The 22 biggest EFL stadiums ranked as new Birmingham City 62,000 seater looms

In the midst of breaking the EFL points record with a total of 111, a lot of noise surrounding Birmingham City in the past 12 months has been related to the club’s ambition of building a new stadium.

Despite spending a solitary season in League One, Blues owner, Tom Wagner, has continued to relay the message of delivering a proposed 62,000-capacity stadium and Sports Quarter complex in East Birmingham, which is set to cost between £2-3bn and generate approximately 8,400 job opportunities.

Recently, the American stated that “it would be a crime against the City of Birmingham” if the project failed to come to fruition, and he has also spoken about the need to incorporate the Second City’s working-class and industrial heritage into the eventual design.

Whilst these plans continue to rumble on in the background of the club’s return to the Championship, FLW has taken a look at what the current 22 biggest stadiums are across the second-tier, third-tier and League Two at this moment in time.

Note: All capacity figures as per Transfermarkt

22Accu Stadium

The smallest stadium on this list is the Accu’s Stadium, home of Huddersfield Town.

The Terriers’ current stadium opened in August 1994 and holds a current capacity of 24,500, with the West Yorkshire side averaging the third-highest attendance in League One last season with a figure of 18,887.

Its record attendance came during the club’s two-season stint in the Premier League, with 24,263 spectators watching a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in October 2018 as Mo Salah netted the winner for the Reds.

21Brick Community Stadium

Next up is the Brick Community Stadium, which Wigan Athletic have called home since August 1999 after leaving Springfield Park.

The stadium has overseen plenty of highs and lows as the Latics rose to the Premier League in 2005 and stayed in the top flight until their FA Cup-winning season of 2012/13, before spending the next 11 seasons between the Championship and League One.

Its current capacity is 25,513 and the highest-ever attendance at present came on the final day of the 2007/08 season, where 25,133 spectators saw Manchester United secure the title with a 2-0 victory.

20Valley Parade

After six years in League Two, Valley Parade will once again be hosting third-tier football next season after Bradford City’s dramatic promotion success on the final day of the season.

The Bantams averaged the best attendance figures in the fourth tier last term, with all of their final four outings seeing over 20,000 spectators come through the turnstiles to see Graham Alexander’s side over the line.

The stadium has seen plenty of change over the years, especially after the well-documented fire in May 1985 which claimed the lives of 56 spectators. The former Premier League stadium is currently able to house 25,136 spectators, and it will immediately be one of the biggest venues in League One in 2025/26.

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19MKM Stadium

The MKM Stadium has been Hull City’s home since December 2002 and is the only professional stadium in the country to be surrounded by parkland.

At a cost of £44m, the 25,586-capacity stadium was the catalyst behind the Tigers’ four-year rise from League Two to the Premier League between 2004 and 2008, and has since seen dips and rises in attendances due to the club’s fortunes and previous division under the Allam family’s ownership.

Just like the aforementioned Brick Community Stadium, the MKM is also home to Hull FC of the Betfred Super League, and its record attendance of 25,030 came on the final day of the 2009/10 Premier League season in a goalless draw against Liverpool.

18The Hawthorns

Just the second Championship to appear on this list so far, The Hawthorns can hold up to 26,850 supporters when full.

West Brom have played their home matches there since 1900, and it is the highest ground above sea level in the country at an altitude of 551ft.

With the B71 arena being the Baggies’ stadium throughout their entire history, it’s no surprise that its highest-ever attendance came nearly a century ago, with 64,815 packed into the famous ground to witness a 3-1 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final back in March 1937.

17The Valley

The Valley will be hosting Championship football for the first time in five years after Charlton Athletic’s victory over Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final.

With a current capacity of 26,875, many opposition supporters will have the SE7 ground on their list of must-visits next season, with Addicks supporters able to generate an impressive atmosphere for big occasions.

Charlton’s average attendance last season was the fourth-highest in the third-tier at 18,112, which was higher than eight clubs in the 2024/25 second-tier.

16Ashton Gate

Ashton Gate is one of the EFL’s most modern stadiums, having been renovated in the mid 2010’s as Bristol City look to eventually return to English football’s elite.

At a cost of £45m, the Robins’ ground now holds a capacity of 27,000, but one which can be extended to 32,000 for non-sporting events such as concerts.

