State Farm Stadium


State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in the southwestern United States, located in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl. Opened in 2006, the venue replaced Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe as the home of the Cardinals, and is adjacent to Desert Diamond Arena, former home of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League.
The stadium has been the host of the Fiesta Bowl since January 2007. It hosted two BCS National Championship games in 2007 and 2011 respectively. It hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2016, three Super Bowls, as well as the Pro Bowl in 2015. It also hosted the final game of the 2025 NFL Wild Card weekend for the Los Angeles Rams against the Minnesota Vikings due to the Southern California Wildfires going on at the time. For soccer, it was one of the stadiums for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup also the first semi-final of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Copa América Centenario in 2016 and the 2024 Copa América in 2024. For basketball, it hosted the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2017 and 2024.
The stadium opened in 2006 as Cardinals Stadium. Later that year in September, the University of Phoenix acquired naming rights, renaming it University of Phoenix Stadium, in what was then a 20-year agreement. It was renamed in September 2018 for insurance company State Farm, which has an 18-year naming rights deal.

History

Since moving to Arizona from St. Louis in 1988, the Cardinals had played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe. The Cardinals planned to play there for only a few years, until a new stadium could be built in Phoenix. The savings and loan crisis derailed funding for a new stadium during the 1990s. Over time, the Cardinals expressed frustration at being merely tenants in a college football stadium. The lack of having their own stadium denied them additional revenue streams available to other NFL teams. The Cardinals campaigned several times in the years prior to its construction for a new and more modern facility.
In 2000 and 2001 as the Cardinals began exploring places to build their new stadium, numerous cities began to bid for it. The Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority oversaw construction of the stadium and were responsible for finding the stadium's location. Tempe and Avondale were front runners, with other sites in downtown Phoenix, the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, and near Fountain Hills also being considered. The Tempe site would be close to the Cardinals’ training facility but would cost the authority $30,000 monthly in water expenses. The Avondale land would be a donation by developer John F. Long, who would also assume the risk for the $26 million infrastructure cost. By 2002, Mesa and Glendale had also submitted bids and taken over as top choices. Ultimately, Mesa residents would vote to not approve the building of the stadium and Glendale was with its promised $36 million in infrastructure improvements and 11,000 parking spots near the stadium.
The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new stadium in 2003 was held on April 12, and after three years of construction, the 63,400-seat venue opened on August 1, 2006. It was designed by Eisenman Architects and HOK Sport. The stadium is considered an architectural icon for the region and was named by Business Week as one of the ten “most impressive” sports facilities on the globe due to the combination of its retractable roof and roll-in natural grass field, similar to the GelreDome and the Veltins-Arena.
LED video and ribbon displays from Daktronics in Brookings, South Dakota were installed in 2006 prior to Arizona's first game of the season at the new stadium.
The cost of the project was $455 million, which included $395.4 million for the stadium, $41.7 million for site improvements, and $17.8 million for the land. Contributors to the stadium included the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, the Arizona Cardinals, and the City of Glendale.
The stadium has 88 luxury suites – called luxury lofts – with space for 16 future suites as the stadium matures.
The surrounding the stadium is called Sportsman's Park. Included within the Park is an landscaped tailgating area called the Great Lawn. The approximate elevation at field level is above sea level.
The stadium seating capacity can be expanded by 8,800 for "mega-events" such as college bowls, NFL Super Bowls, the NFC Championship Game, and the Final Four by adding risers and ganged, portable "X-frame" folding seats. The end zone area on the side of the facility where the field tray rolls in and out of the facility can be expanded to accommodate an additional tier of seating which slopes down from the scoreboard level.
The roof is made out of translucent Birdair fabric and opens in 12 minutes. It is the first retractable roof ever built on an incline.
In 2024, the Cardinals announced renovations to add two luxury clubs to both endzones: Casitas Garden Club on the South end and Morgan Athletic Club on the North end. New tunnel seats and field seats will also be added.

Events

Events held at the stadium include Arizona Cardinals home games; public grand opening tours held August 19–20, 2006 ; various shows, expositions, tradeshows and motor sport events; and international soccer exhibition matches.
The multipurpose nature of the facility has allowed it to host 91 events representing 110 event days between August 4, 2006, through the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007.

