Five of the Biggest Sports Venues in California
California has long been home to some of the best sports teams in the United States, playing host to 19 major professional sports teams and a whopping 26 Division I college sports teams. The 19 professional franchises in California are far more than the next closest 11 in Florida. As such, California is home to some of the most iconic sports stadiums in the United States, both old and new. Today, we look at five of the biggest stadiums in the state.
Rose Bowl — Capacity: 92,542
One of the oldest active sports stadiums in the United States, the Rose Bowl is unique among sports stadiums. Despite being the 16th largest stadium in the world and the 11th largest in the United States, it spent most of its life hosting the Caltech Beavers, a Division III school. Before 1982, it was not the home of a National Football League team or a Division I football team, despite holding over 90,000 people.
Instead, the Rose Bowl is unique because it is the only venue in the United States primarily used for a single game: the annual Rose Bowl game. One of the BetMGM online sportsbook favorites for fans, the Rose Bowl game has been played at the Rose Bowl every year since 1923, except for the 1942 and 2021 games. It became the home of the UCLA Bruins in 1982 and has hosted five Super Bowls and multiple World Cups.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — Capacity: 77,500
The long-time home of the USC Trojans football team, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of the most historic venues in sports. Commissioned in 1921, USC began playing its home games there in 1923. Since then, it has hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and will become the first venue to host the Summer Games three times when it hosts again in 2028. The L.A. Coliseum is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
In 2022, NASCAR moved the annual Busch Light Clash to the Coliseum, building a temporary quarter-mile track each year with a unique format. Along with USC, the Coliseum was the home of the Los Angeles Rams from 1946 through 1979 and then again between 2016 and 2019 before the team moved into SoFi Stadium.
SoFi Stadium — Capacity: 70,240
Ground broke on the award-winning SoFi Stadium in 2016, and the facility opened its doors in 2020. Playing host to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, SoFi was a project that cost anywhere from $5 to $7 billion. So far, it has hosted Super Bowl LVI between the home team Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, and is slated to host Super Bowl LXI in 2027.
Originally, the Chargers and then Oakland Raiders agreed to build a shared stadium back in 2015, but when the Rams got approval to relocate and were first to commit to playing at SoFi, the Chargers got the first rights to share it. As a result, the Raiders opted to move to Las Vegas. SoFi Stadium can hold over 70,000 fans and hosted the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship between the Georgia Bulldogs and TCU Horned Frogs. Georgia won that game in a 65-7 blowout. The facility is also scheduled to host eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and the 2028 Summer Olympics, making it one of the most sought-after sports venues in the world.
Levi’s Stadium — Capacity: 68,500
The first single-team stadium on our list, Levi’s Stadium, was commissioned in 2010 to be the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. Construction began in 2012 in Santa Clara to replace Candlestick Park, with the stadium opening in July 2014. Since Levi’s Stadium has six Pac-12 Championship Games and Super Bowl 50, it has also been the slated host of Super Bowl LX in 2026. Along with those events, Levi’s has also hosted the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship and will host multiple 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
Despite all of the extra events, Levi’s is still primarily the home of the 49ers and has hosted two NFC Conference Championship Games in 2020 and 2024. The stadium is known for its distinct open-air design, which puts most of its luxury suites on one side of the field, giving the rest of the fans a better angle on the action.
Dodger Stadium — Capacity: 56,000
The only baseball stadium on this list, Dodger Stadium’s 56,000 fan capacity represents the 6th largest figure among California sports stadiums. Opened in 1962, it is the third oldest park in Major League Baseball, behind Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Among California sports stadiums, no venue has seen more extraordinary professional games than Dodger Stadium. It has seen 13 no-hitters and two perfect games and has hosted the World Series ten times. It has also been one of the top concert venues in the United States, hosting such acts as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce, and Michael Jackson.
What Stadiums Didn’t Make the List?
As arguably the most significant sports state in the United States, we had to leave several classic venues off our list, including Stanford Stadium and Oracle Park. We also left some not-so-great venues, like the Oakland Coliseum, off the list. Needless to say, California has a rich history of sports venues, including the ones listed above.
