Whip up some chip dip, order some pizza and secure your favorite spot on the couch because the 2024 NFL season officially has arrived.
While the 18-game regular season will decide the best teams around the league, Sports Illustrated accepted the challenge to decide the best venues around the NFL.
Entering the 2024 campaign, there are 30 different stadiums across the NFL, as the New York Giants and New York Jets share MetLife Stadium, and the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers split time at SoFi Stadium.
Without further ado, let's rank the 30 NFL stadiums from worst to best:
30. Northwest Stadium (Washington Commanders)
Location: Landover, Md.
Opened: 1997
Capacity: 65,000
Don't just take our word for it. Back in February, the Commanders were given an F-minus grade in the annual NFL players survey for the team's training room and locker room. The stadium isn't much better. We're just two years removed from several spectators at a Commanders-Eagles game suffering injuries after a railing in the bleachers collapsed.
29. EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Opened: 1995
Capacity: 67,838
There's a reason the Jaguars play a home game in London every year. (O.K., it's not because EverBank Stadium is so dreadful but it certainly doesn't help.) At least there are better days ahead for Jacksonville, as in June the city approved a $1.4 billion project to revamp the stadium that is expected to be ready for the 2028 campaign.
28. MetLife Stadium (New York Jets/New York Giants)
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Opened: 2010
Capacity: 82,500
MetLife Stadium isn't even 15 years old but it's one of the worst stadiums out there. It's just ... dull. Where did that $1.6 billion go?
27. Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers)
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Opened: 1996
Capacity: 74,867
The Panthers' home stadium is getting $800 million in renovations in the next few years, which is a good thing considering one of their own players called it the worst stadium in the NFL.
“I think they’re behind a little bit as far as facilities,” receiver Adam Thielen told The Charlotte Observer in June. “We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL right now, and I don’t think there is anybody who would argue that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. You gotta go play football, and you gotta go win games."
26. Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins)
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Opened: 1987
Capacity: 65,326
Hard Rock Stadium would've been ranked toward the bottom of this list even before the Copa America disaster this summer. There's no way around it, and you better hope you're not sitting directly under the sun during the first few weeks of the season.
25. Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Opened: 2000
Capacity: 65,515
"The Jungle" is one of the cooler nicknames for any football stadium, but the facility just doesn't quite live up to it.
24. Caesars Superdome (New Orleans Saints)
Location: New Orleans, La.
Opened: 1975
Capacity: 73,208
The Caesars Superdome will play host to the Super Bowl for the eighth time in its near 50-year history in February. But the big game is coming to Caesars Superdome solely because the city of New Orleans is incredible, not so much the venue itself.
23. Levi's Stadium (San Francisco 49ers)
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Opened: 2014
Capacity: 68,500
Levi's Stadium is not in San Francisco. In fact, it's about 40 miles south of where Candlestick Park once stood. It's a decent stadium, but it really feels like a football field surrounding by a bunch of red seats in the middle of nowhere.
22. Soldier Field (Chicago Bears)
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Opened: 1924
Capacity: 61,500
The NFL's oldest stadium also has the smallest crowd capacity in the league. The Bears are looking to land a $4.7 billion domed stadium along Lake Michigan in the future, which would obviously be a huge upgrade, just without a 100-year history of football within its walls.
21. Highmark Stadium (Buffalo Bills)
Location: Orchard Park, N.Y.
Opened: 1973
Capacity: 71,608
A trip to Highmark Stadium is by no means a weekend of luxury, but that's part of its charm. Bring your own folding table to the parking lot. And bonus points if there's snow.
20. Huntington Bank Field (Cleveland Browns)
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Opened: 1999
Capacity: 67,431
Yes, the Cleveland Browns Stadium has a new name this season—not to be confused with Huntington Bank Stadium, located 800 miles northwest in Minneapolis.
19. Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans)
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Opened: 1999
Capacity: 69,143
The countdown to the New Nissan Stadium (scheduled to open in 2027) has begun.
18. Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Location: Tampa, Fla.
