Ford Field
Stadium in Detroit, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Mid-American Conference championship game, the annual state championship football games for the MHSAA, the MHSAA State Wrestling Championships, and the MCBA Marching Band State Finals, among other events. It was also the home of the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL) from 2023 to 2025. The regular seating capacity is approximately 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for basketball.
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.jpg) Ford Field's Brush Street atrium in 2015 | |
  Ford Field Location in Wayne County, Michigan  Ford Field Location in Michigan  Ford Field Location in the United States | |
| Address | 2000 Brush Street[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 42°20′24″N 83°2′44″W |
| Owner | Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority[2] |
| Operator | Detroit Lions[3] |
| Capacity | Football: 65,000 (expandable to 70,000) Basketball: 78,000 |
| Roof | Dome |
| Surface | FieldTurf CORE[4] |
| Record attendance | WrestleMania 23: 80,103 (April 1, 2007)[5][6] |
| Public transit |  Broadway  Grand Circus Park Montcalm Street  SMART FAST DDOT 6 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 16, 1999[1] |
| Opened | August 24, 2002[7] |
| Renovated | 2017[8] |
| Construction cost | US$500 million ($895 million in 2025 dollars[9]) |
| Architect | Rossetti Architects Hamilton Anderson Associates, Inc. Kaplan, McLaughlin, Diaz Architects[1] |
| Project manager | Hammes Company[10] |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti[1] |
| Services engineer | SmithGroup[1] |
| General contractor | Hunt/Jenkins/White/Olson JV[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Detroit Lions (NFL) (2002–present) Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (NCAA) (2002–2013) GameAbove Sports Bowl (NCAA) (2014–2025) Michigan Panthers (UFL) (2023–2025) Philadelphia Stars (USFL) (2023) | |
| Website | |
| fordfield | |
The naming rights were purchased by the Ford Motor Company for $40 million over 20 years; the Ford family holds a controlling interest in the company, and they have controlled ownership of the Lions franchise since 1964.
History
Planning and construction
In 1975, the Lions moved to the Pontiac Silverdome after playing at Tiger Stadium from 1938 to 1939 and 1941 to 1974.[11][12] By the mid-1990s, they began exploring the possibility of returning to the city of Detroit in order to build a new stadium.[13] On August 20, 1996, the Lions announced their intention to build a new stadium in Downtown Detroit. On November 5, 1996, voters approved a referendum for the stadium.[1][13]
Groundbreaking for the stadium occurred on November 16, 1999, as part of a downtown revitalization plan for the city of Detroit, which included Comerica Park.[1][14]
Design
The stadium's design incorporates a former Hudson's warehouse, which was constructed in the 1920s.[15] The warehouse was converted to office space and currently has Campbell Ewald and Bodman as tenants.[16]
The presence of the warehouse allows for a seating arrangement that is unique among professional American football stadiums. The majority of suites are located in the warehouse along the stadium's southern sideline, as are the lounges that serve the premium club seats on that side of the field.[1][15] The bulk of the grandstand seats are located along the northern sideline and both end-lines, with gaps in the stadium's upper half at the southwest and southeast corners. The upper deck on the stadium's northern sideline also contains one level of suites and a smaller section of club seating. A similar design was implemented at the renovated Soldier Field, albeit with the use of a new structure (as opposed to an existing building) to house four levels of suites.[15]
Unlike most prior domed stadiums, Ford Field allows a large amount of natural light to reach the field, thanks to immense skylights and large glass windows at the open corners.[17] The windows along the ceiling are frosted to mimic the automotive factories that are prevalent in Metro Detroit. The south entrance provides the seating bowl and concourse with sunlight year-round and also offers fans a view of downtown Detroit.[13][18] To prevent the stadium from becoming an overly imposing presence in the Detroit skyline, the playing field is 45 feet (14 m) below street level, similar to the design at adjacent Comerica Park.[13][19]
Ford Field is one of the few venues in the NFL that has end zones in the east and the west. There is no NFL rule for field construction in roofed venues regarding sunlight distracting players on the field.[20] The east–west end zone design accommodated the Hudson warehouse location. The natural light is not a distraction to the players in a day game, because the light only reaches as far as the sidelines, leaving the field still properly lit with the combination of artificial stadium lighting and sunlight.
