The NFL has some of the most vibrant and engaging atmospheres in the sporting world. Many fans create a party atmosphere before the big game with tailgating, a kind of food, drink and fan festival. This can be continued after the match, hopefully with the team’s winning fight song as the soundtrack of celebration.
The legends of American football have been born against the backdrop of a fantastic wall of noise. Every memorable sports moment needs a great crowd, and the NFL now has some of the most historic and state-of-the-art stadia to elevate the experience. Here are some of the very best.
Lambeau Field, Home of Green Bay Packers
“Football is Lambeau Field, and Lambeau Field is football,” wrote Sports Illustrated. It’s a simple motto, but it says so much about how this historic place has encapsulated the drama of the NFL. It’s the oldest stadium currently in use by the same team. It has a history that can’t be bought.
Lambeau Field is authentic rather than a corporate behemoth, looming like a large ocean in the small town of Green Bay. Its nickname is Frozen Tundra after the famous 1967 Ice Bowl game, which the hosts won on a dramatic last-second touchdown to claim their third Championship.
AT&T Stadium, Dallas Cowboys
The AT&T Stadium is the opposite of Lambeau. It is very much a 21st-century experience in design and convenience, affectionately entitled Jerry World after the Cowboys owner was keen to create a large entertainment venue. That’s what it is – a mix of sports and luxury with the biggest HD TV video screen ever seen when it was opened in 2009.
Some of the best premium club seats enjoy a perfect bird’s eye view of the whole pitch, while the venue also doubles up for college games, basketball, soccer, Monster Truck events and big concerts. This stadium sings to the masses like an NFL point spreads.
The current stadium is being upgraded further in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, creating ever more luxury suites and a better playing surface. Visitors need to see to believe.
The Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Raiders
The Allegiant Stadium was only opened in 2020 and cost just shy of $2 billion to construct. The team was historically known as the Oakland Raiders, but that changed in 2012, and the move to the Las Vegas strip means that there are walk-in pre-match and post-match entertainment on the doorstep.
The stadium has been nicknamed ‘The Death Star’, and it has a fully retractable grass pitch that moves on a platform. Fans and tourists also embrace the 3D torch and flame in memory of the late Raiders owner Al Davis.
Lumen Field, Seattle Seahawks
Lumen Field is another multi-purpose venue that houses the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL, as well as the Sounders in the MLS and the Reign in the NWSL.
It creates a dramatic view of the Downtown Seattle skyline, and there’s even an upper deck golfing facility where visitors can tee off underneath the arches. The stadium’s design captures and elevates noise that can be louder than a jet engine taking off. It has created some of the most intimidating atmospheres for opponents. The fans are known as the 12s, creating that extra player to get them over the line.
Public transport makes it easy to access, and the stadium has been modernised further with real fan innovations that include being in the tunnel as the players walk out.
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota Vikings
When the NFL produced its “Voice of the Fan” survey in 2024, the Minnesota Vikings and their U.S. Bank Stadium were ranked at the top of Game Day Satisfaction.
The whole experience of going to a game as a guest or fan resonates as a surreal experience, a mix of the ancient and the very modern. Before every match, the Gjallarhorn — a huge mythological Viking horn – is blown to lead the team’s fight song.
A tour of the building includes a close-up look at the transparent roof and massive glass walls that provide natural light and protect fans from the weather.
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers
Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium is an experience in the building and on the pitch. In its short life since 2020, it has already hosted one Super Bowl, is scheduled to hold another in 2027 and will feature big in the 2028 Olympics. That makes it a heck of a visitor site.
It has a 360-degree double-sided video board, the YouTube Theater attached to the outside of the stadium, as well as a massive canopy. Before the game, the SoFi Lounge opens up to allow the public to meet and greet former Rams or Chargers players.
NFL teams can truly be great attractions on and off the pitch. They open up an entertainment and spectacle that can attract fans and visitors.