The record attendance in BS3 came all the way back in February 1935, with 43,335 witnessing a 0-0 draw against Preston North End in the FA Cup Fifth Round.

15Carrow Road

Norwich City supporters have earned a reputation of being one of the Championship’s most loyal fanbases, with Carrow Road often full no matter what division the Canaries are playing in.

The stadium opened in August 1935 and can house up to 27,444 spectators at present, with the East Anglian side averaging a figure of 26,316 across a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

Norwich’s record attendance at the stadium came on March 30th 1963, with 43,984 fans watching a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-final.

14Toughsheet Community Stadium

Bolton Wanderers’ current stadium has gone by a plethora of names, currently known as the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The 28,723-capacity arena will be the second-largest in League One once more in 2025/26, as the Whites look to end their lengthy hiatus from English football’s top two tiers.

It opened in 1997 and has hosted several big occasions, which include two UEFA Cup campaigns, but its highest attendance to date came in December 2003 in a 2-2 draw against Leicester City, which was played before a crowd of 28,353.

13St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park

As previously mentioned, Birmingham are looking to depart St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park in the coming years, with the famous stadium holding a current capacity of 29,409, having been renovated majorly in the 1990s and once more under Knighthead’s ownership, as the Tilton and Kop Stands were half-open due to safety concerns between 2020 and 2023.

The B9 stadium has been Blues’ home since 1905, and was, unsurprisingly, filled to the maximum allowance last season with an average attendance of 26,326, with 10,500+ supporters now on a season ticket waiting list heading into next season.

The record attendance at St Andrew’s was set in February 1939, with 66,844 witnessing a 2-2 draw against Everton in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.

12Portman Road

Portman Road will once again be an EFL stadium after Ipswich Town’s solitary season in the Premier League, and the Suffolk club’s famous ground marks the halfway point on this list with a current capacity of 30,056.

The arena represents a nice mix of traditional and modern stands, with two of those paying homage to two legends of the game in Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson.

Like many stadiums which have stood the test of time, its record attendance came prior to the introduction of all-seater arenas following the Taylor Report, with 38,010 watching a goalless draw against Leeds United in March 1975.

11Bet365 Stadium

The Bet365 Stadium, as it is currently known, has been the home of Stoke City since 1997 after their move from the Victoria Ground.

With the phrase ‘can the opposition do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke’ becoming one of modern football’s most notorious, the Staffordshire ground has earned quite a reputation, especially during the Potters’ Premier League years.

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It remains to be seen if the 30,089-capacity stadium will be hosting the elite any time soon, with a record attendance of 30,022 coming in a 2-1 defeat to Everton during the club’s relegation season in March 2018.

10Stadium MK

Stadium MK is the only League Two stadium to feature on this list, as it is able to house 30,500 supporters.

However, it remains at the centre of one of English football’s most controversial stories, as MK Dons have played their home fixtures here since 2007 after the initial relocation and rebranding of Wimbledon FC.

Despite being by far and away the largest fourth-tier stadium, it has rarely come close to selling out, with its record attendance of 28,521 coming in September 2019 as Liverpool defeated the Buckinghamshire side in the EFL Cup.

9Ewood Park

Ewood Park is one of the EFL’s most historic stadiums, and its current capacity of 31,367 is down to Jack Walker’s well-documented investment in his hometown club, Blackburn Rovers, in the early 1990s.

The Riverside Stand is now the only one of four which showcases Ewood’s previous history, as the other three were transformed in August 1994 ahead of Rovers’ historic Premier League title-winning season under Kenny Dalglish.

Despite being one of the biggest stadiums in the Championship, the East Lancashire ground was only approximately half-full in 2024/25 despite Blackburn’s play-off bid, with an average attendance of 16,161.

8King Power Stadium

The King Power Stadium was the scene of English football’s greatest-ever underdog story less than a decade ago, but will be hosting 23 second-tier games once again next season after Leicester City’s relegation.

Opening 23 years ago, the Foxes’ stadium currently holds 32,259 spectators and its record attendance of 32,242 came on the opening day of the historic 2015/16 Premier League title-winning season, a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge.

However, there are plans in place to make the LE2 ground even bigger by adding 8,000 seats, with approval granted in December 2023 by the local council.