In 2017, Ford Field underwent its first major renovation. The $100 million renovation included new video boards, a new sound system, updated suites, and the renovation of multiple restaurants, clubs, and bars on the property.[8]
Major events
Football
Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21–10 to win their fifth Super Bowl championship in front of 68,206 in attendance. It also marked the final game in the 13-year career for Steelers running back, and Detroit native, Jerome Bettis.[21][22]
The stadium was home to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl sponsored by Detroit-based Little Caesars (previously known as the Motor City Bowl and jointly sponsored by the Big Three automakers headquartered in Detroit – Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors) from 2002 until 2013. It featured a top Mid-American Conference (MAC) team and a Big Ten Conference team.[23] The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was replaced by the Quick Lane Bowl (later known as the GameAbove Sports Bowl), running from 2014 to 2025.[24][25][26] It has also hosted the annual MAC Football Championship Game since 2004.[27]
Ford Field has been the site of several neutral site regular season college football games, including Western Michigan vs. Illinois in 2008 and Michigan State vs. Florida Atlantic in 2010.[28][29] Central Michigan was set to play Western Michigan at Ford Field on October 17, 2020, before the football season for the conference were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30] Penn State and Michigan State played a neutral field regular season game on November 24, 2023, a Black Friday game televised by NBC in primetime.[31] Penn State won the game 42–0.[32] Michigan State played another game at Ford Field against Maryland on November 29, 2025.[33][34]
On December 13, 2010, the Minnesota Vikings played a home game at Ford Field against the New York Giants after the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome's inflatable roof collapsed due to a rip in the roofing material caused by heavy snow accumulation.[35][36][37] The roof failure forced the already postponed game to be moved elsewhere, and after deliberations, the NFL chose Ford Field.[35] It was the first ever regular season Monday night game played at Ford Field, and one of the few instances where a team played an unofficial home game at another (rival) team's home field.[38] The Lions hosted their first ever Monday Night Football game in Ford Field on October 10, 2011, against the Chicago Bears.[39]
A Buffalo Bills home game against the New York Jets was played at Ford Field on November 24, 2014, after a major lake effect snowstorm hit western New York, causing the game to be moved from Ralph Wilson Stadium.[40] The Bills won the game 38–3.[41][42] A similar scenario took place on November 20, 2022, when the Bills' home game against the Cleveland Browns was also moved to Ford Field.[43] The Bills won the game 31–23.[44]
On December 3, 2015, Ford Field was the site of the Miracle in Motown, where on the final play of regulation between the Lions and Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football, with no time remaining on the game clock and Detroit leading 23–21, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yard (56 m) Hail Mary pass into the end zone that was caught by tight end Richard Rodgers for the game-winning touchdown. The play resulted in a dramatic 27–23 come-from-behind victory for the Packers.[45] According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the longest game-winning Hail Mary in NFL history.[46]
The Lions hosted their first playoff game at Ford Field against the Los Angeles Rams on January 14, 2024.[47] The Lions won the game 24–23.[48] The Lions hosted their second playoff game at Ford Field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 21, 2024. The Lions won the game 31–23.[49][50]
Basketball
On December 13, 2003, Ford Field hosted the then largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game, as 78,129 people packed the stadium for the Basketbowl, where the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Michigan State Spartans, 79–74.[51][52]
The University of Detroit Mercy and Ford Field hosted the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament regional semifinal and final games (March 28 and 30).[53] Ford Field was the site of the 2009 Final Four (April 4 and 6).[54] For the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament, the court was placed in the center of the football field rather than in an end of the stadium. This was the first time this configuration was used for NCAA Tournament play with the new 70,000-seat capacity rule in effect.[55] Ford Field will host the Final Four again in 2027 (April 3 and 5).[56]
College hockey
The 2010 Frozen Four was held at Ford Field on April 8 and 10 with Boston College defeating Wisconsin to win the championship. This has been the only time NCAA hockey has used a football stadium for the championship (inspired in part by their college basketball counterparts) and resulted in the largest attendance (37,592) at a Frozen Four event.[57]
High school competitions
Ford Field has hosted the MHSAA football state championships since 2005. It also hosted the MHSAA individual wrestling state finals in 2018.[58]
The stadium also hosts the MCBA finals, where Michigan high school marching bands compete to be the best in the state.[59]
Soccer
Ford Field hosted two group stage matches of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament on June 7, 2011.[60] Panama played Guadeloupe in the first match, while the United States played Canada in the second match.[61][62]
| Date | Winning Team | Result | Losing Team | Tournament | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 17, 2008 |  United States women | 1–0 |  China women | Women's International Friendly | 11,933 |
| June 7, 2011 |  Panama | 3–2 |  Guadeloupe | 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C | 28,209 |
| United States | 2–0 |  Canada | |||
| December 8, 2012 | United States women | 2–0 | China women | Women's International Friendly | 17,371 |
| September 17, 2015 | United States women | 5–0 |  Haiti women | Women's International Friendly | 34,538 |
In 2016, Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores announced a bid for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, first looking at building a new open-air stadium in downtown Detroit, then focusing on playing at Ford Field, which would be retrofitted with a retractable roof. However, in 2018, Gilbert and Gores and the Ford family would "not move forward with this proposed retrofit, because the risks that would inhere to such an undertaking would substantially outweigh the rewards".[63]
Other competitions
The Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Series tour to Ford Field for the first time on March 10, 2012.[64] Ford Field is the second Detroit area venue the BFTS had visited; they had visited The Palace of Auburn Hills in 2001, 2006 and 2007.[65][66][67]
The United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) holds multiple Monster Jam Monster Truck races at Ford Field. These races were previously held in the Pontiac Silverdome until it was closed. AMA Supercross Championship, also a Feld Entertainment competition, has competed at Ford Field from 2006 to 2008 and 2014 to 2017.