Opened: 1998
Capacity: 69,218
The Bucs' home stadium gets a bump in the rankings for featuring the NFL's only animatronic parrot that makes comments to fans walking by. Those cannons are pretty sweet, too.
17. Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots)
Location: Foxborough, Mass.
Opened: 2002
Capacity: 66,829
The Patriots boast the No. 17th-ranked stadium on this list but the No. 1-ranked lighthouse in the United States—in terms of height, anyway.
16. State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals)
Location: Glendale, Ariz.
Opened: 2006
Capacity: 63,400
Since its inaugural season in 2006, State Farm Stadium has hosted nearly as many Super Bowls (three) as Cardinals playoff games (four).
15. NRG Stadium (Houston Texans)
Location: Houston, Texas
Opened: 2002
Capacity: 72,220
Fun fact: NRG Stadium was the first NFL facility to feature a retractable roof. These days, that roof is rarely opened but it still functions ... most of the time.
14. Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Opened: 2002
Capacity: 65,000
Ford Field looks even better on television when it's paired with your first plate of food during the afternoon Thanksgiving game.
13. M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Opened: 1998
Capacity: 71,008
Without a doubt, one of the best stadium atmospheres in the NFL resides in Baltimore.
12. Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Opened: 2003
Capacity: 69,596
Contrary to popular belief, Eagles fans didn't throw snowballs at Santa Claus at Lincoln Financial Field. Throwing snowballs at other fan bases, however? Not off the table.
11. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Opened: 2001
Capacity: 68,400
A stadium's corporate sponsor doesn't impact our rankings, but man, we miss the giant ketchup bottles that were featured here before Acrisure took over the naming rights in 2022 from Heinz. In case you didn't know, Acrisure Stadium earned its Hollywood stripes by starring in the movie The Dark Knight Rises.
10. Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)
Location: Denver, Colo.
Opened: 2001
Capacity: 76,125
Is there anything better than a Denver sunset?
9. Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts)
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
Opened: 2008
Capacity: 67,000
There's a reason the NFL hosts the scouting combine every year in the comfy confines of Lucas Oil Stadium. It has one of the highest Q rating scores among the football facilities out there, unless you are a Big Ten West program looking to get shellacked by Michigan or Ohio State in the conference title game.
8. Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Opened: 1972
Capacity: 76,416
Kansas City still owns the all-time record for the world's loudest stadium when the crowd was measured at 142.2 decibels during a win over the Patriots in 2014. That was long before Taylor Swift first graced the Arrowhead Stadium suites.
7. Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Falcons)
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Opened: 2017
Capacity: 71,000
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is gorgeous, but how about those concession prices? Nachos are $3. A classic hot dog is $2. A large domestic draft beer is $8.50. What a concept!
6. Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks)
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Opened: 2002
Capacity: 69,000
The No. 12 jersey is retired in Seattle for the "12s," the nickname for Seahawks fans who create a near-impossible atmosphere for opposing offenses to operate at Lumen Field. The construction of the stadium—with additional overhead coverage above the seats—is a large factor in the eardrum-shattering noise level.
5. Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders)
Location: Paradise, Nev.
Opened: 2020
Capacity: 65,000
The newest stadium in the NFL is one of its best, even if the "Black Hole" superfan cheering section doesn't quite hit the same in Las Vegas.
4. SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams/Los Angeles Chargers)
Location: Inglewood, Calif.
Opened: 2020
Capacity: 70,240
Whose house? Rams house—although once per year the 49ers host a home game here.
3. AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys)
Location: Arlington, Texas
Opened: 2009
Capacity: 80,000
Fifteen years later, "Jerry World" still lives up to the hype.
2. U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Opened: 2016
Capacity: 66,655
With the natural lighting hitting the field through giant glass windows, U.S. Bank Stadium provides the feel of an outdoor venue—just without the frostbite that comes with attending January playoff games in sub-zero temperatures. Sound the Gjallarhorn.
1. Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers)
Location: Green Bay, Wis.
Opened: 1957
Capacity: 81,441
The Ice Bowl. The Frozen Tundra. Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers. Football is Lambeau Field, and Lambeau Field is football.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking All 30 NFL Stadiums Heading Into 2024 Season.
