Top five largest field hockey stadiums by sitting capacity

The newly inaugurated Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium is the latest addition to this exclusive list.

Field hockey is a popular sport across all the major continents and was introduced at the 1908 Olympics. The sport since the 1928 edition has been part of all the Olympic Games. Unlike other sports, hockey stadiums aren't the biggest (in size and capacity) but on average can accommodate close to 10,000 spectators. In this article let us discuss the top five biggest hockey stadiums in the world.

5. Lee Valley Hockey Stadium, London, England (20,000)

The Lee valley hockey stadium, previously called the Riverside arena, has a variable capacity. During major events the capacity of the stadium can be increased up to 20,000, otherwise, it can occupy close to 15000 people. The stadium has hosted many high-profile matches (the 2012 London Olympics and 2018 Women’s World Cup matches). The stadium is host to Great Britain and England national teams.

4. Birsa Munda Stadium, Rourkela, India (20,000)

The newly built state of art Birsa Munda International stadium in Rourkela is the fourth-largest hockey stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000 spectators. The stadium was specially built to host matches for the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. It will host matches along with the Kalinga stadium which can occupy around 16,000 spectators.

Out of the 44 matches, the stadium will host 20 matches with India playing two league matches here. The South Korean U-19 team has already played a few practice matches at the stadium. England vs Chile will be the first International match at this venue.

3. Weingart Stadium, Los Angeles, USA (22,355)

Weingart Stadium is a multipurpose stadium that hosts major sporting events like American Football, Soccer, and Athletics. The stadium hosted hockey matches in the 1984 Olympics in which Pakistan and the Netherlands won the gold medals in the men’s and women’s sections respectively. Apart from hosting major sporting events, the stadium is also used for shooting Hollywood films.

2. Chandigarh Hockey Stadium, Chandigarh, India (30,000)

Punjab is considered the hockey hub of India. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Indian hockey team had eight players from the state of Punjab in a squad of 16. The Chandigarh hockey stadium was built in 1960. It is part of the Sports 42 sports complex which has other sporting facilities for Judo, Wrestling, handball, etc.

Important tournaments held here include the Indo-Uzabekistak 1977, 1995 Indo-Pan American Hockey, and All Hockey India tournaments.

1. National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan (45,000)

The National Hockey stadium in Lahore, Pakistan is the world’s largest hockey stadium in terms of spectators. The most famous match to date is the 1990 men’s hockey World Cup where the Netherlands went on to defeat the host Pakistan who currently holds four world cup trophies. It is also known as the Gadaffi Hockey stadium.