Best Sports Venues in the World, Ranked

What makes a sports venue unique? It’s up for interpretation.

The distinctive quality could be stunning architecture, tradition, history, crowd environment or game experience. There are plenty of ways to stand out.

But when a fan enters a bucket-list stadium for the first time, the feeling is unmistakable and unforgettable. It’s magic. 

These sports venues are some of the most magical places in the world, and everyone should experience them at least once.

Capacity: 87,523

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Opened: 1966

Azteca opened as a mecca of sorts for North American soccer, with the first natch a showdown of Club América and Torino FC.

Known mostly for its rabid fans — as former U.S. soccer player Landon Donovan can attest after becoming a villain in Mexico— Estadio Azteca provides a palpable atmosphere for any sport, boasting a record attendance of 132,247 for a 1993 boxing match between Julio César Chávez against Greg Haugen.

Over the years, the venue has hosted two World Cups, eight NFL games and concerts featuring the likes of Michael Jackson and U2.

Capacity: 9,314

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Opened: 1940

Part of Cameron Indoor Stadium’s magic is it’s not a very big venue — less than 10,000 fans can fit in for Duke basketball games. 

The other part of the equation is how much the teams who play here win. The Duke men’s basketball team has won five national championships since 1991 and the women’s team has played in the Final Four four times since 1999. 

Capacity: 44,900

Location: Baltimore, Md.

Opened: 1992

Truly the first of its kind, Camden Yards broke the mold for baseball stadiums. Despite venues such as Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, few other stadiums featured any iconic imagery or landmarks unique to the location.

When the park opened in 1992, the Orioles started a trend that became the inspiration for downtown skylines and historical monuments. The backdrop of the brick wall in right field is distinct and its signature.

The site of Cal Ripken’s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game and a litany of other big moments made Camden Yards unmistakable. When baseball fans see the aerial view, there’s no place like it.

Capacity: 17,000

Location: Beijing, China

Opened: 2008

This is all about the design. Built to house the swimming competitions at the 2008 Olympics, the Water Cube is a marvel of creativity and innovation.

Its outer walls are based on the Weaire–Phelan structure, designed to mimic the natural pattern of bubbles in soap lather.

There were 25 world records set in that particular Olympic pool, suggesting the design aided in the speed of the swimmers.

It is now reopened as a water park, featuring slides, a wave pool and a spa.