The oldest NFL stadium is Soldier Field, opened in 1924 – though its 2003 rebuild complicates the title. Lambeau Field (1957) owns the cleaner record: the longest continuously occupied home in the league.
And the old guard is thinning – Buffalo just retired its 1973 stadium in January 2026. Here’s the full age chart.
NFL STADIUMS
The Oldest NFL Stadiums
A century of concrete
THE OLDEST
Soldier Field – 1924
A century old, heavily rebuilt in 2003
THE ICON
Lambeau Field – 1957
The longest continuously occupied NFL home
JUST RETIRED
Old Highmark – 1973
Buffalo’s longtime home closed in January 2026
THE TREND
Replacement era
Several of the oldest are being replaced right now
The oldest active NFL stadiums
Age before amenities (opening years)
| Stadium (team) |
The story |
| Soldier Field (Bears) – 1924 |
A century old and the league’s elder statesman – though the 2003 rebuild replaced nearly everything but the colonnades, and the Bears are pursuing a replacement |
| Lambeau Field (Packers) – 1957 |
The longest continuously occupied home in the NFL and its most protected shrine – renovated repeatedly, replaced never |
| Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) – 1972 |
The loudest old building in football, with its future a live political question in Missouri and Kansas |
| Caesars Superdome (Saints) – 1975 |
The half-century dome, rebuilt after Katrina and renovated into modern relevance |
| Hard Rock Stadium (Dolphins) – 1987 |
The canopy-topped survivor of the 1980s class |
| EverBank Stadium (Jaguars) – 1995 |
The youngest “old” stadium – and already undergoing a top-to-bottom transformation |
The retirement wave
Old stadiums exiting right now
| Building |
Status |
| Old Highmark Stadium (1973) |
Hosted its final Bills game in January 2026; demolition is underway across the street from its 2026 replacement |
| Soldier Field’s asterisk |
The 1924 date survives on a technicality – the 2003 gut renovation makes it simultaneously the oldest and one of the newest buildings in the league |
| The renovation compromise |
Lambeau, Arrowhead and the Superdome show the alternative path: continuous reinvestment instead of relocation |
| Why teams replace |
New buildings print premium-seating revenue that old bowls structurally can’t – the economics, not the concrete, force retirements |
OLD STADIUM FACTS
Lambeau’s streak
The Packers have played at Lambeau since 1957 – no NFL team has called one building home longer.
The frozen tundra is heated
Lambeau’s field has had underground heating since 1967 – the “frozen tundra” is the best-kept lawn in Wisconsin.
A 1924 opening act
Soldier Field predates the NFL’s first championship game, television, and 20 of the league’s 32 franchises.
The Economics of Old Concrete
Stadium age in the NFL is really a revenue story: old bowls hold history but can’t hold modern premium inventory, so franchises either reinvest continuously – the Lambeau and Arrowhead path – or replace, as Buffalo just did and Chicago is attempting. The result shows up directly in the NFL stadium capacity chart, where the newest buildings are the smallest and the most profitable. League venue info lives at NFL Football Operations.
The Bottom Line
Soldier Field (1924) by the record book, Lambeau (1957) by continuous residence, Arrowhead (1972) and the Superdome (1975) close behind – with Buffalo’s 1973 stadium freshly retired and the replacement era accelerating. The NFL’s oldest buildings survive on reinvestment or not at all.
