Santiago Bernabéu Capacity

Spain’s second-largest football stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, has been through several phases of renovations over the years, with changes to its overall capacity each time. Initially, it catered to about 25,000 spectators, but this was deemed insufficient for the club’s needs but today it caters to a whopping 83,000+ spectators.

1947: Opening

• Capacity: 75,145 (27,645 seated and 47,500 standing)
  
• On 1 December 14, 1947, the new stadium debuted with a mixed seating/standing arrangement.

1954–1955: First major expansion

• Capacity: 125,000
  
• The expansion added a third tier completed by June 19, 1955, briefly making it Europe’s largest stadium.

May 1982: World Cup renovation

• Capacity: 90,800-98,000
  
• Ahead of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, roofs were added to two-thirds of the stands. 

1992–1994 – Third tier added

• Capacity: 106,000
  
• A new third tier and corner towers raised capacity to 106,000–110,000 by May 1994.

1997–1998: All-seater conversion

• Capacity: 74,300–75,328
  
• UEFA required all seating by 1998, reducing capacity significantly to roughly 74–75 k

2001–2006: East stand & VIP expansion

• Capacity: 80,354
  
• Florentino Pérez's redevelopment added an east gallery and improved amenities, restoring capacity to 80,354.

2011: Second-tier East expansion

• Capacity: 81,044
  
• A slight expansion of the second tier on the east side increased capacity to 81,044 by summer 2011.

2019–2023: Modern renovation

• Capacity: 83,000+
  
• As part of modernization (retractable roof, 360° video scoreboard), the stadium’s capacity has increased to 83,000+.