Stanford Stadium
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Cardinal
Overview
Stanford Stadium is the football home of the Stanford Cardinal on the university's campus in Stanford, California, now hosting the Cardinal in ACC play after conference realignment. The modern bowl, rebuilt for the 2006 season, wraps fans close to the field with an open-air design and views of the surrounding foothills. It's a more compact, sunbaked stadium than its towering predecessor, prized for sightlines rather than sheer scale. Game days blend Bay Area sports culture with Stanford's academic pedigree, drawing a mix of loyal alumni and Silicon Valley fans.
History & Legacy
The original 89,000-seat Stanford Stadium opened in 1921 and stood for 85 years, hosting Super Bowl XIX in 1985 and matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1984 Olympic soccer tournament. That stadium was demolished and rebuilt in just over a year, reopening in 2006 as a leaner 50,000-seat venue better suited to Stanford's attendance needs. The rebuild traded historic grandeur for modern amenities while preserving the site's Bay Area sports pedigree. Stanford's 2024 move from the Pac-12 to the ACC opened a new chapter for the stadium's football rivalries.
Source: RateGame editorial
Opened2006
Capacity50,424
Notable EventsSuper Bowl XIX (1985, original stadium); 1994 FIFA World Cup matches; 1984 Olympic soccer
6.6
Average ratingStadium
8Ratings
Games
4.7
18 fans rated
Fighting Irish vs Cardinal
CFB • Week 14• Nov 30 20256.9
13 fans rated
Golden Bears vs Cardinal
CFB • Week 13• Nov 23 2025
Stadium ratings
8.1
@zwiggy
5mo
CFB • Week 1011/01/2025
Nice
2
0
7.0
@vossbrink
5mo
I still miss the funky old dirt ring with the loooooong staircases that took you up into the stands. Yes the new stadium is nicer—especially in the concourse—and the two decks means that if you're up high you're still really close to the action, but it's just kind of generic now.
0
0
5.3
@thepunisher826
6mo
CFB • Week 1311/23/2025
0
0
5.8
@astin47
8mo
CFB • Week 509/27/2025
0
0
10
@StanfordFanSDC
10mo
Peak Bay Area football
3
0
6.8
@carlzcam
10mo
My 7th stadium- I can’t really accurately rate this stadium too well, given it’s been 12 years since I’ve been here for a game, it was a San Jose Earthquakes game, and I was 6 when I went to that game. Still though, it was a massive improvement to renovate the stadium, making it miles ahead of the old oval configuration, but I still love and appreciate how they left the old supports. Something interesting about this stadium, it was the first stadium to host a “semi-home” Super Bowl, when the 49ers “hosted” the Dolphins, with their home stadium being about a quick 30 minute drive up the peninsula, still in the same county. I do like how with this stadium, it feels half in the middle of nowhere, half in the city, and half on campus. It depends which side you come from. I like the middle of nowhere entrance since you literally walk out of woods. And although it was renovated not the longest ago, you can still tell it’s a very old stadium.
0
0