Other events
On April 1, 2007, Ford Field hosted WWE's WrestleMania 23.[6] This event set a Ford Field attendance record of 80,103.[5] It was the first WrestleMania held in the Detroit area since 93,173 fans set a world indoor attendance record at the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III in 1987.[68] WWE returned to the venue for SummerSlam on August 5, 2023.[69][70]
Ford Field hosted the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Midwest Regional in 2007 and 2014.[71][72]
In 2015, Ford Field housed the large group gatherings of the ELCA Youth Gathering.[73]
On November 18, 2017, Ford Field hosted the Beatification Mass of Fr. Solanus Casey, a Capuchin Franciscan Friar who ministered at the nearby St. Bonaventure Monastery on Mt. Elliott. The near-capacity crowd was one of the largest Catholic masses in Detroit history.[74]
Ford Field hosted the FIRST Championship in 2018 and 2019 along with the nearby Cobo Center.[75][76][77] The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[78]
Concerts
| Date | Artist(s) | Supporting act(s) | Tour | Attendance | Revenue | Note(s) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 12, 2002 | The Rolling Stones | No Doubt | Licks Tour | This was the first concert at the stadium. | [79] | ||
| July 12, 2003 | Eminem | 50 Cent Missy Elliott |
95,709 / 96,707 | $5,257,000 | [80][81] | ||
| July 13, 2003 | |||||||
| February 5, 2006 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang | 68,206 | This concert was a part of Super Bowl XL. | [82] | ||
| April 7, 2006 | Delirious? | Tim Hughes Reuben Morgan | The Mission Bell Tour | The band used Paul Evans as a stand-in drummer instead of regular drummer Stew Smith, who stayed at home to be with his family. | [83][84] | ||
| April 8, 2006 | |||||||
| August 26, 2006 | Kenny Chesney | Dierks Bentley Carrie Underwood | The Road & The Radio Tour | 44,836 / 44,836 | $3,408,357 | [85] | |
| August 18, 2007 | Brooks & Dunn | Flip Flop Summer 2007 Tour | 47,470 / 47,470 | $4,112,541 | [86][87] | ||
| August 2, 2008 | Keith Urban LeAnn Rimes Gary Allan Luke Bryan | Poets & Pirates Tour | 46,871 / 48,194 | $3,931,995 | [88] | ||
| November 18, 2008 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 30,119 / 30,119 | $2,395,900 | [89] | ||
| August 22, 2009 | Kenny Chesney | Miranda Lambert Lady Antebellum Sugarland Montgomery Gentry | Sun City Carnival Tour | 49,215 / 49,215 | $3,843,639 | [90] | |
| January 15, 2011 | Kid Rock | Ty Stone Jamey Johnson | Born Free Tour | This concert was part of his 40th birthday party. Among the guests were Uncle Kracker, Peter Wolfe, Reverend Run, Sheryl Crow, Cindy Crawford, Jimmie Johnson, and Anita Baker. | [91][92][93] | ||
| June 11, 2011 | Taylor Swift | Needtobreathe Frankie Ballard Randy Montana | Speak Now World Tour | 47,992 / 47,992 | $3,453,549 | [94][95] | |
| August 20, 2011 | Kenny Chesney Zac Brown Band | Billy Currington Uncle Kracker | Goin' Coastal Tour | 48,225 / 48,225 | $4,169,719 | [96] | |
| August 18, 2012 | Kenny Chesney Tim McGraw | Jake Owen Grace Potter & The Nocturnals | Brothers of the Sun Tour | 48,943 / 48,943 | $4,560,108 | [97] | |
| May 4, 2013 | Taylor Swift | Ed Sheeran Austin Mahone Brett Eldredge | The Red Tour | 48,265 / 48,265 | $3,969,059 | [98][99][100] | |
| July 18, 2013 | Bon Jovi | The J. Geils Band | Because We Can | 43,142 / 43,142 | $2,638,975 | [101] | |
