The following is a list of arenas ordered by seating capacity, which is the maximum number of seated spectators the arena can accommodate for a sports event. Only the capacity for indoor sports, such as basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball, are included. Currently all arenas with a capacity of 15,000 or more are included.
Venues are only included if they are designed primarily for sports traditionally held indoors. Venues built for field sports that also host indoor events are not included. Such venues include, but are not limited to:
Some of the above venues have hosted some of the largest crowds in history for indoor sports. The Caesars Superdome, for example, regularly seats more than 70,000 for basketball games (NCAA and NBA), boxing (over 65,000 for the Ali-Spinks Rematch), and more than 75,000 for professional wrestling. In 1981 the Rolling Stones reported Superdome attendance of 87,500 for a concert, while Pope John Paul II spoke to a crowd of more than 80,000 children in 1987. The largest confirmed attendance for a basketball game (108,713) was at AT&T Stadium (then known as Cowboys Stadium) for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
By contrast, Saitama Super Arena in the Japanese city of the same name is included because it was built primarily for indoor sports, although it can be configured to host field sports. (Both it and Paris La Défense Arena have movable seating blocks that can adapt to either an arena or field configuration.)
The confusion of what is an Arena, Stadium or Dome is due to the fact that opinion and other arbitrary criteria that do not matter have been considered. Thus, there are no significant differences in the true definition between the three because each has incorporated design elements of the others, other than size and limitation of use of the space by original design. The best modern definition of an Arena is an indoor venue that typically holds less than 40,000 spectators. Domed and Indoor Stadiums for the most part are the same thing but hold more than 40,000 spectators. However, there is a strong push to separate removable roof/ sliding roof as a specific identifier for Dome venues. Architecturally, there really is no difference between an Indoor Stadium and a Domed Stadium other than the roof can be opened in good weather.
The list is divided into three subsections: current arenas, arenas under construction, and arenas which are closed no longer used for sporting events.
| Arena | Capacity | City | Country | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KJC King Dome | 75,000 | Davao City |  Philippines | 2024 |
| Co-op Live | 23,500 | Manchester |  United Kingdom | 2023 |
| Arena Polivalentă | 20,000 | Bucharest |  Romania | 2023 |
| Arena Guadalajara [15] | 20,000 | Guadalajara |  Mexico | 2024 |
| Roig Arena | 18,600 | Valencia |  Spain | 2024 |
| Intuit Dome | 18,000 | Inglewood |  United States | 2024 |
| Bangkok Arena (Bang Na) | 15,000 | Bangkok |  Thailand | 2023 |
| Palaitalia | 15,000 | Milan |  Italy | 2026 |
| Arena | Capacity | City | Country | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC Olimpiyskiy | 35,000 | Moscow |  Russia | 2019 (demolished in 2020) |
| Charlotte Coliseum | 24,042 | Charlotte, North Carolina | United States | 2005 (demolished in 2007) |
| The Palace of Auburn Hills | 22,076 | Auburn Hills, Michigan | United States | 2017 (demolished in 2020) |
| Burswood Dome | 21,754 | Perth |  Australia | 2012 |
| Richfield Coliseum | 20,273 | Richfield, Ohio | United States | 1999 |
| Memphis Pyramid | 20,142 | Memphis, Tennessee | United States | 2004 (2015 as reopened and renovated Memphis Pyramid) |
| Joe Louis Arena | 20,066 | Detroit | United States | 2017 (demolished in 2020) |
| Meadowlands Arena | 20,049 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | United States | 2015 |
| St. Louis Arena | 20,000 | St. Louis | United States | 1994 (demolished in 1999) |
| SCC Peterburgskiy | 20,000 | Saint Petersburg | Russia | 2019 (demolished in 2020) |
| Earls Court Exhibition Centre | 19,000 | London | United Kingdom | 2014 (demolished in 2017) |
| Capital Centre | 18,756 | Landover, Maryland | United States | 1999 (demolished in 2002) |
| Bradley Center | 18,717 | Milwaukee | United States | 2018 |
| Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | New York City | United States | 1968 |
| Wachovia Spectrum | 18,136 | Philadelphia | United States | 2009 (demolished in 2011) |
| Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | 18,000 | Buffalo, New York | United States | 1996 (demolished in 2009) |
| Palasport di San Siro | 18,000 | Milan | Italy | 1985 |
| Amway Arena | 17,519 | Orlando, Florida | United States | 2010 (demolished in 2012) |
| Chicago Stadium | 17,317 | Chicago | United States | 1994 (demolished in 1995, now a parking lot for United Center) |
| Sleep Train Arena | 17,317 | Sacramento, California | United States | 2016 |
| Reunion Arena | 17,293 | Dallas | United States | 2008 |
| Mellon Arena | 17,181 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | United States | 2010 |
| McNichols Sports Arena | 17,171 | Denver, Colorado | United States | 1999 |
| Northlands Coliseum | 16,839 | Edmonton |  Canada | 2017 |
| Miami Arena | 16,640 | Miami | United States | 2008 |
| Market Square Arena | 16,530 | Indianapolis | United States | 2001 |
| Omni Coliseum | 16,378 | Atlanta | United States | 1997 |
| Maple Leaf Gardens | 16,307 | Toronto | Canada | 2002 (reopened as smaller venue in 2011) |
