MetLife Stadium Capacity, Tickets, Seating Plan, Records, Location, Parking
MetLife Stadium is a multi-use stadium in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Costing approximately $1.6 billion, it was the most expensive stadium built in the United States at the time of its completion.
MetLife Stadium is one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two teams. The other, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, is home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, which is home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), is only the third facility to currently host two teams from the same sports league in the United States.
United (The Clippers are expected to move to the Intuit Dome in 2024.) In addition, MetLife Stadium is the fourth building in the New York metropolitan area to house multiple teams from the same sports league, after the Polo Grounds, which hosted the baseball Giants and Yankees from 1913 to 1922, Shea Stadium, which housed both the Mets and Yankees during the 1974 and 1975 seasons and both the Jets and Giants in 1975, and Giants Stadium, which hosted both the Giants and Jets from 1984 to 2009. MetLife Stadium was home to Super Bowl XLVIII and will host multiple matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
| Built In: | September 5, 2007 |
| Capacity: | 82,500 |
| Home Teams: | New York Jets · New York Giants |
MetLife Stadium History
As Giants Stadium approached 30 years, it was becoming one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL. The Jets, who had been the Giants’ tenants, were seeking to have a proposed West Side Stadium built in Manhattan proper. Originally intended to be the 85,000-seat main stadium for New York’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, it was designed to be reduced to 75,000 seats for the Jets. However, it would have required significant public funding; progress on the project was halted in 2005 due to opposition from various sources, including Cablevisión. The Jets then entered into a joint venture with the Giants to build a new stadium in which the two New York teams would be equal partners.
The architects were commissioned to design a neutral stadium that would still embody the distinct personalities of both franchises. The Giants favored a traditional look of exposed steel framing and rustic stone, while the Jets wanted a sleek, modern look highlighted by metal and glass. With those characteristics in mind, the designers used the column/tower dynamic seen in many of Manhattan’s skyscrapers as inspiration for the stadium’s design.
The base of the stadium façade is clad in limestone-like masonry, while the rest of the stadium is distinguished by an outer skin of aluminum and glass louvers and by interior lighting capable of changing colour, depending on the team that currently play: blue for the Giants and green for the Jets. This idea originated in the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany; previously shared by the city’s two main football clubs, Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich. Unlike Giants Stadium, MetLife Stadium can easily be reconfigured for the Giants or Jets in a matter of hours. The total linear length of the shutters is exactly 50,000 meters (50 kilometers) or 163,681 feet (31.1 miles).
Seats on the 50-yard line in the front row are 46 feet (14 metres) from the sideline, the shortest distance in any NFL stadium. To change the field decorations, two 4-person teams take approximately 18 hours using forklifts and other machinery to remove the 40 Act Global UBU Speed Series sections that make up the teams’ respective end zones.
Unlike most NFL stadiums, the NFL logo is painted at midfield, instead of one of the teams’ logo, which also shortens transition time. The team’s replaceable midfield logos were removed in August 2010, after Domenik Hixon tore his ACL in a stadium practice during training camp. If the two teams play each other, the designated home team will have their setup around the stadium. During their annual preseason matchup, both the Giants and Jets will have an end zone with their team logo on it.
Stadium Capacity
Metlife Stadium has a seating capacity of 82,500.
MetLife Stadium Seating Plan
Notable Events & Records
Firsts and notable moments
- The first event at the stadium was the Big City Classic lacrosse event, which was held on April 10, 2010.
- September 12, 2010: The Giants hosted the first NFL regular season game in stadium history against the Carolina Panthers, winning 31-18.
- September 13, 2010: The Jets played their first game at the stadium, against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, losing 10–9.
- November 14, 2010 – The stadium experienced two power outages during a game between the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. The game was delayed about twenty-five minutes.
- December 19, 2010: The Philadelphia Eagles staged a comeback against the Giants in what is known as the Miracle at New Meadowlands, coming back from trailing 31-10 with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to win 38-31, capped off by DeSean Jackson’s game-winning punt return as time expired.
- September 11, 2011: On the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a pregame ceremony was held between the Jets and Dallas Cowboys to honor the victims of the attacks. The Jets defeated the Cowboys 27-24.
- December 24, 2011: The visiting Giants defeated the host Jets 29-14 in what was the biggest regular season matchup between the two New York teams in recent years, due to postseason implications for both sides. Victor Cruz opened a close game with a 99-yard touchdown reception. The win helped propel the Giants to the playoffs and was a significant contributor to knocking the Jets out of a postseason appearance.
- January 8, 2012 – MetLife Stadium hosted its first NFL playoff game, with the Giants defeating the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in an NFC Wild Card game, en route to their Super Bowl XLVI championship.
- November 23, 2014 – During a 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. hauled in a 43-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning early in the second quarter. The catch, which was completed with just three fingers while being interfered with by Beckham, has been hailed by Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, Victor Cruz, and LeBron James as the greatest catch of all time.
- February 9, 2020: The New York Guardians of the XFL played their first game at MetLife Stadium against the Tampa Bay Vipers, winning 23−3 in front of 17,634 fans.
Records
Any event = 93,000 (12th Siyum HaShas, August 1, 2012)
Concert = 88,491 (U2 360° Tour, July 20, 2011)
Professional football = 82,529 (Super Bowl XLVIII, February 2, 2014)
College football = 82,285 (122nd Army Navy Game, December 11, 2021)
Upcoming Events
2026 FIFA World Cup
Metlife Stadium is one of 16 venues, as well as one of eleven US venues that will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Parking
MetLife Stadium parking lots require parking passes from anyone parking inside the sports complex for Giants games.
