Where Coventry City's old stadium Highfield Road would rank in England's biggest stadiums right now | OneFootball

Ranking where Highfield Road would place in the Championship's biggest stadiums

Coventry City currently play their home games in the CBS Arena as they eye a place in the Premier League.

The Sky Blues have not been in the top flight since 2001, but have come close to a return as recently as 2023 when they lost the play-off final to Luton Town.

The last time the club competed at that level, they played their home games at Highfield Road.

However, they vacated the stadium in 2005 before it was demolished just a year later, moving to the CBS Arena, then referred to as the Ricoh Arena.

Here we take a look at how Highfield Road’s capacity compares to the current sides in the Championship.

Highfield Road’s capacity

Highfield Road was the home of Coventry from 1899, and remained their stadium until their final game at the ground on 30 April 2005.

The final game was an entertaining occasion for supporters, running out 6-2 winners over Derby County on the penultimate day of the season.

The Sky Blues finished the campaign 19th in the table, with that win being their highest margin of victory all year.

The capacity of Highfield Road was 23,489, which would rank it as the 15th biggest among the current Championship and 43rd in all of English football, just above Preston North End’s Deepdale Stadium, which can hold 23,408 supporters.

Highfield Road was marginally smaller than Hull City’s MKM Stadium, which has a capacity of 25,586.

However, it was bigger than the likes of Burnley and Watford’s stadiums, with both clubs recently being the home of Premier League football for sustained periods.

Turf Moor has a capacity of 21,994 and Vicarage Road can hold up to 21,577, with Swansea City’s ground the next highest at 21,088.

Another ex-Premier League ground, Fratton Park, is also smaller, as well as Loftus Road and Kenilworth Road, at 20,688, 18,360 and 11,850, respectively.

The biggest stadiums in England

One notable stadium that Highfield Road is smaller than is the CBS Arena, which can host up to 32,609 supporters for Coventry games, the 18th most of any stadium in English football.

But this isn’t the biggest home ground in the Championship this season, with the Sky Blues’ stadium ranking eighth in the division.

The Stadium of Light, home to Sunderland, is the biggest with a capacity of 48,707, the eighth most of any football ground in the country.

Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Derby County complete the top five from the Championship, ranking 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th in the country, behind the likes of Old Trafford and the London Stadium.

Hillsborough can host up to 39,859 for the Owls, with Elland Road capable of 37,890 for Leeds, compared to Manchester United's 74,879 and West Ham's 62,500.

Other clubs with a bigger stadium capacity than the current Coventry stadium are Cardiff City and Sheffield United, with 33,280 and 32,702 capacities, respectively.

Ewood Park and the Bet365 Stadium round out the top 10, with capacities of 31,367 and 30,089.

The Sky Blues will be hoping that the CBS Arena will be the home of Premier League football in the near future, with the club yet to make it back into the top flight since it replaced Highfield Road two decades ago.