Key Takeaways NFL stadiums are architectural marvels with exclusive seating capacities.
Some teams have incredible stadiums but aren’t very good on the field, affecting attendance numbers.
Fan-friendly stadiums tend to attract more fans, but the on-field product is the most important factor.
Since NFL teams have become such massively profitable and popular entities over the last 30 years, NFL stadiums have become more than just a place to go see a game.
Stadiums these days are modern technological and architectural marvels. They are made to behold as much as to enjoy watching games. With that exclusivity comes seating capacities that seem modest compared to college football cathedrals with 100,000-plus seating.
With the increasing temptation for fans to sit home and enjoy the comfort of their couch and the presentation of the game on modern TV, stadiums have to go above and beyond to get fans in seats. However, the stadium also needs a good team calling it home to attract fans.
Here’s a look at all 30 NFL stadiums ranked by last year’s attendance numbers.
These numbers only account for the regular season.
Related 10 Old NFL Stadiums That Were Abandoned Here’s a list of 10 old NFL stadiums that now sit abandoned.
1 AT&T Stadium — 748,755 (Avg. 93,594)
The Dallas Cowboys pack a massive AT&T Stadium week after week.
Going to games at AT&T Stadium is a pretty magical experience. Jerry World. The Death Star. For the old heads, it’s still Cowboys Stadium. Whatever you want to call it, the stadium is one of the big factors in why the Dallas Cowboys became the first pro sports franchise to achieve a $10 billion valuation in 2024.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat: AT&T Stadium’s construction costs were budgeted at $650 million but almost doubled to $1.1 billion during the construction, which required Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to borrow $150 million from the NFL and pay any overages after that. Just 15 years later it’s clear it was worth the investment.
Jerry is definitely smiling with numbers like these.
2 MetLife Stadium (New York Jets) — 701,013 (Avg. 77,890)
The New York Jets’ fanbase has stuck by the team.
The true potential of the stadium has been held back by at least one of the teams that play here. The New York Jets for one, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2011, which is the NFL’s longest active playoff drought.
Still, Jets fans pack Metlife as much as they can every Sunday and with a healthy Aaron Rodgers (fingers crossed) this season, Jets fans will be even more impassioned.
3 Empower Field at Mile High — 687,498 (Avg. 76,388)
The Denver Broncos have as passionate a fanbase as any in the league.
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It was smart to incorporate the name of the old stadium into the name of the new one. It makes you wonder why more stadiums don’t do that.
Even when the Denver Broncos are bad, like they have been the last decade, the fans are still great. They’re as loyal as any fanbase in professional sports.
4 NRG Stadium — 72,220 (Avg. 640,742)
The Houston Texans have plenty of stars to excite their fans.
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The Houston Texans and NRG Stadium both seemed dead in the water before the 2023 season.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud and rookie linebacker Will Anderson Jr. . delivered an AFC South Division title as rookies in 2023 and have breathed life back into the franchise and the stadium.
5 Arrowhead Stadium — 638,715 (Avg. 70,968)
The Kansas City Chiefs have perhaps the best on-field product to offer their fans.
There’s no louder place in the NFL to watch a game, and if you’ve been lucky enough to find a seat in recent years, you’ve gotten to see one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties on display with the Kansas City Chiefs .
With three Super Bowl wins and four Super Bowl appearances in the last five years, this is the epicenter of the NFL. Find a blank space on your calendar and make your way to the middle of America for a game or regret it later.
6 M&T Bank Stadium — 635,380 (Avg. 70,597)
The Baltimore Ravens have been a consistent playoff contender.
M&T Bank Stadium has a great reputation as a place that’s fan-friendly for watching games and the product on the field has been pretty stellar since it first opened.
That being said, The Baltimore Ravens losing to the Kansas City Chiefs at home in last season’s AFC Championship Game was a hard pill to swallow.
Still, the Ravens are one of the NFL’s most consistent franchises, having qualified for the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.
7 MetLife Stadium (New York Giants) — 634,459 (Avg. 79,307)
The New York Jets’ fanbase has stuck by the team.
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The New York Giants played one fewer home game than their Metlife brothers in the Jets, so their numbers dip below Gangreen by a few spots.
Like Jets fans, Giants fans are always ready to come out and support the G-Men, even if they’ve had one of the worst on-field products in the past decade. At least the Giants made the playoffs back in the 2022 season, but the Giants are not expected to be Super Bowl contenders for a while.
8 SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Chargers) — 627,632 (Avg. 69,736)
The Chargers usually play in front of a full stadium… but not full of Charger fans.
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Two teams play at SoFi Stadium. One of the teams, the Los Angeles Rams , is one that people kind of care about. The other team, the Los Angeles Chargers , is one people don’t really care about at all. At least not in Los Angeles.
The Chargers routinely play in front of a packed SoFi, but unfortunately, it’s due to visiting teams seeing their fans travel to L.A. and jamming the stadium, giving the Chargers one of the worst ‘homefield advantages’ in the NFL.
9 Highmark Stadium — 626,483 (Avg. 69,609)
Bills Mafia always provides an electrifying atmosphere in Orchard Park.
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The entire football world go to truly live the experience of going to a Buffalo Bills home game in last year’s playoffs thanks to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce after he attended the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game there against the Bills and went full caveman after his younger brother and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce scored a touchdown.
