Michigan Stadium is North America's largest stadium

North America’s largest stadium is not in a major-league city. It is tucked into Ann Arbor, close enough to downtown that a football Saturday can feel as if the whole city is walking in the same direction.

Michigan Stadium, better known as the Big House, opened in 1927 and now has an official capacity of 107,601. Michigan Athletics describes it as the largest venue in North America and the third-largest stadium in the world. Its record football crowd came in 2013, when 115,109 people watched Michigan beat Notre Dame at night.

The attendance streak may be even more striking than the capacity. In April 2026, Michigan reported 329 straight home football crowds above 100,000. The run began on Nov. 8, 1975. Michigan’s official notes call the streak “paused,” rather than broken, when pandemic restrictions limited attendance in 2020.

The place has carried more than football. President Lyndon B. Johnson used Michigan’s 1964 commencement to lay out his vision for the “Great Society.” Fifty years later, snow fell on 105,491 hockey fans as Toronto and Detroit played the 2014 NHL Winter Classic there.

One practical note: the gates are not open for casual walk-ins or self-guided tours. Paid guided tours are offered on selected weekdays, and the available spaces can change with the stadium calendar. Reserve through Michigan Athletics instead of simply showing up.