The Pontiac Silverdome once stood as one of America's great sporting venues.
With a seating capacity of 82,600, it was home to the Detroit Lions from 1975 to 2001, and was the largest stadium in the NFL until FedExField expanded its capacity to over 85,000 at the turn of the millennium.
General view of the field before the night game at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The Rams defeated the Lions 35-0.
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The Silverdome was home to the Lions from 1975 to 2001 and hosted a World Cup firstCredit: Getty
Charlie Batch #10 of the Detroit Lions enters the field through the tunnel before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
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It hosted a number of other events, including WrestleMania and NBA gamesCredit: Getty
The Lions shared the Silverdome, which cost $330 million to build ($55.7m in 1975 adjusted for inflation), with the Detroit Pistons for a decade between 1978 and 1988.
While glory widely eluded the two teams during their tenures in Pontiac -- the Lions failed to reach the Super Bowl and the Pistons won their first NBA Championship a year after moving out -- the Silverdome remains iconic to many.
It also hosted plenty of other massive events, including WrestleMania III -- which boasted a record attendance of 93,173 -- and the first-ever indoor FIFA World Cup match.
Iconic NFL stadium boasts unique World Cup first
The 1994 soccer tournament, played in nine venues across the United States, is considered one of the most successful ever held.
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It broke World Cup records for total attendance (3,587,538) and average attendance per match (68,991).
Both are records that stand to this day.
The tournament also witnessed the first goalless final, between Italy and Brazil, with the latter capturing their fourth title in a 3-2 penalty shootout win.
It was also the first World Cup to adopt a new three points for a win system, instead of the old two points for a win approach, and goalkeepers were no longer allowed to pick up deliberate back-passes in another rule change.
Three decades later, as the tournament prepares to return to the US in 2026, and it is odd to think about what soccer was like without those rules.
But it's fair to say the first indoor World Cup match was a harder sell.
General view of teams for Switzerland and the United States entering the stadium for a World Cup game at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, Michigan.
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US stars described the Silverdome as the toughest climate they played inCredit: Getty
Pontiac Silverdome Detroit of World Cup Finals Usa general view during the FIFA World Cup Finals Group A match between Romania and Switzerland at Pontiac Silverdome In Pontiac on June 22, 1994
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The Silverdome hosted four matches at the 1994 World CupCredit: Getty
The Silverdome hosted the tournament's first indoor game on June 18, 1994, when the USA held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of 73,425 for their Group A clash.
Grass used for the surface was grown locally by Michigan State University, and later installed in the venue, which went on to host three more matches.
Switzerland beat Romania 4-1 in the second match at the Silverdome, while Sweden later beat Russia 3-1 in Group B, before drawing 1-1 with Brazil.
The Silverdome was the only venue of the nine used that didn't host knockout round games at the '94 World Cup, and the four it did host was the lowest total of any stadium.
World Cup stars struggled with conditions inside Silverdome
Part of the reason for that, perhaps, was the far from ideal climate inside.
The Silverdome didn't have a working cooling system and because it was an air-supported stadium, the air could not escape through circulation, so temperatures inside would climb past 90F (32C) in the summer, with 40% humidity.
An overview of the Pontiac Silverdome crowd of 73,425 for the Opening Match of the 1994 World Cup played between the host team United States and Switzerland on June 18, 1994
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Temperatures inside the Silverdome could reach 32C in the summer soccer tournamentCredit: Getty
US midfielder Thomas Dooley described it as 'the worst place I have ever played at.'
Tab Ramos, meanwhile, said it was 'probably the hottest game' he had ever played in, and noted that 'the field felt like we were running in sand.'
What happened to the Silverdome after the World Cup?
While soccer stars struggled inside the Silverdome at the 1994 World Cup, it remained the home of the Lions for seven more years.
They moved to Ford Field in 2002, and after that, activity in the Silverdome dropped drastically.
A general view of the inside of the stadium prior to the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on January 05, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.
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The Lions now play in Ford Field after moving out of the Silverdome in 2002Credit: Getty
It still staged some low-key events, like Monster Jam in 2006, while the parking lot was also converted into a drive-in theater for three years between 2003 and 2006.
As the city of Pontiac began to experience several years of serious financial problems in the wake of the Lions departure, it attempted to sell the stadium.
More than two decades on, and a $2.4bn plan to abandon another NFL franchise’s 80-year home is in doubt.
But back in 2009, the Silverdome itself was purchased for just $583,000, despite a cost of $225m to build in 1975, by Greek-born Canadian real estate developer Andreas Apostolopoulos.
Diesel Volkswagen and Audi vehicles that VW bought back from consumers sit in the parking lot of the Pontiac Silverdome on August 4, 2017
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After the Lions moved out in 2002, activity in the Silverdome fellCredit: AFP
A view of the Silverdome during an NFL game in Pontiac, Michigan. The Rams defeated the Lions 35-0.
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The venue was later demolished and replaced by an Amazon distribution centerCredit: Getty
He vowed to 'revive the stadium as a big-event venue' by investing millions of dollars, and it reopened in 2010 with another monster truck event.
AC Milan and Panathinaikos FC even played an exhibition game there August in 2011, but ultimately, the lack of events coming into the venue, combined with the 2013 roof collapse, put any further development plans on hold.
In March 2014, the owners announced they would be auctioning off the contents of the facility, and by December, the Silverdome was in a state of abandonment.
The venue was condemned and cleared for demolition three years later, and by March 2018, the last free standing wall of the Silverdome was destroyed, leaving a 50ft-deep hole where the stadium once stood.
The Cincinnati Bengals face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI in the Pontiac Silverdome on January 24, 1982 in Pontiac, Michigan
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The Silverdome, which hosted the Super Bowl, was demolished in 2017Credit: Getty
Arena scene during WrestleMania III at Pontiac Silverdome on March 29, 1987 in Pontiac, Michigan.
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In its heyday, more than 93,000 fans packed in for WrestleMania III in 1987Credit: Getty
Another of the NFL's oldest stadiums, meanwhile, is hoping to avoid a similar fate and has been handed a $4.7 billion project lifeline.
Amazon, which is valued at $1.8 trillion, later developed the Silverdome site into both a distribution facility and delivery center.
The delivery center opened in September 2020, while the distribution center came 12 months later, and the project cost an estimated $250m.
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What stands on the site is now a far cry from the Silverdome in its heyday, which will be remembered fondly for hosting NFL, NBA and World Cup games -- even if the latter offered far from ideal playing conditions.
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