List of rugby union stadiums by capacity

The following is a list of stadiums at which rugby union is played, ordered by seating capacity. Currently all stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more which are the regular home venue of a club or national team, or are the regular hosts of a major competition (such as an event in the World Rugby Sevens Series, its women's version, or the final of an annual national competition), are included. Stadiums for which the only rugby union use is hosting occasional matches or which have only hosted one-off rugby union tournaments are not included. Not all of these stadiums are primarily venues for rugby union, with some being primarily venues for another sport.

RankStadiumCapacityCityCountryHome Team
1FNB Stadium94,736Johannesburg South AfricaSome South Africa national rugby union team matches
2ANZ Stadium84,000Sydney AustraliaSome Australia national team matches
3Twickenham Stadium82,000London EnglandEngland national team, Aviva Premiership final, London Sevens, London Women's Sevens final and third-place match
4Stade de France 81,338 Saint-Denis[a 1]  France Most France national team matches,[a 2] Top 14 final[1]
5 Millennium Stadium74,500Cardiff WalesWales national team
6 Stadio Olimpico 73,000 Rome  Italy Most Italy national team matches[a 3]
7 BT Murrayfield 67,800Edinburgh ScotlandScotland national team, Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland Sevens (2007–2011)
8 Ellis Park Stadium 62,567 Johannesburg  South Africa Lions, Golden Lions, some South Africa national team matches
9 Stade Vélodrome 60,013 Marseille  France Some France national team matches, some Toulon matches
10 Etihad Stadium56,347Melbourne AustraliaSome Australia national team matches
11 Boris Paichadze Stadium56,000Tbilisi Georgia Many Georgia national team matches
12 Cape Town Stadium 55,000 Cape Town  South Africa South Africa Sevens (2015–present)
National Stadium 55,000 Singapore  Singapore Singapore Sevens (2016–future), some Sunwolves matches
14 Estadio Ciudad de La Plata 53,000La Plata  Argentina Some Argentina national team matches
15 Suncorp Stadium 52,500 Brisbane  Australia Queensland Reds, some Australia national team matches
16 Kings Park Stadium 52,000 Durban  South Africa Sharks, Natal Sharks, some South Africa national team matches
17 DHL Newlands 51,900Cape Town South Africa Stormers, Western Province, some South Africa national team matches
18 Loftus Versfeld Stadium51,762Pretoria South Africa Bulls, Blue Bulls, some South Africa national team matches
19 Aviva Stadium51,700Dublin  Ireland Ireland national rugby union team, some Leinster matches.
20 King Baudouin Stadium51,122Brussels BelgiumBelgium national team
21 Eden Park50,000Auckland New ZealandAuckland Rugby Football Union, Blues, some New Zealand national team matches
The Sevens50,000[a 4] Dubai  United Arab Emirates Dubai Sevens, Dubai Women's Sevens, and most United Arab Emirates national team matches; also hosted most Arabian Gulf rugby union team matches before that team's 2010 breakup
23 Estadio José Amalfitani[a 5] 49,540 Buenos Aires  Argentina Jaguares, some Argentina national team matches
24 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium 48,459 Port Elizabeth  South Africa Southern Kings, Eastern Province Kings, South Africa Sevens (2011–2014), some South Africa national team matches
25 Allianz Stadium 45,500 Sydney  Australia New South Wales Waratahs, Australian Sevens (2016–future)
26 Toyota Stadium 45,000 Toyota  Japan Toyota Verblitz
27 Patersons Stadium 42,922 Perth  Australia Some Australia national team matches
28 Hong Kong Stadium40,000Wanchai Hong Kong Hong Kong national team, Hong Kong Sevens
Stadio della Vittoria 40,000 Bari  Italy
29 Sam Boyd Stadium 36,800 Las Vegas  United States USA Sevens
30 Free State Stadium36,538Bloemfontein South AfricaFree State Cheetahs, some Central Cheetahs matches
31 Allianz Riviera 35,624 Nice  France Some Toulon matches[a 6]
Renato Dall'Ara Stadium 35,624 Bologne  Italy Rugby
32 Stadium Municipal 35,472 Toulouse  France Some Stade Toulousain matches[a 7]
33 Westpac Stadium 34,500 Wellington  New Zealand Hurricanes, Wellington Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches, Wellington Sevens
34 Stade Chaban-Delmas 34,462 Bordeaux  France Most Union Bordeaux Bègles matches
35 Simonds Stadium 34,074 Geelong  Australia Some Melbourne Rising matches
36 Rotorua International Stadium34,000Rotorua New ZealandSome Bay of Plenty Steamers matches
37 EPRU Stadium 33,852 Port Elizabeth  South Africa No longer used for professional rugby, but still hosts many local age-grade, amateur, and club matches.
38 Adelaide Oval 33,597 Adelaide  Australia Australian Sevens (2007–2011)
39 Ricoh Arena 32,609 Coventry  England Wasps
