Biggest Stadium in Croatia 2026: Poljud vs Maksimir

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Croatia has two big stadiums and then a long drop. Poljud in Split and Maksimir in Zagreb are the only grounds over 20,000, and both are at the centre of plans for a new stadium.

Below: the head-to-head, a table of the largest grounds with a source for every number, and short answers to the side questions people ask next.

The quick answer

Poljud in Split is Croatia's largest usable stadium, with 33,987 seats. Maksimir in Zagreb has 35,423 seats on paper, but its east stand has been closed since the March 2020 earthquake, leaving about 25,912. Next come Osijek's old Gradski vrt and the new Opus Arena, 13,005 seats. A new 35,000-seat Maksimir is planned for late 2028 or 2029.

The west stand under its long curved roof, seen across Poljud's pitch — Poljud's west stand, part of the biggest usable seating bowl in Croatia.

What is the biggest stadium in Croatia?

Poljud in Split, with 33,987 seats. Maksimir in Zagreb is bigger on paper, but a quarter of it has been closed since 2020.

Hajduk's official figure is 33,987. Maksimir's nominal capacity is 35,423, but the east stand's 9,514 seats have been out of use since the Zagreb earthquake of March 2020 (Stadion Maksimir). The fair wording: Poljud is Croatia's largest usable stadium today.

Poljud or Maksimir: which is bigger?

Maksimir on paper, Poljud in practice. Here is how they compare.

	Poljud, Split	Maksimir, Zagreb
Home club	Hajduk Split	Dinamo Zagreb
Seats	33,987 (official)	35,423 nominal, about 25,912 usable
Opened	1979	1912, rebuilt many times
Record crowd	About 62,000 (1982, some say 65,000)	64,138 (1973)
Status	Protected monument since 2015; future debated	To be demolished for a new stadium
Planned replacement	35,000 seats (city study, not decided)	35,000 seats, late 2028 or 2029

The pitch and red running track seen from a corner, roof and Marjan hill behind — Poljud keeps its running track, which pushes the stands back from the pitch.

Inside Croatia's biggest working stadium: trophy room, press room and pitch side.

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What are the biggest stadiums in Croatia?

Poljud, Maksimir, Gradski vrt and Opus Arena in Osijek, then a group of grounds around 8,000 to 11,000 seats.

Capacities from each stadium's entry; sources vary by a few hundred seats.

Stadium	City	Club	Seats
Poljud	Split	Hajduk Split	33,987 (Hajduk)
Maksimir	Zagreb	Dinamo Zagreb	About 25,912 usable, 35,423 nominal (source)
Gradski vrt	Osijek	NK Osijek's old ground, used little since 2023	18,856 (source)
Opus Arena	Osijek	NK Osijek, opened 2023	13,005 (source)
Kantrida	Rijeka	Old Rijeka ground, Rijeka left in 2015	About 10,600 (source)
Aldo Drosina	Pula	Istra 1961	About 10,000 (source)
Varteks	Varaždin	NK Varaždin	8,818 (source)
Rujevica	Rijeka	HNK Rijeka	8,279 (source)

Zagreb's Kranjčevićeva is being rebuilt to about 11,163 seats so Dinamo has somewhere to play while Maksimir comes down.

Is Croatia building a bigger stadium?

Yes, in Zagreb. The state and the city unveiled a new 35,000-seat Maksimir in February 2025, due in late 2028 or 2029. Split's plan for Poljud is still a proposal.

The Croatian government and the City of Zagreb split the 175 million euro cost. In Split, a March 2026 city study recommends tearing Poljud down and building a 35,000-seat stadium on the same site, but the Ministry of Culture has to rule on the protected building first. Rijeka plans a new Kantrida for 12,000 to 14,000.

The Split side of the story is in the new-stadium plan post.

The Hajduk dugout in front of rows of red, white and blue seats — Poljud's stands today. A new stadium on the site is proposed, not decided.

What is the biggest crowd ever at a Croatian stadium?

64,138 at Maksimir for NK Zagreb v Osijek in 1973. Poljud's record is about 62,000 for Hajduk v Dinamo in 1982.

Both came before all-seater stadiums. Poljud's 1982 figure is given as 62,000 by Wikipedia and 65,000 by StadiumDB; counts from that era vary widely. In the seated era, Poljud's best is 38,000 v Dinamo in 2009, and Hajduk set a league attendance record of 396,498 over the 2024-25 season. More in Poljud's capacity and history.

What is the biggest football club in Croatia?

It depends on the measure. Dinamo Zagreb has won by far the most titles; Hajduk Split has the most members and the biggest crowds.

Dinamo has 26 Croatian league titles by Wikipedia's count, against Hajduk's six (the last in 2004-05). Hajduk counters with support: hajduk.hr showed 114,046 members in October 2026, and the club drew the HNL's highest average attendance since independence in 2024-25. Hajduk also won 7 Yugoslav titles and 9 Yugoslav Cups, and 8 Croatian Cups since.

Call Hajduk the most-supported club and Dinamo the most successful, and nobody in either city can argue.

A trophy cabinet with a large silver cup and rows of smaller trophies — Hajduk's cabinets hold the Yugoslav and Croatian silverware.

See the six Croatian titles and the Yugoslav cups up close, with the club's own guide.

★ 4.5 · 30 to 45 min · from $13

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Why is Dinamo Zagreb called GNK?

GNK stands for Građanski nogometni klub, "Citizens' football club". It echoes Građanski Zagreb, the club Dinamo replaced after the Second World War.

Građanski was founded in 1911, the same year as Hajduk, and was dissolved by the new authorities in 1945 (GNK Dinamo Zagreb). Hajduk is HNK: Hrvatski nogometni klub, Croatian football club. Their meetings are the Vječni derbi, the Eternal derby, first played in 1946.

What does "hajduk" mean?

A hajduk was a Balkan outlaw who fought Ottoman rule, a Robin Hood figure in local songs. Professor Josip Barač suggested the name in 1911.

The founders were Split students in Prague who had the idea at the U Fleků pub after a Sparta-Slavia match. They founded the club at home in Split on 13 February 1911 (HNK Hajduk Split), so "founded in Prague" is a myth. The white shirts and blue shorts, worn since 1914, are said to stand for white sails on a blue sea. The city celebrates the birthday every year: see the 13 February post.