MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings fans know that US Bank Stadium is the NFL’s best venue, but now they have some expert opinions to back up their claim.
The Athletic gathered opinions from 30 of its NFL writers to rank the league’s 30 stadiums, coming in at No. 1 was the Vikings’ home field.
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The online publication asked the writers to name their five best and five worst stadiums. Half of the writers placed US Bank Stadium first overall.
Alec Lewis, reporter for The Athletic’s Vikings, said the stadium “is the perfect representation of what an indoor arena should look and feel like on a Sunday.”
The Athletic did a similar exercise three years ago and the US Bank Stadium was also top notch then. This ranking contrasts with a Buildworld survey conducted earlier this year, which found that the Vikings were at home the ugliest stadium in the world.
In addition to hosting the Vikings’ home games, U.S. Bank Stadium is a popular concert venue. It has recently hosted Taylor Swift’s Eras Tourand the Ed Sheeran show on August 12 broke the venue’s concert attendance record.
The stadium opened in 2016, and officials announced earlier this summer that debt from construction has been cut Paid off 20 years early. Taxpayers are not yet off the hook, but officials said paying off the debt will save them about $226 million in interest payments.
Lambeau Field, the legendary home of the Green Bay Packers, came in at number 3.
“If you’re into history you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to watch a game,” said The Athletic. “They’ve done a great job of modernizing the stadium over the years while still giving it a historic feel.”
The Detroit Lions’ Ford Field was No. 14, while the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field was No. 23 — a steep drop from the No. 7 it earned three years ago.
The worst stadium, according to The Athletic, is FedEx Field, home of the Washington Commanders.
Note: The video above first aired on June 26, 2023.