40 Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza 30,748 Dunedin  New Zealand Highlanders, Otago Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches
41 Home's Stadium Kobe30,132Kobe JapanKobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
42 AAMI Park30,050Melbourne AustraliaMelbourne Rebels
43 Flaminio Stadium 30,000 Rome  Italy It's home of Capitolina and Rugby Roma
National Stadium30,000Suva Fiji
Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium30,000Higashiōsaka JapanKintetsu Liners
Mt Smart Stadium30,000Auckland New ZealandCounties Manukau Rugby Union
46 Skilled Park 27,400 Gold Coast  Australia Gold Coast Sevens (2011–2015)
47 Mikheil Meskhi Stadium 27,223 Tbilisi  Georgia Some Georgia national team matches
48 Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium27,188Tokyo Japan Most Japan national rugby union team matches,[a 8] most Sunwolves matches, Japan Sevens (2012–15)
49 Stade Guy Boniface 26,100Mont-de-Marsan France Stade Montois
50 Welford Road 26,000[2] Leicester EnglandLeicester Tigers
51 FMG Stadium Waikato25,800Hamilton New Zealand Waikato Rugby Union, Chiefs
52 Thomond Park25,600Limerick IrelandMunster, Shannon RFC
53 Canberra Stadium 25,011 Canberra  Australia Brumbies
54 Pam Brink Stadium25,000Springs South AfricaSome Falcons matches
North Harbour Stadium25,000Albany New ZealandNorth Harbour Rugby Union
Okara Park25,000Whangarei New ZealandNorthland Rugby Football Union
Yarrow Stadium25,000New Plymouth New ZealandTaranaki Rugby Football Union
The Darlington Arena25,000Darlington EnglandDarlington Mowden Park
59 Madejski Stadium24,161Reading EnglandLondon Irish
Dubai Exiles Rugby Ground 24,000 Dubai UAE Some Arabian Gulf rugby union team matches, many local club matches
61 Central Stadium22,500Krasnoyarsk RussiaRussia national team, local club matches
62 Parramatta Stadium[3] 20,741 Parramatta  Australia Some Greater Sydney Rams matches
63 Liberty Stadium20,532Swansea WalesOspreys
64 Headingley Stadium20,500Leeds EnglandYorkshire Carnegie
Perth Oval 20,500 Perth  Australia Western Force
66 Stade des Alpes 20,068 Grenoble  France Most FC Grenoble matches
67 Rio Tinto Stadium 20,008 Sandy  United States Utah Warriors
68 Concord Oval 20,000 Concord  Australia Some Greater Sydney Rams matches, West Harbour RFC
Leichhardt Oval 20,000 Leichhardt  Australia Sydney Stars
North Sydney Oval20,000Sydney AustraliaNorthern Suburbs Rugby Club
Owen Delany Park20,000Taupo New ZealandKing Country Rugby Football Union
Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Paris  France Stade Français, France Sevens (2016–future)
73 Baypark Stadium19,800Mount Maunganui New Zealand Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
74 Dick's Sporting Goods Park19,680Commerce City United StatesDenver Barbarians
75 Meadow Lane19,588Nottingham EnglandNottingham RFC
76 Stadio Euganeo 19,500 Padua  Italy
Stade Ernest-Wallon 19,500Toulouse France Stade Toulousain
77Queenstown Events Centre19,000Queenstown New Zealand Some Highlanders matches
78 Brianteo Stadium 18,500 Milan  Italy Aironi Rugby
Stade de la Méditerranée 18,555 Béziers France AS Béziers Hérault
79 RDS Arena18,500Dublin  Ireland Leinster
Talen Energy Stadium 18,500 Chester  United States Collegiate Rugby Championship
81 Kingspan Stadium18,196Belfast Northern IrelandUlster
82 Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin 18,030 Clermont-Ferrand  France ASM Clermont Auvergne
83 Ballymore Stadium 18,000 Brisbane  Australia Brisbane City, Queensland Premier Rugby Grand Final and some individual matches, Queensland XV matches, some Reds preseason matches, Australian national rugby union academy
Churchill Park18,000Lautoka FijiColonial Cup, Digicel Cup
ABSA Park18,000Kimberley South Africasome Central Cheetahs matches
AMI Stadium 18,000 Christchurch  New Zealand Crusaders, Canterbury
Arena Manawatu 18,000Palmerston North New ZealandManawatu Turbos
Estadio G.E.B.A.18,000Buenos Aires ArgentinaGimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires
89 Stade Aimé Giral 17,500 Perpignan  France USA Perpignan
90 Rugby Park Stadium17,000Invercargill New ZealandSouthland Rugby Football Union
Stade Jean Dauger17,000Bayonne FranceAviron Bayonnais
92 Yamaha Stadium 16,879 Iwata  Japan Yamaha Júbilo
93 Ashton Gate Stadium16,600Bristol EnglandBristol
94 Kingsholm Stadium16,500Gloucester EnglandGloucester
95 Trafalgar Park16,000Nelson New ZealandTasman
Danie Craven Stadium16,000Stellenbosch South AfricaFNB Varsity Cup
97 Stade Mayol 15,700 Toulon  France Toulon
98 Franklin's Gardens 15,500 Northampton  England Northampton Saints
99 Bilino Polje15,000Zenica Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina national team
Parc des Sports Aguiléra15,000Biarritz  France Biarritz Olympique