NFL

The first preseason football game was played August 12, 2006, when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21–13. The first regular season game was played September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers. The stadium's air-conditioning system made it possible for the Cardinals to play at home on the opening weekend of the NFL season for the first time since moving to Arizona in 1988.
On October 16, 2006, the stadium hosted a notable game between the Cardinals and the undefeated Chicago Bears where the Bears came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the Cardinals. The Bears would later go on to play in Super Bowl XLI.
University of Phoenix Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, in which the New York Giants defeated the previously undefeated New England Patriots 17–14 with a paid attendance crowd of 71,101. This was the second time the Phoenix area hosted a Super Bowl, the other being Super Bowl XXX held in nearby Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium in 1996 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17.
The Cardinals' first home playoff game since 1947 took place at the stadium on January 3, 2009, with Arizona beating the Atlanta Falcons, 30–24. The stadium also hosted the 2008 NFC Championship Game between the Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles on January 18, 2009, which the Cardinals won 32–25 in front of over 70,000 fans in attendance and advanced to Super Bowl XLIII.
The 2015 Pro Bowl was the first Pro Bowl to be held at the same location as the same year's Super Bowl since 2010. The Pro Bowl returned to Hawaii in 2016. On February 1, 2015, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24 in Super Bowl XLIX held at the stadium.
On November 30, 2020, it was announced that because of Santa Clara County's new COVID-19 rules barring contact sports, the 49ers could not play at their home Levi's Stadium; they were subsequently forced to play their final three home games against the Buffalo Bills, the Washington Football Team, and the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Including a road game against the Cardinals, the 49ers played four of their final five games at State Farm Stadium to end the season.
Super Bowl LVII was held at the stadium on February 12, 2023. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a high-scoring affair, 38–35.
The stadium hosted a home Monday night wild card game on January 13, 2025, for the Los Angeles Rams against the Minnesota Vikings in lieu of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, due to the ongoing impact of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.
Super Bowls
  • Note: Winning team in Bold
Super BowlNFC TeamAFC TeamScoreHalftime ShowAttendance
Super Bowl XLIINew York GiantsNew England Patriots17–14Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers71,101
Super Bowl XLIXSeattle SeahawksNew England Patriots28–24Katy Perry featuring
Lenny Kravitz,
Missy Elliott,
Arizona State University
Sun Devil Marching Band		70,288
Super Bowl LVIIPhiladelphia EaglesKansas City Chiefs38–35Rihanna67,827

College football

The stadium was the new venue for the Fiesta Bowl since 2007, replacing Sun Devil Stadium. The first Fiesta Bowl at the stadium was held on January 1, 2007, featuring the Boise State Broncos vs. the University of Oklahoma Sooners, with Boise State winning 43–42 in overtime. It also hosted the BCS National Championship on January 8, 2007, between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the University of Florida Gators, which the Gators won 41–14.
On January 10, 2011, the stadium hosted the 2011 BCS National Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oregon Ducks, which had an attendance record setting 78,603 on hand for the game.
On January 11, 2016, University of Phoenix Stadium hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship Game featuring the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers.
On December 31, 2022, as part of the College Football Playoff's semifinal games, State Farm Stadium hosted the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, featuring the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 2 ranked Michigan Wolverines.
Bowl Game Results
Winning TeamLosing TeamBowl GameScoreAttendance
No. 9 Boise StateNo. 7 Oklahoma2007 Fiesta Bowl43−42 73,719
No. 2 FloridaNo. 1 Ohio State2007 BCS National Championship Game41−1474,628
No. 11 West VirginiaNo. 3 Oklahoma2008 Fiesta Bowl48−2870,016
No.3 TexasNo. 10 Ohio State2009 Fiesta Bowl24−2172,047
No. 6 Boise StateNo. 3 TCU2010 Fiesta Bowl17−1073,227
No. 9 OklahomaNo. 25 UConn2011 Fiesta Bowl48−2067,232
No. 1 AuburnNo. 2 Oregon2011 BCS National Championship Game22−1978,603
No. 3 Oklahoma StateNo. 4 Stanford2012 Fiesta Bowl41−38 69,927
No. 5 OregonNo. 7 Kansas State2013 Fiesta Bowl35−1770,242
No. 15 UCFNo. 6 Baylor2014 Fiesta Bowl 52−4265,172
No. 21 Boise StateNo. 12 Arizona2014 Fiesta Bowl 38−3066,896
No. 7 Ohio StateNo. 8 Notre Dame2016 Fiesta Bowl 44−2871,123
No. 2 AlabamaNo. 1 Clemson2016 College Football Playoff National Championship45−4075,765
No. 3 ClemsonNo. 2 Ohio State2016 Fiesta Bowl 31−070,236
No. 9 Penn StateNo. 12 Washington2017 Fiesta Bowl35−2861,842
No. 11 LSUNo. 7 UCF2019 Fiesta Bowl 40−3257,246
No. 3 ClemsonNo. 2 Ohio State2019 Fiesta Bowl 29−2371,330
No. 12 Iowa StateNo. 25 Oregon2021 Fiesta Bowl34−170*
No. 9 Oklahoma StateNo. 5 Notre Dame2022 Fiesta Bowl 37−3549,550
No. 3 TCUNo. 2 Michigan2022 Fiesta Bowl 51−4571,723
No. 8 OregonNo. 18 Liberty2024 Fiesta Bowl 45−647,769
No. 4 Penn StateNo. 9 Boise State2024 Fiesta Bowl 31−1463,854
No. 10 Miami No. 6 Ole Miss2026 Fiesta Bowl31−2767,928

''*Note: The 2021 Fiesta Bowl only allowed family members of both universities due to COVID-19, and, as a result, did not record an official attendance.''