- Estadio Azteca ranks as the dirtiest World Cup stadium according to fans’ Google reviews, with 2.91 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews.
- AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, ranks as the cleanest venue, with just 0.35 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews.
- Several highly rated stadiums still appear near the top for cleanliness complaints, including Lincoln Financial Field, MetLife Stadium and SoFi Stadium.
World Cup fans may be traveling for the soccer, but the stadium experience can quickly shape the whole day. From the bathrooms and concourses to trash cans, seats and food waste, cleanliness is one of the things supporters are most likely to remember when it goes wrong.
A new study by waste disposal experts HIPPO Waste looked at Google reviews for all 16 World Cup stadiums across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to reveal which venues attract the most cleanliness complaints from fans.
The study ranked each stadium by the number of genuine cleanliness complaints per 1,000 Google reviews. Google star ratings and Tripadvisor five-star review shares were also included for context, showing how some stadiums can be well-rated overall while still attracting more complaints about cleanliness.
The World Cup stadiums with the most cleanliness complaints
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City ranks as the dirtiest World Cup stadium according to fans’ Google reviews, with 2.91 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews. The venue still has a 4.5 Google rating and 51.1% of its Tripadvisor reviews give it five stars, but fans mention cleanliness more often here than at any other host stadium.
The gap between Estadio Azteca and the cleanest venue is striking. The Mexican stadium draws more than eight times the cleanliness complaints of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which records just 0.35 complaints per 1,000 Google reviews.
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia ranks second, with 1.21 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews. While the stadium has a strong 4.6 Google rating, only 45.4% of its Tripadvisor reviews give it five stars, placing it among the poorer-rated World Cup venues on Tripadvisor too.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, follows in third place, with 1.16 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews. The New York/New Jersey venue, which will host the World Cup final, has a 4.5 Google rating and 53.2% five-star reviews on Tripadvisor.
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, ranks fourth, with 1.09 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 reviews. The Los Angeles venue has a 4.6 Google rating, but just 35.2% of its Tripadvisor reviews give it five stars, the second-lowest share of any stadium in the study.
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, completes the top five, with 1.07 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 Google reviews. The stadium has a 4.4 Google rating and 51.7% five-star reviews on Tripadvisor.
The World Cup stadiums with the fewest cleanliness complaints
At the other end of the table, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, ranks as the cleanest World Cup stadium, with just 0.35 cleanliness complaints per 1,000 Google reviews. The Dallas-area venue also has the strongest Tripadvisor score in the study, with 74.2% of its 4,056 reviews giving the stadium five stars.
Gareth Lloyd Jones, Managing Director at HIPPO Waste, commented: “When people think about a great stadium experience, they usually think about the atmosphere, the view from their seat and the result on the field. But cleanliness plays a much bigger role than many venues realize. If the bathrooms are in a poor state, trash cans are overflowing, or garbage is left around seats and walkways, fans remember it.
“What stands out in this study is that several of these stadiums are still very well-rated overall. A strong Google rating does not mean cleanliness never comes up as an issue. It means fans may still enjoy the venue, but when the practical details fall short, they are willing to mention it in reviews.
“The gap between Estadio Azteca and AT&T Stadium is particularly interesting. Both are major World Cup venues, but fans mention cleanliness far more often at one than the other. At tournament scale, that matters. A small issue on a normal event day can become a much bigger problem when thousands of international supporters are moving through the same toilets, food areas, bins and concourses.
“For host stadiums, cleanliness is not just about appearance. It affects crowd flow, comfort, safety and how people feel about the whole day. World Cup fans may travel a long way and spend a lot of money to attend one match, so venues that keep the basics running smoothly are more likely to leave a positive impression.”