The largest stadiums in 2022 were primarily American college football venues, with one outlier in Asia. But the true takeaway for the AEC professional is not the number of seats—it is the . When you need 10,000 identical locker room benches or 5,000 exit signs, you need a BIM library that delivers speed and accuracy.
This guide outlines the rankings and architectural highlights of the world's largest stadiums as featured by BIMsmith in 2022. These venues are celebrated not just for their massive seating capacities, but for the engineering and Building Information Modeling (BIM) required to manage such complex infrastructure. BIMsmith Blog +1 The Top 5 Largest Stadiums in the World (2022) As of late 2022, the following five venues held the title of the largest sports stadiums globally based on official seating capacity: BIMsmith Blog +1 Rungrado 1st of May Stadium Location: Pyongyang, North Korea Capacity: 150,000 (Official) Highlight: Notable for its unique roof featuring 16 concrete arches designed to resemble a magnolia flower or a parachute. Narendra Modi Stadium (formerly Motera Stadium) Location: Ahmedabad, India Capacity: 132,000 Highlight: The largest cricket stadium ever built, featuring a massive 55-room clubhouse , four dressing rooms, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Michigan Stadium 4.8 (9.4K) Stadium Open Ann Arbor, MI, United States Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Capacity: 107,601 Highlight: The largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, primarily hosting U.S. college football for the University of Michigan. West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium 4.7 (4.3K) Stadium University Park, PA, United States Location: University Park, Pennsylvania, USA Capacity: 106,572 Highlight: Home to the Penn State Nittany Lions, this venue has been voted one of the best college football venues in the U.S.. Ohio Stadium 4.7 (8.7K) Stadium Columbus, OH, United States Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA Capacity: 102,780 Highlight: Renowned for its distinctive "U" shape and rich history, originally opening in 1922. BIMsmith Blog +3 Architectural Focus: 2022 FIFA World Cup Stadiums BIMsmith also highlighted the architectural innovation of the stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which prioritized modularity and sustainability: BIMsmith Blog +1 Lusail Stadium 4.7 (4.7K) Stadium Lusail, Qatar The centerpiece of the tournament, designed by Foster + Partners with a golden facade referencing Arab architecture. Al Bayt Stadium 4.7 (4.6K) Stadium Al Khor, Qatar Features a giant tent-like structure inspired by nomadic tents of the Gulf region. Stadium 974 4.7 (1.1K) Stadium Doha, Qatar The first fully demountable stadium in World Cup history, constructed using bimsmith largest stadiums in the world 2022