The 'world's biggest stadium' is a 'bizarre' structure in a small European country

When people think of the world's biggest stadiums, a few famous names come to mind. The newly revamped , , or Wembley might all make it on the list. But the stadium that could hold the most spectators isn't found in or . It's located in a small European nation.

Despite being just a third of the size of the UK, the is home to what some call the world's largest sports stadium, and many have never even heard of it. Located in Prague, the Great Strahov Stadium is a huge and bizarre structure. With a reported capacity of up to 250,000 people and space for over 56,000 seated spectators, it dwarfs even the largest football grounds in use today. But what makes it even more unusual is that it wasn't designed for at all.

According to and , the stadium was built in 1926 by architect Alois Dryák to host mass gymnastic displays for the Sokol movement - a Czech organisation promoting physical and moral education.

Later expanded under Communist rule to stage Soviet-style Spartakiads, the arena once featured synchronised routines performed by tens of thousands of participants.

At its peak, it covered 63,000 square metres (the equivalent of nine football pitches) and in 1960, a record 750,000 gymnasts took part in one event.

Yet its size eventually became its downfall. After the fall of Communism, the stadium's purpose faded.

Though it briefly hosted massive concerts, including U2, AC/DC, and The Rolling Stones, and a mass by Pope John Paul II, plans to turn it into a national stadium, Olympic site or tech hub never materialised.

Today, the crumbling structure still stands on Prague's Petín Hill.

Sparta Prague use the eight full-sized pitches inside for training, and in 2023, West Ham trained there before winning the UEFA Europa Conference League final in the city.

But despite its continued use, large parts of Strahov remain abandoned and unused.

For now, the fate of the giant stadium remains uncertain. Listed as a cultural monument since 2003, the Great Strahov Stadium is too big to demolish and too costly to renovate.

Although there are still plans in the background to upgrade it.