Commonwealth Stadium is Canada's largest major outdoor stadium and the home of the Edmonton Elks. Built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, it has hosted CFL football, Grey Cups, major soccer events, athletics championships, concerts and international tournaments. Its size and event history make it a cornerstone entity for Canadian stadium rankings.

Commonwealth Stadium is Canada’s largest open-air stadium by listed capacity and was built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

Beyond football, it has hosted the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup, and the 2003 Papal Mass with John Paul II.

56,000+

• Football56,302

City lists approximately 56,400; historical capacities were higher.

• Opened for the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
• Home of Edmonton Elks football and one of Canada’s largest outdoor stadiums.
• Frequently used for major national-team soccer and large concerts in addition to CFL games.

1. 1978Opens for Commonwealth Games
2. 2001Expanded to 60,217 for IAAF World Championships
3. 2002Hosts the Grey Cup
4. 2014FIFA U-20 World Cup matches
5. 2015FIFA Women's World Cup matches

Current

• Edmonton Elks

• 1978 Commonwealth Games — Opening Ceremony, athletics
• 2001 IAAF World Championships in Athletics
• Multiple Grey Cups (1984, 1997, 2002, 2010)
• Heritage Classic 2003 — first NHL outdoor game (Oilers vs Canadiens, -18°C)

Lower-bowl sideline seats are the prime CFL view. The 1978 Pavilion of premium seats is the marquee experience. Upper-bowl end zones are the bargain. Bench seating in many sections — bring a cushion.

Stadium LRT station is close to the venue. Check Edmonton Transit for current event-day service and Park & Ride options.

Alberta beef brisket, Donair pizza, perogies, Sherbrooke Liquor's local craft beer lineup.

Open-air Edmonton — gorgeous in summer, brutally cold late October. The 2003 Heritage Classic was played in -18°C with -28°C wind chill.

What to check before you go

• bag policy
• prohibited items
• camera/video rules
• mobile tickets
• cashless payments
• re-entry
• accessibility entrances
• transit and parking
• door times
• food and beverage
• family washrooms
• sensory/accessibility accommodations

Tour status · verify current official status before publishing

• candidate not fact source
  Walking Around Commonwealth Stadium In Edmonton

  Exterior/visitor approach context.

  Search result surfaced related creator videos; verify exact views/likes manually.

• candidate not fact source
  VirtualStadiumTour (CFL) - Commonwealth Stadium Edmonton

  Stadium layout/context if video is legitimate.

  Stats not verified.

Videos are included for venue feel and visitor context. Use official venue/team/municipal sources for factual claims; verify video views/likes/channel identity at publish time.

No verified attendance entries in our archive yet for Commonwealth Stadium. We only publish crowd figures we can tie to a named source, so this section stays empty rather than showing estimates.

Browse the full archive How we read these numbers

• Understanding the numbersStadium Capacity vs Attendance: Why Figures Can DifferListed capacity, announced attendance and the number of people actually inside a Canadian stadium are three different figures. Here is how to read each one.
• Method, not mythologyCanadian Outdoor Hockey Attendance, Compared ResponsiblyOutdoor hockey crowds in Canada are reported figures from temporary configurations. Here is how to compare them without inventing records.

Last verified May 20, 2026

• edmonton.ca
• en.wikipedia.org
• edmonton.ca