NFL
How much will the new Buffalo Bills stadium cost? When will it be finished?
As ground breaks on the new NFL stadium for the Bills, we look at the projected timetable and cost to the team and city.
It is a very ambitious build by any measure. An entirely new NFL football stadium for the Buffalo Bills, ready to see regular season action in 2026.
The New Highmark Stadium coming soon
Designed by Populous, architects of Buffalo’s Sahlen Field baseball park as well as twelve MLB stadiums. The company most credited with the rise of “retro” designs in baseball, NFL fans will be familiar with Populous’ home-from-home ethic from another of their projects, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where the Bills will be playing on 8 October.
The new stadium will continue to be sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, with the addition of the word “new” to distinguish between the two during construction.
Costs behind Buffalo Bills’ new stadium
A smaller market for the NFL, Buffalo is nevertheless intent on going big on their stadium. Described as a “state-of-the-art canopy covered stadium”, the new Highmark will be the largest project ever built in Western New York, and will hold approximately 63,000 people every weekend.
The projected costs for the build are $1.54 billion, although it is not uncommon for costs to spiral quickly in big builds. The breakdown is that the state of New York will contribute $600 million in funding, while Erie County will contribute $250 million, the Bills $350 million, and the National Football League will give a $200 million loan to see the project finished.
Most of the $600 million provided by the state will come from money that they have stolen, er.. seized, from the Seneca Nation in a dispute over gambling in the reservation’s casinos. With New York’s legal position shaky at best, there could be trouble brewing on the horizon if the federal courts side with the Seneca.