| August 6, 2013 | Justin Timberlake Jay-Z | DJ Cassidy | Legend of the Summer Stadium Tour | 42,035 / 42,035 | $3,968,119 | [102][103] | |
| August 17, 2013 | Kenny Chesney Eric Church | Eli Young Band Kacey Musgraves | No Shoes Nation Tour | 45,839 / 45,839 | $3,733,711 | [104] | |
| August 16, 2014 | One Direction | 5 Seconds of Summer | Where We Are Tour | 92,428 / 92,428 | $8,304,416 | During the August 16 performance, the band performed a cover of "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus. | [105][106] |
| August 17, 2014 | |||||||
| May 30, 2015 | Taylor Swift | Vance Joy Shawn Mendes | The 1989 World Tour | 50,703 / 50,703 | $5,999,690 | Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Martha Hunt & Gigi Hadid were special guests. | [107][108][109] |
| August 22, 2015 | Kenny Chesney Eric Church | Brantley Gilbert Chase Rice Old Dominion | The Big Revival Tour | 49,285 / 49,285 | $4,903,524 | Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford made a surprise appearance. | [110][111] |
| August 29, 2015 | One Direction | Icona Pop | On The Road Again Tour | 42,767 / 42,767 | $2,700,684 | This concert took place on Liam Payne's 22nd birthday. | [112][113][114] |
| September 8, 2015 | AC/DC | Vintage Trouble | Rock Or Bust World Tour | 43,000 / 43,000 | [115][116] | ||
| October 30, 2015 | Luke Bryan | Florida Georgia Line Randy Houser Thomas Rhett Dustin Lynch | Kick the Dust Up Tour | 44,004 / 44,004 | $3,760,515 | [117][118][119] | |
| June 14, 2016 | Beyoncé | DJ Khaled | The Formation World Tour | 41,524 / 41,524 | $5,471,395 | This concert was originally scheduled to take place on May 29, 2016, but was rescheduled due to "scheduling changes". During the show, she dedicated "Halo" to the victims affected by the Orlando nightclub shooting. | [120][121] |
| June 23, 2016 | Guns N' Roses | Alice in Chains | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 44,439 / 44,439 | $4,776,766 | [122] | |
| August 13, 2016 | Kenny Chesney | Miranda Lambert Jake Owen Old Dominion |
Spread the Love Tour | 45,938 / 46,984 | $3,807,637 | Kid Rock made a surprise appearance. | [123] |
| October 29, 2016 | Luke Bryan | Little Big Town Dustin Lynch | Kill the Lights Tour | 39,573 / 45,000 | $3,418,006 | [124] | |
| September 3, 2017 | U2 | Beck | The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 | 42,905 / 42,905 | $4,936,605 | Special appearance by Patti Smith at the end of the Joshua Tree portion of the set during "Mothers of the Disappeared." | [125][126] |
| August 4, 2018 | Kenny Chesney | Thomas Rhett Old Dominion Brandon Lay | The Trip Around the Sun Tour | 48,826 / 48,826 | $4,968,563 | [127][128] | |
| August 13, 2018 | Beyoncé Jay-Z | Chloe X Halle and DJ Khaled | On the Run II Tour | 43,699 / 43,699 | $5,310,376 | [129] | |
| August 28, 2018 | Taylor Swift | Camila Cabello Charli XCX | Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour | 49,464 / 49,464 | $6,597,852 | [130] | |
| September 8, 2018 | Ed Sheeran | Snow Patrol Anne-Marie | ÷ Tour[a] | 47,804 / 47,804 | $4,481,290 | [132] | |
| October 26, 2018 | Luke Bryan | Sam Hunt Jon Pardi Morgan Wallen | What Makes You Country Tour | [132] | |||
| October 25, 2019 | Luke Bryan | Cole Swindell Jon Langston DJ Rock | Sunset Repeat Tour | [133] | |||
| February 22, 2020 | Garth Brooks | Chase Rice | The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour | 70,000 / 70,000 | $6,193,800 | [134] | |