7St Mary’s

Holding 125 more seats than the King Power is St Mary’s, the home of Southampton.

The stadium opened in 2001 and has been at the epicentre of a hugely mixed period in the Saints’ history, during which the club has played in Europe but also fallen as low as League One.

Its current capacity is 32,384, and supporters remained loyal during a campaign of immense disappointment, with an average attendance of 30,685 seeing a dismal record of one win, three draws, 15 defeats and just 13 goals scored as their team ended the season rock bottom of the top-flight table on just 12 points.

6CBS Arena

The CBS Arena was built in 2005, yet hasn’t always been the home of its tenants, Coventry City, during said timeframe.

The Sky Blues moved from Highfield Road to the 32,609-capacity venue with the aim of ending their hiatus from the Premier League, although that exile has now lasted for 24 years, with City also playing games at Sixfields in 2013/14 and St Andrew’s between 2019 and 2021.

The club recently broke the record attendance for a league fixture in CV6 against West Bromwich Albion with a 31,167 figure, with the overall record seeing an FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea in March 2009 watched by 31,407 fans.

5Bramall Lane

Bramall Lane is the second-oldest professional stadium in the country, and has been the home of Sheffield United since 1889.

The Blades’ stadium has also hosted an FA Cup Final, as Barnsley defeated West Bromwich Albion in 1912, and can facilitate 32,702 supporters at present.

Yet again, the historic ground’s record attendance came way before its most-recent redevelopment, with 68,287 watching the Steel City outfit defeat Yorkshire rivals, Leeds United, 3-1 in the FA Cup Fifth Round back in February 1936.

4Cardiff City Stadium

For the first time since opening back in the summer of 2009, the Cardiff City Stadium will be hosting third-tier football next season.

The Bluebirds’ home is also the most common venue for Welsh international fixtures, with the stadium’s current capacity at a figure of 33,280, making it the largest in League One for 2025/26.

The record attendance at the stadium came when the Dragons defeated Belgium 1-0 in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers back in June 2015 with every seat in the ground filled, whilst City’s highest gate came in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in April 2019–33,082.

3Pride Park

Pride Park opened back in 1997 after Derby County bid farewell to the Baseball Ground, and it is now the third-largest stadium in the EFL with a capacity of 33,597.

The Rams are known to have one of the best fanbases in the Championship, and that showed on their return to the division after two seasons in League One, with the East Midlands club averaging crowds of 29,018 across their 23 home matches last season – the fourth-best in the second-tier.

Much like the aforementioned Cardiff City Stadium, the stadium’s highest attendance came in an international fixture, with a sell-out crowd seeing England defeat Mexico 4-0 in DE24 back in May 2001, with the largest club gate coming 14 months prior, with 33,378 also seeing a 2-0 win for Liverpool.

2Riverside Stadium

Taking second place on this list is the Riverside Stadium, which has been the home of Middlesbrough for the past 30 years.

At a cost of £16m, the 33,746-capacity arena’s opening marked Boro’s return to the Premier League in 1995/96, and has seen plenty of dramatic moments, none more so than the club’s run to the UEFA Cup final under Steve McClaren in 2006.

Once again, the Three Lions were the catalyst behind the Riverside’s largest attendance to date, with 35,000 – higher than the stadium’s current allowance – watching a 2-1 victory over Slovakia in June 2003.

The Teesside outfit’s biggest attendance at their current home came in December 2004, with 34,846 in attendance as the Reds defeated Norwich City 2-0.

1Hillsborough

After Sunderland defeated their cross-city rivals at Wembley, Sheffield Wednesday now have the largest stadium in the EFL, with Hillsborough holding a capacity of 39,859.

As well as being home of the Owls, the S6 ground has been the venue of FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship encounters, as well as multiple FA Cup semi-finals.

The stadium’s matchday capacity has been reduced to 34,835 amid safety concerns in Leppings Lane End during an FA Cup Fourth Round clash against Newcastle United in February 2023, which was also the scene of the well-documented Hillsborough Disaster in April 1989 as Liverpool took on Nottingham Forest.

Once again, the stadium’s record crowd came in its heyday, with 72,841 in attendance as Wednesday drew 2-2 against Manchester City in a Fifth Round tie in February 1934.