Planning to spend your next vacation or weekend in Edmonton? Great choice! Alberta’s premier city strikes with cultural diversity mixed with natural attractions and culinary experiences. As a tourist, you’ll be delighted to wander its history-filled streets and explore museums, shopping malls, art centers, restaurants, and other local highlights. 

However, Edmonton is also about iconic sports venues. The reason is that the city is home to professional teams. The Edmonton Oilers competing in the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Elks participating in the Canadian Football League, the Stingers appearing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and FC Edmonton introduced in the Canadian Soccer Premier League are among them. Not to mention amateur and junior clubs taking part in multiple national and international championships. 

So, the city’s rich sporting heritage beckons you to hit the road and explore the local arenas hosting these teams’ games. Let’s get started right now!

Rogers Place 

The complex serves as the new arena of the Oilers, the local National Hockey League team. And all those who have already visited it note a huge number of advantages. Beautiful, modern, stylish, comfortable, and large – this is how fans of big-time sports speak about the new arena. The building can accommodate 18.5 thousand spectators during a hockey match and 21 thousand at concerts. 

Construction of the arena began in early 2014, and the building opened right before the start of the 2016/2017 NHL season. Naturally, we can’t help but note the incredibly beautiful architectural style that gives the building a unique appearance from the outside. Inside, everything also meets modern requirements, focusing a lot of attention on the comfort of visitors. Spacious, wide halls, vertical layout of the stands, and excellent video cube – this is what the fans of the famous club have long deserved. 

The symbol of the Oilers, made of a mosaic of chairs on the lower tier, leaves no doubt about who is the main owner here and for whose sake this grandiose project was started. Rogers Place tops the list of the best sports complexes in the world. It regularly hosts almost 20 thousand fans who are delighted by the match and get the chance to admire the mind-blowing architecture of the arena. 

Commonwealth Stadium 

You can’t judge the grandeur if you haven’t been to Commonwealth Stadium. The building is really huge, and all travelers note this fact. Spanning nearly 43 acres, it’s the largest outdoor sports complex in Canada. The stadium is home to the Edmonton Elks participating in the Canadian Football League. 

Its history began in 1975 when the city authorities were preparing for the 1978 Commonwealth Games and needed a top-class stadium. It was built in three years and as a result replaced Clarke Stadium, the city’s former flagship sports structure. Throughout its existence, it has undergone several renovations, and now seats almost 57,000 spectators on twin-tier grandstands along four sides, and single-tier stands in the corners. 

In addition to football, the Grand Arena hosts competitions and championships in athletics, rugby, and soccer. Also, Commonwealth Stadium serves as a popular concert venue during city celebrations. A visit to this place brings a unique experience, which is why travelers include it in the list of the best stadium tours in Edmonton. By the way, a parking area with 800 spaces for cars guarantees easy movement of spectators to and from the facility.

Edmonton Expo Center 

Sports complexes can be incredibly versatile and multi-purpose. Want to make sure of this? Pick up a 7-seater car rental in Edmonton and go to the city’s Expo Center with your whole family. Yes, you get freedom of movement when you rent a 7-seat SUV or minivan. In addition, a large selection of Edmonton Airport car rental deals means you will reach your desired sports complex in comfort. 

First, the Expo Center is the home arena for the Edmonton Stingers who play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Other sports this building hosts are boxing matches, national and international volleyball games, and even rodeos, so you definitely won’t get bored. 

The complex offers approximately 3,500 seats surrounded by a high-quality sound system. LED sports lighting and high-definition video wall highlight the benefits fans enjoy within its walls. In addition to sports events, the Expo Center hosts multiple leisure options on site. People come there to meet, talk, and attend a variety of trade shows, galas, and live entertainment and music venues. International business conferences often take place there as well. Still, sporting competitions create the most vibrant and festive atmosphere at the Expo Center, thus we recommend that you attend at least one of the local basketball team’s games playing in the arena. 

Clarke Stadium 

If you want to experience Edmonton sports history, head to Clarke Stadium. The arena was opened in 1938 and served as home to the Elks (formerly the Eskimos), a local team competing in the Canadian Football League. 

The stadium provided enough space for 20,000 spectators but the conditions left much to be desired. So, after the professional football team moved into the new arena in 1978, Clarke Stadium began hosting amateur championship games. Then, the complex underwent renovations and subsequently began hosting soccer matches. Today, FC Edmonton playing in the Canadian Premier League hosts its rivals there.

Briefly to conclude, a tour of Edmonton’s major sports arenas is the ultimate way to get into the spirit of competition. So, grab a car and hit the road – you can book the right model directly through the simple car rental app. To get started, make a list of the places you are going to explore and prioritize. Don’t forget that the architecture of the complexes is also worth your attention. Finally, each stadium features a unique history of victories and defeats, and you will be happy to experience this on your next journey.