The five best and five worst NFL stadiums. Start your free trial with Fubo and don’t miss out on the new NFL season.
The stadium game throughout professional sports is a fascinating one because not all venues were built at the same time. The same goes for the NFL. Some stadiums are decades old and still standing (and being used on NFL Sundays, to the chagrin of fans of those teams) while various others have been built over the past decade and provide supporters with the ultimate fan experience, as they were designed specifically for the modern fan. Today, we are going to rank the five best and five worst NFL stadiums based on a variety of factors, which we’ll get into below. Let’s jump right in!
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Top Five NFL Stadiums
Honorable mentions: Ford Field (Detroit Lions), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts), Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks), Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers), SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers)
- 5. Allegiant Stadium: Las Vegas Raiders
Based in Paradise, Nevada, and the home of the Las Vegas Raiders since the 2020 season, Allegiant Stadium is the second-most expensive stadium not just in the United States but in the world, trailing only the Los Angeles-based SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. It cost $1.9 billion to build with construction beginning in 2017 and being completed in 2020. Featuring a dome, retractable windows and a capacity of nearly 72,000, Allegiant Stadium is now considered one of the best NFL stadiums in the entire league and will host Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
- 4. Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Atlanta Falcons
Home to the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium made waves as soon as it was opened in 2017, as it is one of the most scenic stadiums the NFL has to offer. Mercedez-Benz Stadium features a retractable roof, contemporary art featured in the interior and exterior of the design and has room for nearly 80,000 fans, as proven by the 2022 Peach Bowl, which saw 79,330 fans attend the matchup between Ohio State and Georgia to reach the national title game. You will be hard-pressed to find a nicer stadium than this one, though the next three in our ranking did just that.
- 3. AT&T Stadium: Dallas Cowboys
Despite not having the newness of Allegiant Stadium or Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 14-year-old AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, remains among the cream of the crop when it comes to discussing top NFL stadiums in the world. Its capacity is for 80,000 people but that can be expanded to 105,000, with 105,121 fans attending a Sept. 2009 matchup between the Cowboys and New York Giants. AT&T Stadium also has a retractable roof and a 160-by-72-foot video screen, the 34th-largest video screen in the world. Costing $1.3 billion to build at the time ($1.8 billion when accounted for inflation today), Jerry World is undoubtedly one of the best sports and entertainment venues anywhere on the planet.
- 2. U.S. Bank Stadium: Minnesota Vikings
Located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Bank Stadium opened its doors in 2016 and has been the home of the Minnesota Vikings ever since. Featuring a dome to keep out the frigid Minnesota winter conditions, Act Global Artificial Turf and seating for over 70,000 people, U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the most beautiful NFL stadiums in the country. With a budget of just over $1 billion, U.S. Bank Stadium was the first modern NFL stadium created with a fixed roof since Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, which was built in the early 2000s. The city decided against building a stadium with a retractable roof due to weather and financial concerns but the move paid off, as U.S. Bank Stadium has been a huge success for the city.
- 1. Lambeau Field: Green Bay Packers
By far the oldest stadium so far in this ranking, the iconic Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, one of the NFL’s most recognizable brands, remains the best NFL stadium in the country, at least in our opinion. With a capacity of over 81,000 and with beautiful Kentucky bluegrass adorning its field, as opposed to the artificial turf seen in so many other NFL stadiums, Lambeau Field is both a reminder of how historic and important the game of football is in this country while also remaining a beacon of the game’s bright future. Fans of the NFL should certainly add a visit to Lambeau Field to their bucket lists.
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The Five Worst NFL Stadiums
Honorable mentions: Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers), Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers), Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland Browns), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins)
- 5. Nissan Stadium: Tennessee Titans
Despite being based in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee, and not even being that old (it first started being used in 1999 but is already on its fourth name, previously being called Adelphia Stadium, the Coliseum and LP Field), Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, opens up our ranking of five worst NFL stadiums, the main reason being that due to neglect, the upper level of the stadium is a legitimate safety hazard, with fading stairs and “serious disrepair” plaguing it, repairs that could cost nearly $2 billion to properly fix. Luckily for Titans fans, a new stadium is on the way and is projected to be opened by 2026.
- 4. Paycor Stadium: Cincinnati Bengals
Holding the somewhat dubious distinction of being one of the cheapest NFL stadiums in the league, costing $455 million to build back in the late ’90s (even adjusted for inflation, that’s around $773 million today), Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, checks in at No. 4 of our worst NFL stadiums, a shame considering how good the team is today. Just from viewing on TV, Paycor doesn’t look half bad, with its lovely downtown view and the top-notch turf adorning its playing surface, the stadium is actually quite difficult to navigate for fans, making it a poor in-person experience for fans.
- 3. TIAA Bank Field: Jacksonville Jaguars
Already nearly 30 years old and costing $121 million to build back in 1994 ($239 million today when accounting for inflation), TIAA Bank Field ranks as one of the worst NFL stadiums in the league. It does have that pool that is constantly shown throughout television broadcasts of Jacksonville Jaguars games but outside of that, nothing really sets TIAA Bank Field apart from other in-person stadium experiences in the NFL. Why do you think it is the Jaguars almost always play one game overseas in London every year? It’s not because they believe they deliver a magnificent home experience for fans at TIAA Bank Field, we can tell you that.
- 2. MetLife Stadium: New York Giants and New York Jets
Considering it first started being used merely 13 years ago, opening up for business in April 2010, as well as the fact that it cost a whopping $1.6 billion to build, it’s shocking to see MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, this high up on the list of worst NFL stadiums. But take one trip there and you’ll quickly figure out why we think so lowly of it. For starters, it’s an open-air stadium with no retractable roof. Considering how bad the weather gets in New York during the late fall and early winter, that was a highly questionable decision not to put a roof on that thing. Furthermore, scores of feral cats live in the stadium and have even been seen on broadcasts of games in the past.
Finally, it’s in New Jersey, not New York itself, meaning it’s quite a long trek for New York fans to get there for games. For all those reasons but probably even more we’re forgetting, MetLife ranks as the second-worst NFL stadium, according to us.
- 1. FedEx Field: Washington Commanders
Home to just 62,000, FedEx Field, where the Washington Commanders reside, comes in as our worst NFL stadium. It’s about as expensive of a fan experience as any in the league, it’s extremely difficult to get to, residing in Landover, Maryland, a 30-minute drive from Washington D.C. (not accounting for the reportedly brutal traffic) and there was both a railing collapse and sewage spill incident there…
…not too long ago.
Luckily for Commanders fans, team owner Daniel Snyder is now on his way out. Perhaps the incoming owners, led by investor Josh Harris, managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, can help turn things around not just with regards to the poor team performance but with the average fan experience at FedEx Field.
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