The Highmark Stadium is the new future for the Buffalo Bills, with fans anxiously waiting for the stadium to be finally opened. The Bills finished second in the AFC East with a 12-5 record and narrowly lost 33-30 in the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos.
Ahead of the new season, the team is preparing to move into their new stadium. However, fans were left disappointed with the design.
Buffalo Bills reveal exterior look of new Highmark Stadium
The Bills posted a video on their social media platforms to reveal that the exterior panel installation is complete at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The 1.35-million-gross-square-foot open-air venue replaces the existing Highmark Stadium and features a colonnade of repeated vertical fins encircling the entire perimeter from ground level to the base of the 270,000-square-foot canopy.
Buffalo Bills' Highmark Stadium
A final look inside Highmark Stadium hours after the Bills’ win over the Jets in their last regular season game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 © Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The lower exterior incorporates a solid band of iron-spot brick that ties directly to Buffalo’s historic architecture. Above it, perforated vertical metal panels span flush between the upper fins, creating a taut, stoic metallic facade inspired in part by the Kleinhans Music Hall. These panels block most wind while permitting controlled airflow to relieve pressure and shield fans from Buffalo’s harsh weather without sacrificing the open-air football experience.
The $2.1-billion project, of which $850 million is public funding, includes an 18,750-square-foot ancillary building, a minimum 62,000-seat capacity (expandable to 66,000 with standing room), 30-plus elevators and escalators, climate-controlled team warm-up areas, a subsurface-heated playing field, and the NFL’s largest unified club space at 73,000 square feet. However, no roof has been included, which means it will be ineligible to be considered as a Super Bowl venue.
The stadium’s construction began in June 2023, and is scheduled to open in the summer ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Fans were not satisfied with the new exterior design and complained about it on social media.
Fans mock Buffalo Bills’ new Highmark Stadium
Many Bills fans criticized the franchise for the unimpressive exterior look and compared it many things.
One user said, “Terrible, looks like a prison. Olmstead would not approve.”
A second user wrote, “My thought is all that money for a very unimpressive looking stadium…”
A third user replied, “Ugly tin looking design. How is this what you created in 2026 lol”.
Another added, “not going to lie. worst stadium in the modern era… looks like garbage hahaha u can say new all u want”.
A fifth user remarked, “Good job constructing a giant bed pan as a stadium…..”
A sixth user commented, “no hate ugliest new stadium built in the last 10 years”.
The Buffalo Bills will start playing at the Highmark Stadium from the 2026 NFL season onwards.