Football is unquestionably the world's game, and with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon even the US is starting to succumb to the beautiful game. Nowhere is that more clear than with Major League Soccer seeming to go from strength to strength with every passing season.
With that in mind, we here at Football FanCast have decided to rank all of the stadiums in MLS' Western Conference.
14 Toyota Stadium – FC Dallas
Kicking off the list is the first of the three Texan stadiums in the Western Conference, FC Dallas' Toyota Stadium.
The main problem with this stadium is that, for some inexplicable reason, the designers opted not to put any overhangs or cover above the seats, so when games are played during the Texan summer, fans essentially evacuate the sunny side of the stadium to get away from the blinding heat.
The ground was at least designed specifically for football, but that and good sight lines are about the only things it has going for it. Although, with just the 20th-highest average attendance in the league, we don't think that's enough to bring in more fans.
13 Shell Energy Stadium – Houston Dynamo
Following close behind their Texan rivals, Houston Dynamo's Shell Energy Stadium ranks as the second-worst stadium in the West.
Unfortunately for Houston, this ground really isn't one to shout about, which becomes immediately apparent when you look at the attendance figures.
The ground can hold 22,039 fans, but the team only averaged 16,426 per game last year. That said, unlike their neighbours, they were at least smart enough to install covers above the seats so as not to fry their supporters during play.
12 America First Field – Real Salt Lake
Questionable name aside, there really isn't anything about Real Salt Lake's America First Field that makes it stand out, for good or bad, that is.
The design feels very by the numbers, with the two sides covered and the two ends left open, which can sometimes be an issue with Utah's hot summers.
The one thing it does have going for it is the view of the mountains in the distance, but we aren't sure if that's enough to place the ground any higher.
11 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids' Dicks Sporting Goods Park is a perfectly fine stadium for anywhere other than central Colorado. The state is famous for its extreme weather and, in particular, its snow storms, so to leave the ground open to the elements seems pretty short-sighted in our books.
Images of games being played in blizzard-like conditions aren't a rare occurrence, and for as cool as that might be once, we're sure it gets old pretty quick for the players and fans.
So, while some of the surroundings are nice, we can only really place it as high as 13th.
10 Citypark – St. Louis City SC
St. Louis City SC, are the newest team in the league, having joined this year, and from looking at their stadium, you'd probably be able to guess that.
Citypark, at least from a purely visual standpoint, is a lovely stadium. They didn't do anything particularly out there with the design, but it looks incredibly well done, and with its location downtown, it's ideally positioned for the fans as well.
The ground can hold up to 22,423 fans and has been a sell-out for every game this season, which makes sense given their current position atop the Western Conference.
This popularity and success have also helped to cultivate an impressive atmosphere at the ground.
9 BC Place – Vancouver Whitecaps
The only Canadian team in the Western Conference, Vancouver Whitecaps' BC Place is next on the list.
The design of the stadium is very, very cool. It is completely enclosed, and during MLS games, a 'secondary ceiling' is deployed to completely envelop the lower tier of seats to help create a better atmosphere for matches. While the stadium proper has a capacity of 54,500, the secondary ceiling brings that down to 22,120.
Unfortunately, the club didn't even get close to this number last season, averaging an attendance of just 16,399. So, without an atmosphere to match the unique design, we can't place the ground any higher than it is.
8 PayPal Park – San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose's PayPal Park is undoubtedly one of the league's most interesting stadiums. The ground is a large U shape, with the seats going around three sides of it and leaving one end completely open to the elements – think Oxford's Kassam Stadium.
What's more interesting is that there are only two tiers, with the first being tiny, which essentially means the pitch is surrounded by three huge stands, creating a unique look that we are big fans of.
The team could only average 15,260 fans a game last season, although, with a maximum capacity of just 18,000, that's not as poor as it first sounds.
7 Dignity Health Sports Park – LA Galaxy
As arguably the biggest team in the league's history, you'd probably expect LA Galaxy to place higher on our list, but for as nice as their stadium is – and it is nice -it's not the best in the league.
The ground has two issues. First of all, it isn't in downtown LA, meaning that getting to the games can be more complicated than it needs to be – especially when compared to their new neighbours.
The second issue is sightlines; some seats provide dreadful viewing angles for fans, which is a problem you see less with the league's newer grounds.
That said, with an average attendance of 22,841 last season, the atmosphere can be brilliant when it gets going.
6 Allianz Field – Minnesota United FC
Minnesota United's Allianz Field is one of the league's newer grounds, hosting its first MLS game in April 2019 as New York City FC came to town.
The stadium can hold 19,400 fans, and given that the club averaged an attendance of about 19,000 last year, we'd say it's been a success so far.
Visually, though, it might be a bit polarising. It's clearly modelled after Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena – led facade and all – which some might take issue with. That said, we'd argue that it's a great addition to the league and looks great both inside and outside.
5 Children’s Mercy Park – Sporting Kansas City
The Children's Mercy Park stadium opened in 2009 and has been the home of Sporting Kansas City ever since.
The ground itself doesn't particularly stand out, with a fairly standard design for the league, but it does stand out for the atmosphere you can find within it.
The fans often hold up a banner saying 'Welcome to Blue Hell,' and with the club regularly selling all 18,467 tickets, it's easy to see why.
