Stadium History

The University of Phoenix Stadium, with its retractable roof and field, is unlike any other stadium in North America, and a marvel of design, engineering, and technology. This multi-purpose facility is located in Glendale, Arizona.

The primary tenants in the stadium include the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.  The 63,400-seat stadium (expandable to 72,200) opened on August 1, 2006 after three years of construction. The ceremonial groundbreaking was held on April 12, 2003.

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, 2006 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The stadium hosted the highest attended soccer match in the state of Arizona on February 7, 2007 when 62,462 fans watched the U.S. National team defeat Mexico, 2-0.

The multipurpose nature of the facility has allowed it to host 91 events representing 110 event days between the dates of Aug. 4, 2006 through the BCS National Championship on January 8, 2007. These events included Arizona Cardinals games; public grand opening tours held August 19 & 20, 2006 (attended by 120,000 people); various shows, expositions, tradeshows and motorsport events; the Rolling Stones concert November 8, 2006; the AIA 4A and 5A state championship games for; an international soccer exhibition match; the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championships; the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl January 1, 2007; and the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007.