U.S. Bank Stadium

The Vikings played at the Metrodome from 1982 until its closure in 2013; during construction, the Vikings played two seasons (2014, 2015) at the open-air Huntington Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.^[14]


On June 17, 2016, U.S. Bank Stadium was deemed substantially complete by contractor Mortenson Construction, five weeks before the ribbon-cutting ceremony and official grand opening on July 22. Authority to use and occupy the stadium was handed over to the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. The Vikings played their first preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 28; the home opener of the regular season was in week two against the Green Bay Packers on September 18, a 17–14 victory.^[15]


It was the first fixed-roof stadium built in the NFL since Ford Field in Detroit, which opened in 2002. As of March 2015, the overall budget was estimated to be $1.061 billion, with $348 million from the state of Minnesota, $150 million from the city of Minneapolis, and $551 million from the team and private contributions.^[7] U.S. Bank Stadium hosted Super Bowl LII won by the Philadelphia Eagles on February 4, 2018,^[16] the ESPN X Games on July 19–22, 2018, and the NCAA Final Four won by the Virginia Cavaliers on April 6–8, 2019.


In August 2023, The Athletic named U.S. Bank Stadium as the "best venue" in the NFL.^[17]

Downtown Minneapolis[edit]

From the outset, Zygi Wilf, a billionaire from New Jersey and principal owner of the Vikings since 2005,^[35] had stated he was interested in redeveloping the downtown site of the Metrodome no matter where the new facility was built.^[33] Taking into consideration downtown Minneapolis' growing mass transit network, cultural institutions, and growing condo and office markets, Wilf considered underdeveloped areas on Downtown's east side, centered on the Metrodome, to be a key opportunity and began discussing the matter with neighboring landholders, primarily the City of Minneapolis and the Star Tribune.^[33] An unrelated 2008 study explains that the effect of the media, in this case an uncritical Star Tribune, matters a great deal in helping a stadium initiative.^[36] As a result, once negotiations for a different location had been put aside, the Vikings focused on proposing a stadium that would be the centerpiece of a larger urban redevelopment project.^[33]


Wilf's Vikings began acquiring significant land holdings in the Downtown East neighborhood around the Metrodome. In June 2007, the Vikings acquired four blocks of mostly empty land surrounding the Star Tribune headquarters from Avista Capital Partners (the private equity owner of the Star Tribune) for $45 million; it is also believed the Vikings have first right of refusal to later buy the paper's headquarters building.^[37] In May 2007, the Vikings also acquired three other downtown parking lots for a total of $5 million, and have made a bid for a city-owned, underground parking ramp next to the neighborhood's light rail station.^[37]

In August 2012, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA)—the stadium's newly created owner—received bids and plans from five architectural and engineering firms, all nationally recognized stadium designers, including Populous, AECOM, EwingCole, and HNTB.^[73][74] On September 28, 2012, the MSFA selected the Dallas firm of HKS, Inc., which had designed both AT&T Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium within the previous decade, to serve as the project's architect.^[75] HKS also designed Globe Life Park in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers; the Milwaukee Brewers’ American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and renovations to the Chicago White Sox's Guaranteed Rate Field. Initial design plans were not immediately released to the public, but Viking officials said they hoped the budget would allow the new stadium to include a retractable roof, walls, or windows. The design team also planned to incorporate interactive technology into some elements to create a more engaging fan experience.^[76]


Construction of the facility was originally slated to begin in October 2013, but was delayed until December 3, 2013, as an ongoing investigation of the Wilfs' finances continued to take place after a 21-year lawsuit against them came to a conclusion in late August. On August 27, 2015, one worker died and another was injured after falling during construction on the U.S. Bank Stadium roof.^[77] Jeramie M. Gruber, 35, of Northfield and the other injured worker were employed by St. Paul–based Berwald Roofing Co. which had been cited 6 times since 2010 for OSHA violations regarding improper fall protection for workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated the incident.^[78] As a result of the investigation, contractor Mortenson Construction and subcontractor Berwald Roofing faced fines of $173,400 for "serious" and "willful" safety violations. The reports do not provide an explanation of the accidents, but the largest fine, $70,000, and most serious alleged violation faults Berwald for willfully failing to have workers use proper fall protection while working at heights above 6 feet.^[79]


On June 15, 2015, the Vikings announced that U.S. Bank had acquired the naming rights to the stadium.^[80] The naming deal is worth $220 million over 25 years.^[81]

Religious events[edit]

The 2019 LCMS Youth Gathering took place July 11–15, 2019 at several downtown Minneapolis venues, including U.S. Bank Stadium. The 2021 ELCA Youth Gathering was scheduled to be held at the stadium from June 29–July 3 but due to COVID-19 it was postponed to July 24–28, 2022 before it was canceled altogether and moved to 2024 in New Orleans.^[101]