A decade of venue-building, ranked newest first — the 25 most recently opened major stadiums, arenas, and halls in North America (15,000 seats and up), led by the Buffalo Bills’ new Highmark Stadium, which opened in Orchard Park in 2026.
The list captures a genuine boom. Between 2017 and 2026, North America opened new NFL cathedrals (SoFi, Allegiant, and Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium), a wave of soccer-specific stadiums (GEODIS Park, Q2 Stadium, TQL Stadium, Energizer Park, Nu Stadium), and a run of tech-forward arenas from Seattle’s carbon-neutral Climate Pledge Arena to the Intuit Dome, the LA Clippers’ $2 billion home.
The 25 Newest Major Venues
Here is the full list, newest first; venues that opened in the same year are listed largest first. Venues with a ThrillZing profile are linked.
| # | Venue | Location | Capacity | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highmark Stadium | Orchard Park, NY | 60,108 | 2026 |
| 2 | Nu Stadium | Miami, FL | 26,700 | 2026 |
| 3 | Intuit Dome | Inglewood, CA | 18,000 | 2024 |
| 4 | Sphere | Las Vegas, NV | 17,600 | 2023 |
| 5 | Snapdragon Stadium | San Diego, CA | 35,000 | 2022 |
| 6 | GEODIS Park | Nashville, TN | 30,109 | 2022 |
| 7 | Energizer Park | St. Louis, MO | 22,423 | 2022 |
| 8 | Moody Center | Austin, TX | 16,223 | 2022 |
| 9 | Protective Stadium | Birmingham, AL | 47,100 | 2021 |
| 10 | TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, OH | 26,000 | 2021 |
| 11 | Q2 Stadium | Austin, TX | 20,738 | 2021 |
| 12 | ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Columbus, OH | 20,371 | 2021 |
| 13 | UBS Arena | Elmont, NY | 17,255 | 2021 |
| 14 | Climate Pledge Arena | Seattle, WA | 17,151 | 2021 |
| 15 | SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, CA | 70,240 | 2020 |
| 16 | Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas, NV | 65,000 | 2020 |
| 17 | Globe Life Field | Arlington, TX | 40,300 | 2020 |
| 18 | Allianz Field | Saint Paul, MN | 19,400 | 2019 |
| 19 | Chase Center | San Francisco, CA | 18,064 | 2019 |
| 20 | BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, CA | 22,000 | 2018 |
| 21 | Audi Field | Washington, DC | 20,000 | 2018 |
| 22 | Fiserv Forum | Milwaukee, WI | 17,341 | 2018 |
| 23 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA | 71,000 | 2017 |
| 24 | Truist Park | Cumberland, GA | 41,084 | 2017 |
| 25 | Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando, FL | 25,500 | 2017 |
The Soccer-Stadium Wave
The single biggest trend in the table is Major League Soccer. Energizer Park in St. Louis, GEODIS Park in Nashville, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Q2 Stadium in Austin, and TQL Stadium in Cincinnati all opened within a two-year burst — purpose-built, 20,000-to-35,000-seat grounds that trade NFL scale for steep stands and standing-section noise.
It’s a sharp contrast with the two NFL giants at the other end of the budget spectrum: SoFi Stadium and Allegiant Stadium opened in the same pandemic year, 2020, and between them redefined what a football venue costs. Buffalo’s $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium followed in 2026.
Arenas Got Smarter, Not Bigger
None of the new arenas on this list chase capacity records. The Intuit Dome (18,000), Climate Pledge Arena (17,151), UBS Arena (17,255), and Chase Center (18,064) are all mid-sized by design — the innovation went into acoustics, sustainability, and fan tech instead.
The one true outlier is Sphere in Las Vegas, the LED-wrapped globe that opened in 2023 with a U2 residency and instantly became one of the most recognizable music venues on Earth — proof that ‘new venue’ doesn’t only mean sports.
Explore more: the largest stadiums in the world, the oldest stadiums in the world, all stadium guides.
Keeps chili hot from the tailgate to the fourth quarter.
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Sized to the NFL's 12x6x12 clear-bag rule. Fits snacks, a jacket and a rally towel.
Newest Major Stadiums and Arenas FAQs
What is the newest NBA arena?
The Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, which opened in 2024 as the home of the LA Clippers, is the newest arena in the NBA.
What was the last NFL stadium built?
Highmark Stadium, the Buffalo Bills’ new home in Orchard Park, New York, opened in 2026. Before that, SoFi Stadium (Rams and Chargers) and Allegiant Stadium (Raiders) both opened in 2020.
Why are so many new stadiums soccer stadiums?
MLS expansion drove a wave of purpose-built soccer stadiums between 2021 and 2022 — including venues in Austin, Cincinnati, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, and San Diego — most holding 20,000 to 30,000 fans.
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Photo: Haruhi8 / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.