In the world of football, the greatness of a team is often reflected by the size of its stadium. However, some of the biggest football teams in terms of success, city population, fan base and global recognition play in surprisingly small stadiums.
Here’s a look at notable football teams that boast impressive records but play in relatively modest venues.
Paris Saint-Germain – Parc des Princes (48,583)
PSG has dominated in the last decade, entering the golden book as one of the most titled teams in France. The team from Paris, which has about 11 million inhabitants, has a small stadium of 48,583 seats – a rather small number for a team that has been known around the world for years.
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Chelsea – Stamford Bridge (40,341)
Chelsea is one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League and European football, but Stamford Bridge has a capacity of only 40,834 seats. This is much less compared to the stadiums of other elite clubs in England and Europe. Despite its size, Stamford Bridge remains one of the most iconic and atmospheric stadiums in English football.
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Juventus – Allianz Stadium (41,507)
Juventus, one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the history of Italian and European football, play in a stadium that, for their size and fame, can be considered relatively small. Allianz Stadium, also known as Juventus Stadium, has a capacity of approximately 41,507 seats. This number is significantly smaller compared to other stadiums of major European clubs such as Barcelona’s Camp Nou or Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu.
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Porto – Estádio do Dragão (50,033)
FC Porto, one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the history of Portuguese and European football, play in a stadium that, for their size and fame, can be considered relatively small. Estádio do Dragão, their home since 2003, has a capacity of around 50,033 seats, the ideal capacity for this club would be around 70,000 seats.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen – BayArena (30,210)
Bayer Leverkusen, one of the prominent football clubs in Germany, which this year won the Bundesligen, the German Cup and went to the final of the Europa League, has constantly been a competitive force in the Bundesliga and in European competitions. Despite their success and strong following, they play in a relatively small stadium. The BayArena, their home since 1958, has a capacity of approximately 30,210 seats. This makes it one of the smallest countries among Europe’s elite clubs.
Napoli – Stadio Diego Armando Maradona (54,726)
Naples, the famous city of pizza, has a population of about 2.2 million inhabitants, boasts a super team that has made history in Italian football, is not very proud of its stadium, neither in terms of capacity nor in terms of structure. As a stadium that was built for the Italia 90 world cup, the Naples stadium with a capacity of 54,726 seats is very small for such a team and such a city.