| Compaq Center | 16,285 | Houston | United States | 1998 (closed for sporting events) |
| Fantasy City Arena | 16,284 | Bangkok | Thailand | 1997 |
| Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 | Los Angeles | United States | 2016 |
| HemisFair Arena | 16,057 | San Antonio | United States | 1995 |
| St. Paul Civic Center | 16,000 | St. Paul, Minnesota | United States | 1998 |
| Winnipeg Arena | 15,565 | Winnipeg | Canada | 2006 |
| Hollywood Sportatorium | 15,532 | Pembroke Pines, Florida | United States | 1993 |
| Colisée Pepsi | 15,399 | Quebec City | Canada | 2015 |
| London Docklands Arena | 15,000 | London | United Kingdom | 2005 |
| Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | Detroit | United States | 1987 |
| Met Center | 15,000 | Bloomington, Minnesota | United States | 1994 |
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate a multitude of spectators.
A stadium is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.
The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022) and colloquially called "The Dome," or more recently "The JMA Dome," is a domed stadium in Syracuse, New York, United States. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood, it is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. In 2006–07, the women's basketball team began playing home games in the Carrier Dome. In May 2022, Syracuse University announced in April 2022 that Carrier Global Corp. would no longer hold naming rights to the venue. When Syracuse University and JMA Wireless announced the new naming rights in May 2022, it marked the first time the venue's name would change since the opening in 1980.
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports stadiums and venues, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne central business district, located in suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, near East Melbourne and Richmond.
The P1FCU Kibbie Dome, known simply as the Kibbie Dome and formerly named the Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center, is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. It is the home of the Idaho Vandals of the Big Sky Conference for four sports. Basketball was played in the venue until the autumn 2021 opening of the adjacent Idaho Central Credit Union Arena.
Sapporo Dome is a stadium located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, and is primarily used for association football. It is the home field of the association football club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and was also home to the baseball team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters through the 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball season. It was a football venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics, was the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2017 Asian Winter Games, and was used for two matches of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The stadium also hosted matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part based on the placement of bases, and the outfield is where dimensions can vary widely from ballpark to ballpark. A larger ballpark may also be called a baseball stadium because it shares characteristics of other stadiums.
Madrid Arena is an indoor arena located in the city of Madrid, in the fairgrounds in the Casa de Campo, just minutes from the city centre. Built from the old Rocódromo, the pavilion was designed by Spanish architects Estudio Cano Lasso who designed this versatile building in 2001 to host sporting events, commercial, cultural and leisure activities. The pavilion was sponsored by the company Telefónica for what was also known as Telefónica Arena.
The Dome at Crown Perth was a multi-purpose indoor arena used for sports and entertainment. The dome was 8,800 square metres (95,000 sq ft) in size, with seating for 13,600 people. The whole arena was pressurised so that the fibreglass roof was suspended 35 metres (115 ft) above the ground.
The Sydney SuperDome is a multipurpose arena located in Sydney Olympic Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre (AEC) is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences between 1,000 and 11,300.
The Stade Pierre-Mauroy, also known as the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-use retractable roof stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France, that opened in August 2012. It has a seating capacity of 50,186 and is the home stadium of Lille OSC. Initially named Grand Stade Lille Métropole, the stadium was renamed on 21 June 2013, just after the death of the former Mayor of Lille and former Prime Minister of France Pierre Mauroy (1928–2013).
A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term operable skylight, while quite similar, refers to a skylight that opens on a hinge, rather than on a track.
The Philippine Arena is the world's largest indoor arena. It is a multipurpose indoor arena with a maximum seating capacity of 55,000 at Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-hectare (350-acre) tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines about 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of Manila. It is one of the centerpieces of the many centennial projects of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) for their centennial celebration on July 27, 2014. The legal owner of the arena is the INC's educational institution, New Era University. The arena is officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest mixed-use indoor theater in the world on July 27, 2014.
