Paycor Stadium sits on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, serving as the home of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. Opened on August 19, 2000, the outdoor stadium was originally named Paul Brown Stadium in honor of the Bengals’ legendary founder, and it’s still the same building many longtime fans and out-of-towners refer to by that name.
In August 2022, Cincinnati-based payroll company Paycor HCM Inc. secured a 16-year naming rights agreement, giving the venue its current name. Designed by architectural firm NBBJ under lead architect Dan Meis, the stadium’s open-corner layout offers sweeping views of the Cincinnati skyline and river — and it earned the first-ever AIA design award given to an NFL facility. Fans and the team alike call it ‘The Jungle,’ a nod to the Bengals’ tiger theme and the raucous home-field atmosphere.
Quick Answer
Paycor Stadium holds 65,515 people at listed seating capacity, making it one of the smaller venues in the NFL. The record single-game attendance is 67,260, set on September 29, 2022, when the Bengals hosted the Miami Dolphins.
Paycor Stadium Capacity and Seating Breakdown
Paycor Stadium’s listed capacity of 65,515 seats ranks it among the smallest stadiums in the NFL, well below the league’s largest venues, which can top 80,000. That figure includes 114 private suites and roughly 7,600 club seats spread across the lower, club, and upper seating levels, giving the bowl a compact, steep feel that amplifies crowd noise.
Capacity can flex slightly for special events — concerts and the annual Cincinnati Music Festival sometimes use a modified floor configuration — but 65,515 is the number used for Bengals games and the one Hamilton County and the team cite in official stadium documents. Under the stadium’s new 2025 lease agreement, that overall capacity is expected to stay roughly the same even as individual seats and sections are replaced during the coming renovation.
From Paul Brown Stadium to Paycor Stadium: The Naming History
Before it was Paycor Stadium, the building operated for more than two decades as Paul Brown Stadium, named for Paul Brown — the Bengals’ founder, first head coach, and a Pro Football Hall of Famer who also helped shape the modern NFL through innovations like the facemask and playbook. The stadium opened under that name on August 19, 2000, replacing Riverfront Stadium as the Bengals’ home.
The name changed on August 9, 2022, when Cincinnati-based payroll and HR software company Paycor HCM Inc. signed a 16-year naming rights deal with the team, an expansion of an existing sponsorship. It’s the same field, the same architecture, and the same address on the Ohio River — only the sign out front is different, which is why ‘Paul Brown Stadium’ still shows up in searches and casual conversation today.
Design and Architecture
NBBJ’s design for Paycor Stadium prioritized the spectator experience while anchoring the venue visually to its riverfront setting. The stadium’s open corners — an intentional architectural choice — allow natural light and Cincinnati’s skyline to become part of the backdrop on game days, and helped the building win the first AIA design award ever given to an NFL stadium. It’s also the only NFL stadium to appear on Harris Interactive’s survey of America’s favorite buildings and structures.
Original construction cost approximately $455 million, with the bulk of the funding coming from a Hamilton County sales tax that also financed the adjacent Great American Ball Park for the Reds. The stadium sits on about 22 acres and, in addition to the football bowl, houses the Bengals’ administrative offices, locker rooms, and practice facilities.
The Playing Field and Turf
The Cincinnati Bengals’ field has changed surfaces several times since 2000. The stadium opened with natural Kentucky bluegrass, which struggled with Ohio’s weather and heavy stadium use, before switching to synthetic FieldTurf in 2004, then Act Global turf in 2012, and Shaw Sports Momentum Pro in 2018.
In February 2024, the Bengals announced a return to FieldTurf, installing the newer FieldTurf CORE system ahead of the season — a move cited as a player-safety upgrade and one that made Cincinnati the eighth NFL franchise to adopt that specific turf model. The field itself sits inside the open-corner bowl that gives Paycor Stadium its distinctive indoor-outdoor feel.
The 2025 Lease and $470 Million Renovation
In 2025, the Bengals and Hamilton County finalized a new lease keeping the team at Paycor Stadium through June 2036, with options that could extend the deal to 2046 — resolving years of uncertainty over whether the team might leave downtown Cincinnati. The agreement pairs with a roughly $470 million renovation plan, with the county covering about $350 million and the Bengals contributing $120 million.
The renovation work is scheduled to roll out in phases from 2025 through 2027, starting with suite and club-lounge upgrades, new escalators, and improved concessions, followed by the replacement of general-admission seating and elevator work. Overall capacity is expected to remain close to 65,515 once the project wraps.
Memorable Moments at the Jungle
Paycor Stadium’s biggest NFL highlight came during the 2021 season, when the Bengals — led by quarterback Joe Burrow — made a surprising Super Bowl run, eventually falling to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. The playoff run generated some of the loudest crowds in the stadium’s history, cementing its reputation as one of the louder outdoor venues in the league.
Beyond football, the venue has hosted major concerts including Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Garth Brooks, and Guns N’ Roses — fitting for a stadium nicknamed after one of the band’s most famous songs. The Cincinnati Music Festival, an annual celebration of R&B and gospel music, also draws large crowds to the stadium each summer.
Paycor Stadium capacity and history FAQs
How many people does Paycor Stadium hold?
Paycor Stadium has a listed seating capacity of 65,515. The record single-game attendance is 67,260, set during a Bengals vs. Miami Dolphins game on September 29, 2022.
How many seats are in Paycor Stadium?
The stadium’s 65,515-seat bowl includes 114 private suites and about 7,600 club seats across its lower, club, and upper levels.
What was Paycor Stadium called before?
The stadium was originally named Paul Brown Stadium when it opened in 2000, honoring the Cincinnati Bengals’ founder and Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown. It was renamed Paycor Stadium in August 2022 after a 16-year naming rights deal with Paycor HCM Inc.
Is Paycor Stadium capacity changing with the renovation?
No. The 2025 lease agreement between the Bengals and Hamilton County funds a roughly $470 million renovation running through 2027, but overall seating capacity is expected to stay close to the current 65,515.
Why is Paycor Stadium called ‘The Jungle’?
The nickname plays on the Bengals’ tiger theme and black-and-orange colors. Guns N’ Roses’ song ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ became an unofficial anthem for the team and stadium, reinforcing the nickname among fans.
What is the Cincinnati Bengals’ home field made of?
The Bengals play on FieldTurf CORE, a synthetic surface installed ahead of the 2024 season. It replaced Shaw Sports Momentum Pro and several earlier synthetic and natural-grass surfaces used since the stadium opened in 2000.
Get More from Paycor Stadium capacity and history
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Paycor Stadium capacity and history, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.