Stade d'Albert Domec 15,000 Carcassonne  France US Carcassonne
Stade Amédée-Domenech 15,000Brive-la-Gaillarde France CA Brive
Stade Maurice Boyau 15,000Dax France US Dax
Mizuho Rugby Stadium15,000Nagoya City Japan Some Japan national team matches, several local clubs
Apia Park15,000Apia SamoaSamoa national team
Stade Makis 15,000 Antananarivo  Madagascar Madagascar national team, local club matches
107 Parc y Scarlets 14,870 Llanelli WalesScarlets, Llanelli RFC
108 Twickenham Stoop 14,816 London  England Harlequins, most of London Women's Sevens
109 Altrad Stadium 14,700 Montpellier  France Montpellier
110 Stade Georges Pompidou 14,380 Valence  France La Voulte-Valence
111 Stadio Giglio14,138Reggio Emilia Italy Local club matches; formerly Aironi
112 Stade Armandie 14,000 Agen  France SU Agen
Estadio Charrúa 14,000 Montevideo  Uruguay Uruguay national team
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir 14,000 Colombes  France Racing 92
114 Stade du Hameau 13,966 Pau  France Section Paloise
115 Recreation Ground 13,500 Bath  England Bath
116 Stadium Municipal d'Albi 13,058 Albi  France SC Albi
117 Stade Sapiac 12,600 Montauban  France US Montauban
118 BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park12,500Cardiff Wales Cardiff Blues, Cardiff RFC
Stade Marcel-Deflandre 12,500 La Rochelle  France Atlantique Stade Rochelais
120 Sandy Park12,300Exeter EnglandExeter Chiefs
121 Estadio Nacional Complutense 12,400Madrid Spain Many Spain national team matches
122 Sixways 12,024 Worcester  England Worcester Warriors
123 Velodromo Paolo Borsellino 12,000 Palermo  Italy Palermo Rugby
AJ Bell Stadium 12,000 Salford  England Sale Sharks
Alpine Energy Stadium12,000Timaru New ZealandSouth Canterbury Rugby Football Union
Brewery Field 12,000 Bridgend  Wales Bridgend Ravens
Arturo Collana Stadium 12,000 Naples  Italy Partenope Rugby
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié 12,000 Narbonne  France RC Narbonne
Sunshine Coast Stadium 12,000 Kawana Waters  Australia Some Queensland Country matches
128 Stade Lesdiguières 11,900 Grenoble  France Some FC Grenoble matches
129 Rodney Parade 11,676 Newport  Wales Newport Gwent Dragons, Newport RFC
130 Stade Pierre-Antoine 11,500Castres  France Castres Olympique
131 Stade Michel Bendichou11,430Colomiers  France US Colomiers
132 Kingston Park10,200Newcastle EnglandNewcastle Falcons
Arena Civica 10,200 Milan  Italy Amatori Milano
134 Allianz Park10,000London  England Saracens
Dubarry Park10,000Athlone Republic of IrelandBuccaneers RFC & AIB League Final
NRCA Stadium 10,000 Amsterdam  Netherlands Netherlands national team, Amsterdam Women's Sevens
Outeniqua Park10,000George South AfricaSWD Eagles; used for the South Africa Sevens from 2002–2010
138 Tommaso Fattori Stadium 10,000 L'Aquila  Italy L'Aquila Rugby 1936
Pittwater Park 10,000 Warriewood  Australia Some North Harbour Rays matches, Warringah RC
Stade d'Albert Domec10,000Carcassonne  France US Carcassonne
Stade André Moga10,000Bègles  France Some Union Bordeaux Bègles matches
Stade Pierre Rajon10,000Bourgoin-Jallieu  France CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
143 Plebiscito Stadium 10,000 Padua  Italy Petrarca Rugby
Truman Bodden Stadium10,000George Town Cayman IslandsCayman Islands national team
Viking Park 10,000 Canberra  Australia University of Canberra Vikings
  1. Stade de France is often stated as being in Paris. Although it is in the metropolitan area, it is not in the city proper, as evidenced by its postal code of 93216. The first two digits of "93" indicate that it is in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. Paris is department 75.
  2. France play Tests throughout the country, but play all Six Nations home matches at Stade de France.
  3. Italy play Tests throughout the country, but since 2012 have played all Six Nations home matches at Stadio Olimpico.
  4. The Sevens has a permanent capacity of 4,000, but is designed to be expandable to 50,000 with temporary seating. The full capacity is used for the annual Dubai Sevens tournament, and was also used when the stadium hosted the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
  5. Also known as Vélez Sársfield, after the football club that is the stadium's primary tenant.
  6. In recent years, Toulon have taken occasional home matches in both the Top 14 and European Rugby Champions Cup to this ground.
  7. Stade Toulousain regularly take at least two matches in the Top 14 and one in the European Rugby Champions Cup to this ground every season, though it was unable to do so from 2013–2015 due to renovations for UEFA Euro 2016.
  8. Japan play Tests throughout the country, but Chichibunomiya is the most widely used ground, and also houses the headquarters of the country's national federation.