| November 15, 2021 | The Rolling Stones | Ayron Jones | No Filter Tour | 40,250 / 40,250 | $8,289,779 | [135] | |
| July 27, 2022 | The Weeknd | Kaytranada Mike Dean |
After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour | 45,609 / 45,609 | $4,985,501 | [136][137] | |
| August 20, 2022 | Kenny Chesney | Dan + Shay Old Dominion Carly Pearce |
Here and Now Tour | 49,725 / 49,725 | $5,622,738 | [138] | |
| April 22, 2023 | Luke Combs | Riley Green Lainey Wilson Flatland Cavalry Brent Cobb |
Luke Combs World Tour | 52,783 / 52,783 | [139] | ||
| June 9, 2023 | Taylor Swift | Girl in Red Gracie Abrams |
The Eras Tour | 118,661 / 118,661 | [140] | ||
| June 10, 2023 | Girl in Red OWENN | ||||||
| June 29, 2023 | Morgan Wallen | Bailey Zimmerman ERNEST HARDY |
One Night at a Time World Tour | [141] | |||
| June 30, 2023 | |||||||
| July 15, 2023 | Ed Sheeran | Khalid | +–=÷× Tour[b] | 70,372 / 70,372 | $7,126,417 | Eminem made a surprise appearance to perform "Lose Yourself" and "Stan". | [143] |
| July 26, 2023 | Beyoncé | Renaissance World Tour | 44,554 / 44,554 | $9,963,756 | Highest-grossing boxscore report in the stadium's history. | [144] | |
| November 10, 2023 | Metallica | Pantera Mammoth WVH |
M72 World Tour | 128,779 / 128,779 | $13,866,856 | [145] | |
| November 12, 2023 | Five Finger Death Punch Ice Nine Kills | ||||||
| June 20, 2024 | Zach Bryan | Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Levi Turner |
Quittin Time Tour | 46,510 / 46,510 | [146][147] | ||
| July 13, 2024 | George Strait | Chris Stapleton Little Big Town |
47,065 | [148] | |||
| August 10, 2024 | Kenny Chesney Zac Brown Band |
Megan Moroney Uncle Kracker |
Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour | [149][150] | |||
| April 30, 2025 | AC/DC | The Pretty Reckless | Power Up Tour | [151][152] | |||
| May 18, 2025 | Post Malone Jelly Roll |
Sierra Ferrell | Big Ass Stadium Tour | 47,917 / 47,917 | Eminem made a surprise appearance while Jelly Roll performed "Lose Yourself". | [153] | |
| May 24, 2025 | The Weeknd | Playboi Carti Mike Dean |
After Hours til Dawn Tour | [154] | |||
| May 25, 2025 | |||||||
| June 10, 2025 | Kendrick Lamar SZA |
Mustard | Grand National Tour | [155] | |||
| August 7, 2025 | Chris Brown | Summer Walker Bryson Tiller |
Breezy Bowl XX Tour | [156][157] | |||
| August 8, 2025 | |||||||
| May 9, 2026 | Bruno Mars | DJ Pee .Wee Leon Thomas Victoria Monét Raye |
The Romantic Tour | A second show was added. | [158] | ||
| May 10, 2026 | |||||||
| August 6, 2026 | Foo Fighters | Queens of the Stone Age | Take Cover Tour | [159] | |||
| August 8, 2026 | Chris Stapleton | Lainey Wilson Allen Stone |
All-American Road Show | [160] | |||
| August 29, 2026 | Ed Sheeran | Myles Smith Lukas Graham Biird |
Loop Tour | [161] | |||
Photo gallery
A wide angle view of Ford Field before a Detroit Lions game.
Ford Field allows natural light to penetrate through gray translucent roof panels.
Before the 2006 MAC Championship game.
Ford Field playing surface.
2006 MAC Championship: Central Michigan vs. Ohio.
Aerial view of Ford Field.
Thousands wait to enter Ford Field for WrestleMania 23 on April 1, 2007.
An attendance record setting 80,103 fans at Ford Field for WrestleMania 23.
WrestleMania 23 stage at Ford Field.
Ford Field on Super Bowl XL Sunday, countdown to kickoff on Comerica Park's scoreboard.
Exterior in 2015.
Before 2018 Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions game.
