California is the most populous state in the United States with nearly 40 million inhabitants. A large chunk of the people who live here watch live sports regularly.
This is reflected by the vast number of amazing stadiums in this state on the West Coast. Some of these are among the biggest stadiums in the US.
Many of these stadiums are multi-purpose arenas that can be used for many different purposes, including football and soccer matches and baseball games.
Baseball is a popular sport in California because this list features several stunning ballparks.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the biggest stadiums in California!
The Rose Bowl Stadium is not only the biggest in California, it’s one of the most iconic stadiums in the United States as well. It’s located in Pasadena, just north of Los Angeles, and was named after the annual game that is held here. Its current capacity makes it rank 16th in our list of biggest stadiums in the world.
The stadium was constructed in 1922 and its extensive history has led to it being designated a National Historic Landmark. It’s the home of the UCLA Bruins football team and has hosted some of the most important games in history, including five Super Bowl Games and the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final (which Brazil won 3-2 after penalties).
Rose Bowl Stadium / Ted Eytan / Wiki Commons
2. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Location: Los Angeles
Capacity: 77,500
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is another stadium in California with an extensive history because it was constructed at around the same time as the Rose Bowl in the early 1920s. It was commissioned in 1921 to serve as a memorial for Los Angeles veterans of World War I and was completed in 1923.
Today, the stadium that is located in central LA is the home venue of the USC Trojans football team, as well as the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). It was once the largest stadium in California but has been downsized from a capacity of 93,607 spectators during a $315 million project that was completed in 2019.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum / CanonStarGal / Wiki Commons
3. SoFi Stadium
Location: Inglewood
Capacity: 70,240
SoFi Stadium is an ultra-modern sports temple located in Inglewood, not too far southwest of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The stadium was constructed between 2016 and 2020 on the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack and not too far southeast of the indoor arena known as the Kia Forum.
The stadium is the home venue of both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL and hosts the annual LA Bowl college football game as well. Only the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Sofi stadium is shared by two teams.
SoFi Stadium / Troutfarm27 / Wiki Commons
4. Levi’s Stadium
Location: Santa Clara
Capacity: 68,500
Levi’s Stadium is a magnificent stadium located in Santa Clara, just outside of San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s another relatively new stadium as it was constructed between 2012 and 2014 to serve as the home of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
The 49ers’ former stadium was Candlestick Park and this large arena in California was demolished in 2015. The stadium cost an astounding $1.3 billion to complete and is named after clothing company Levi Strauss & Co. which purchased the naming rights.
Levi’s Stadium in California / Usbduong33 / Wiki Commons
5. RingCentral Coliseum
Location: Oakland
Capacity: 63,132
RingCentral Coliseum is the official name of a stadium commonly referred to as the Oakland Coliseum. This baseball stadium is the centerpiece of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex to which also the Oakland Arena, an indoor venue, belongs.
It’s one of the stadiums in California that can be reconfigured to serve as the venue for multiple different sports. This includes baseball, football, and even soccer games. The upper deck is known as “Mount Davis” is covered during baseball games but uncovered for football or soccer games.
RingCentral Coliseum / Redlegsfan21 / Wiki Commons
6. California Memorial Stadium
Location: Berkeley
Capacity: 62,467
California Memorial Stadium is also known as FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium and is commonly referred to as “Memorial Stadium.” It’s located in Berkeley, just north of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is the home of the University of California Golden Bears.
It’s yet another stadium that was constructed during the early 1920s and also an arena that has been added to the US National Register of Historic Places. It was commissioned for a similar purpose as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which was to honor Californians who lost their lives during World War I.
California Memorial Stadium / Kilfmuny / Wiki Commons
7. Dodger Stadium
Location: Los Angeles
Capacity: 56,000
Dodger Stadium is located in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Central Los Angeles ad is the magnificent home venue of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. The stadium was constructed between 1959 and 1962 for $23 million, the equivalent of well over $200 million today.
It was the venue of multiple high-level baseball games, including the Major League Baseball All-Star Games in 1980 and 2022 and 10 World Series (1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988, 2017, and 2018). It is scheduled to be the venue of the baseball and softball during the 2028 Summer Olympics which will be held in Los Angeles.
Dodger Stadium California / Redlegsfan21 / Wiki Commons
8. Stanford Stadium
Location: Stanford
Capacity: 50,000
Stanford Stadium is a magnificent stadium located on the campus of Stanford University. It’s the home venue of the Stanford Cardinal college football team and is used for the annual commencement ceremonies of the university as well.
The original stadium was completed in 1921 and already had a huge capacity of 60,000 spectators back then. It was the largest U-shaped stadium after Yale Bowl in the country upon completion. The capacity grew further to 85,500 by 1927, only to be reduced to just 50,000 during a renovation project in 2006.
Stanford Stadium / BrokenSphere / Wiki Commons
9. Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Location: Anaheim
Capacity: 45,517
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is commonly referred to as Anaheim Stadium or Angel Stadium and sometimes even as “The Big A.” It’s the legendary home of the Los Angeles Angels Major League Baseball Team and was the home of the Los Angeles Rams between 1980 and 1994 as well.
The stadium was constructed between 1964 and 1966 and it was renovated in 1998. The renovation wasn’t because it was needed but because on January 17, 1994, the Northridge earthquake severely damaged the stadium. The enclosed stadium was left open on the left field and a huge scoreboard was installed here instead.
Angel Stadium of Anaheim / Wiki Commons
10. Oracle Park
Location: San Francisco
Capacity: 41,915
Very few stadiums in California are located in such a magnificent spot as Oracle Park in San Francisco. It’s located in the SoMa (South of Market) neighborhood of the city, just south of the iconic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
The stadium has been known as the Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, only to be renamed once more in 2019 when the Oracle Corporation bought its naming rights. It was constructed between 1997 and 2000 and has been the home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team ever since.