Closed or demolished stadiums

StadiumCapacity (at time of closure)CityCountryHome TeamClosedFate
The National Stadium53,000Cardiff WalesWales national team1997 Replaced by Millennium Stadium. The 1970 North Stand of National Stadium forms "Glanmor's Gap" in Millennium Stadium; the remainder was demolished.
Lansdowne Road 49,000 Dublin  Ireland Ireland national team 2007 Demolished and replaced on-site by Aviva Stadium.
PETCO Park 42,445 San Diego  United States USA Sevens 2010 Remains in use for its original purpose of baseball.
Athletic Park39,000Wellington New Zealand Wellington Hurricanes, Wellington Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches1999 Demolished. The replacement venue, Wellington Regional Stadium, is some distance away.
Lancaster Park 36,000 Christchurch  New Zealand Crusaders, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches 2011 Ruins currently standing while the ultimate fate of the stadium is decided. Closed because of major damage from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. According to one member of the Christchurch city council, the required repairs were on a scale never before seen in New Zealand.[4]
Stadio Flaminio 32,000 Rome  Italy Italy national team 2011 Remains in use for football (soccer); the Italian Rugby Federation has moved all Rome matches, including Six Nations fixtures, to Stadio Olimpico.
Carisbrook 29,000 Dunedin  New Zealand Highlanders, Otago Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches 2011 Demolition began in early 2012. Parts of the stadium will be preserved or reused.
StubHub Center27,000Carson United StatesUSA Sevens 2007 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).
Cardiff City Stadium 26,828 Cardiff  Wales Cardiff Blues 2014 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).
Vicarage Road 19,920 Watford  England Saracens 2013 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).
Loftus Road18,500London EnglandLondon Wasps2001 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).
Meadowbank Stadium16,500Edinburgh ScotlandEdinburgh 2006 Remains in use for many other sports, including football (soccer) and American football.
Racecourse Ground 15,500 Wrexham  Wales Scarlets 2009 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer), and has hosted rugby league since 2010.
Stade Jean-Bouin 12,000 Paris  France Stade Français 2010 Replaced on-site by a new stadium of the same name that opened in 2013.
Edgeley Park 10,900 Stockport  England Sale Sharks 2012 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).
Firhill 10,887 Glasgow  Scotland Glasgow Warriors 2012 Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer).

Future stadiums

This list includes stadiums that are either under construction or planned.

StadiumCapacity (at time of opening)CityCountryHome TeamOpening
Grand Stade FFR 82,000 Évry  France France national team 2020
DSC Multi-Purpose Stadium 60,000 Dubai  United Arab Emirates TBA
Perth Stadium 60,000 Burswood  Australia Western Force 2018
Arena 92 32,000 Nanterre  France Racing 92 2016
New Parramatta Stadium 30,000 Parramatta  Australia Greater Sydney Rams (some matches) 2019
Brentford Community Stadium 20,000 London  England London Welsh TBA

1 As a Rugby ground.

See also

References

  1. Also hosted select Stade Français matches until that club completed the current Stade Jean-Bouin in 2013, and also hosted select matches for Racing 92.
  2. Future plans call for expansion to 30,000.
  3. To be demolished in late 2016; will be replaced on-site by a new 30,000-capacity stadium.
  4. "Crusaders remain homeless". ESPN Scrum. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.

External links

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