranked, Legion Report](https://legionreport.com/nfl-stadium-capacity/)
17. [Browns continue progress on the build of the new Huntington Bank Field, ClevelandBrowns.com](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-continue-progress-on-the-build-of-the-new-huntington-bank-field)
18. [Stadium designs in United States of America, StadiumDB.com](https://stadiumdb.com/designs/usa)
19. [NFL taking 2030 Super Bowl to Nashville and Titans' new enclosed stadium, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a3522bd938e09fa523082c98e4d44330)
20. [Nebraska regents approve $600 million renovation of 103-year-old Memorial Stadium, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f6c32cfd79d29a4b8884cf5516ebf073)
21. [Fresh renderings of Bank of America Stadium's $1.3B renovation, Axios Charlotte](https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/07/23/bank-of-america-stadium-renovation-renderings)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL stadiums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license