While it’s cold and can get uncomfortable, getting the experience of watching a Bills game in person is always worth the price of admission.
10 Lambeau Field — 622,636 (Avg. 77,829)
The Green Bay Packers have the most iconic home in the NFL.
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While Chicago’s Soldier Field is the oldest stadium in the NFL, Lambeau Field is actually the oldest operating NFL stadium with the Green Bay Packers because the Bears didn’t move into Soldier Field until 1971.
Also of note: Lambeau Field and Titletown will host the NFL Draft in 2025.
11 *TIAA Bank Field — 621,281 (Avg. 69,031)
It’s worth noting that the Jaguars played one home game away from Jacksonville.
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The one and only home stadium the Jacksonville Jaguars have ever had is a dump. The Jags are finally closing the door on years and years of rumors that owner Shahid Khan was going to move the team to London but still … whoof. Stay away!
The Jags managed to draw more fans on average in recent years, and that could be because they play one home game in London every year, condensing their attendees into fewer home games.
12 Cleveland Browns Stadium — 610,295 (Avg. 67,810)
The Cleveland Browns may also be getting a new home very soon.
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It was kind of heartening to see the Browns go back to the name Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2023 after being known as First Energy Stadium for the previous decade.
Also, The Dawg Pound still exists and is still crazy. Like several other teams, the Browns are expected to move into a new stadium in the near future, but rest assured, the Dawg Pound will follow them.
13 Acrisure Stadium — 602,796 (Avg. 66,977)
The Pittsburgh Steelers will never be short on fans and passion.
Acrisure reportedly paid between $200 million and $300 million for naming rights to the stadium, but most modern fans still call it Heinz Field.
In fact, most old-school Pittsburgh Steelers fans only recognize Three Rivers Stadium as the franchise’s true home. Whatever you wanna call the stadium, the Steelers’ rabid fan base will always jam it.
14 Paycor Stadium — 594,361 (Avg. 66,040)
Finally, Bengals fans can be excited about their team every Sunday.
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NFL fans don’t call it Paycor Stadium. It’s The Jungle.
And since Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase started playing for the Cincinnati Bengals it’s been a pretty amazing place to watch football games.
You don’t hear it much, but this is a truly beautiful piece of architecture and was the only NFL stadium included in a Harris survey of the best buildings and structures in the U.S.
15 Hard Rock Stadium — 593,304 (Avg. 65,922)
The Miami Dolphins have been putting on a show since Mike McDaniel came to town.
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Hard Rock Stadium is old and still awesome, even if football fans in South Florida seem as apathetic as any fan base in the NFL.
The flip side of that argument is that the Miami Dolphins suck most years and that’s the reason the rare time you glimpse a game here, it looks like there’s only a handful of people in the stands.
With Mike McDaniel’s high-tempo offense and Tua Tagovailoa and co. on the field, Dolphins fans get a show that’s well worth the price of admission. Now, they’re just waiting for games in January.
16 SoFi Stadium (L.A. Rams) — 585,204 (Avg. 73,150)
The Rams have skyrocketed in franchise value since their move to L.A.
The Los Angeles Rams (particularly owner Stan Kroenke) are the ones who actually own SoFi, with the Chargers joining as tenants in the 2020 season.
The Rams played one fewer home game than the Bolts in 2023, hence their lower ranking here. However, the Rams are L.A.’s team first (at least football wise), having even won a Super Bowl in their home just a couple of seasons ago.
17 Nissan Stadium — 580,686 (Avg. 64,520)
The Tennessee Titans hope their new stadium (2027) will elevate the franchise.
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However good the Tennessee Titans are, in any given year, they’ll always be second in the hearts of football fans in their state because of the University of Tennessee.
That’s not great, but just imagine how the players at Vanderbilt feel.
Regardless, Nissan Stadium still packs a pretty good crowd every week and when the Titans move to their new home down the road in 2027, fans will have even more of a reason to go and support the men in two-tone blue.
18 Levi’s Stadium — 573,245 (Avg. 71,655)
The 49ers capped off their home games with an NFC Championship win last year.
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A really beautiful stadium in a really strange location in that it’s 40 miles south of San Francisco.
If you know anything about Bay Area traffic, that means if you live in the actual city itself you’re staring down two hours there and back if you want to see the San Francisco 49ers play in person. No thanks.
19 Bank of America Stadium — 573,086 (Avg. 71,635)
The Panthers have not given fans much of a reason to attend.
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The city of Charlotte’s $800 million Gateway Station will bring mass transit to the area by 2026 or 2027, which should mean allowing more fans than ever access to Bank of America Stadium.
The one problem is the Carolina Panthers , who haven’t had a winning season or made the playoffs since 2017 and went 2-15 in 2023.
20 Gillette Stadium — 567,168 (Avg. 63,018)
We’re a far cry away from the days of Brady and Belichick.
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Gillette Stadium was home to the greatest dynasty in NFL history — five of the New England Patriots ’ six Super Bowl-winning teams played here.
Every single game here has been sold out since 2002, including preseason, regular season and playoffs. However, fans in New England have not quite gotten the same product on the field since Tom Brady left town in 2020.