U.S. Bank Stadium

Did You Know?

• The state's portion of stadium funding came from electronic pulltabs, but projected revenue dropped from an initial estimate of $34 million for 2013 to $1.7 million by March 2013.
• Owner Zygi Wilf focused on redeveloping the downtown Metrodome site, considering underdeveloped areas on Downtown's east side a key opportunity.
• The MSFA selected HKS, Inc., as architect on September 28, 2012, from five firms including Populous, AECOM, EwingCole, and HNTB.

Design

The stadium's design was shaped by a conflict between the Vikings' owners, who wanted an outdoor venue, and state and local governments, which would only fund an indoor stadium capable of hosting events like the Super Bowl and Final Four. A retractable roof was considered but deemed too expensive because it would need to operate in sub-freezing conditions to give the Vikings a home-field advantage during winter playoffs. The architectural firm HKS instead designed a skylit roof made of 60% ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a clear plastic, spanning 240,000 square feet—the largest such roof in North America. The roof's slanted form, inspired by Nordic vernacular architecture, allows snow to slide into a heated gutter that drains to the Mississippi River. Glass operable wall panels and glazed entrances with giant pivoting doors provide views of downtown Minneapolis while sheltering the interior from snow, rain, and cold. The stadium is aligned northwest at an elevation of about 840 feet above sea level.

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) is the public body that owns and operates U.S. Bank Stadium. It was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2012, replacing the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC), which had overseen the Metrodome since 1977. The MSFA initially managed the Metrodome until its demolition in early 2014 to make way for the new stadium. Three of its five members are appointed by the Governor of Minnesota, and two by the mayor of Minneapolis. Public involvement in Twin Cities stadiums dates to 1954, when Minneapolis and Bloomington formed the Metropolitan Sports Area Commission (MSAC) to build and run Metropolitan Stadium. The MSFC absorbed the MSAC in 1977 and operated Metropolitan Stadium until 1981, then the Metrodome from 1982 onward. The MSFC had seven members, six appointed by the Minneapolis City Council and a chair appointed by the governor who could not live in Minneapolis. The legislature abolished the MSFC in May 2012, transferring its assets to the MSFA.

Proposal timeline

On April 19, 2007, the MSFC and the Vikings unveiled initial plans for a stadium and surrounding urban redevelopment, with an estimated opening of 2012. The proposal included a retractable roof, a glass-enclosed Winter Garden near the Metrodome light-rail stop, a leafy urban square, dense housing, improved roads, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The stadium would have held about 73,600 people and was to be complete by August 2011. The 2007 cost estimate was $953.916 million, broken into $616.564 million for the stadium, $200.729 million for the retractable roof, $58.13 million for parking, $8.892 million for land right-of-way, and $69.601 million for inflation. The total could have approached $1 billion if the legislature had not approved the project in the 2008 session. The urban plan was received with cautious welcome. The proposed cost compared to other stadiums: Indianapolis ($675 million, retractable roof, completed 2008), Dallas ($932 million, retractable roof, completed 2009), and New York ($1.7 billion, open-air, completed 2010). Including surrounding urban developments, the estimated total reached $2 billion.

Major events

On May 20, 2014, the NFL awarded Minneapolis Super Bowl LII, beating bids from Indianapolis and New Orleans. The NCAA announced on November 14, 2014, that the stadium would host the 2019 men's basketball Final Four. In May 2015, Governor Mark Dayton announced a bid for the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, but New Orleans was chosen on November 4, 2015—the first major event bid lost for the stadium. The stadium hosted the summer X Games in 2017, 2018, and 2019; the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first NFL game was a preseason contest on August 28, 2016, against the San Diego Chargers, won by the Vikings 23–10. The first regular-season win came on September 18, 2016, against the Green Bay Packers, 17–14. The AMA Supercross Championship has held a round at the stadium since 2017. The first playoff game, an NFC divisional game on January 14, 2018, saw the Vikings defeat the New Orleans Saints 29–24 on a last-second 61-yard catch known as the Minneapolis Miracle. Super Bowl LII was played on February 4, 2018, with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New England Patriots 41–33. The 2019 Final Four was won by the Virginia Cavaliers, who defeated Texas Tech 85–77. On December 25, 2025, the Vikings played the Detroit Lions in a Christmas Day game featuring a halftime show by Snoop Dogg.