History

In May 2012, the Minnesota Legislature and the Minneapolis City Council approved funding for the new $975 million multi-purpose stadium to replace the Metrodome. In May of 2013, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the Minnesota Vikings, and HKS Sports and Entertainment unveiled the stunning new design of the stadium. In August of 2014, the Vikings and MSFA selected SMG (now ASM Global) as the new stadium operator. 

The project was completed in just over two and a half years, six weeks ahead of schedule. Construction of the stadium estimated 3.8 million work hours and created over 8,000 construction jobs, with as many as roughly 1,500 workers on-site at one time. 

U.S. Bank Stadium opened on July 22, 2016, with a two-day, public open house welcoming over 190,000 Minnesotans through its doors. The first event followed two weeks later on August 3, 2016 with the 2016 International Champions Cup pitting A.C. Milan against Chelsea. The first concert in the stadium featured Luke Bryan and was performed in front of a sold-out crowd on August 19, 2016, directly followed by a sold-out Metallica show on Saturday, August 20. 

The Vikings earned their first win in their new home against then-San Diego Chargers in the first pre-season game in the stadium on August 28, 2016, winning 23-10. The Purple and Gold continued the streak, taking away their first regular-season win in the stadium against the Green Bay Packers on September 18, 2016, winning 17-14.

In July 2017, U.S. Bank Stadium became the first NFL stadium to host ESPN's Summer X Games. The original bid process awarded the event to U.S. Bank Stadium for 2017 and 2018. The event agreement was extended to 2019 and 2020 after a successful first year. 

On February 4, 2018, U.S. Bank Stadium hosted its first Super Bowl, the second for the city of Minneapolis. Super Bowl LII brought 67,612 fans and 5,800 credentialed media to the stadium and reached 103 million television viewers worldwide. U.S. Bank Stadium also became the home of the first “Zero Waste” Super Bowl, with 91% of trash recycled. NFL Senior Vice President Peter O-Reilly classified Super Bowl LII as the “most ambitious and complicated Super Bowl planning process to date” and noted the SMG (now ASM Global) team “made us better and helped take Super Bowl to a new level.”

U.S. Bank Stadium hosted the NCAA Men's Final Four in April of 2019 and welcomed a record-setting sporting event attendance of 72,711 guests. The event was a tremendous success and proved that Minneapolis should continue to be viewed as a destination for major events. 

U.S. Bank Stadium was awarded the bid to become the first NFL stadium to host the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships in March 2020. 

Awards

Operating

  • LEED Platinum for Building Operations and Maintenance
  • 2016 Employer of the Year Award (SMG) – Minnesota Placement Partners
  • 2016 Finalist for Facility of the Year – Sports Business Journal
  • 2017 Finalist for Venue of the Year – Stadium Business Awards
  • 2017 Innovation in Tourism – Meet Minneapolis
  • 2017 Best Sports Venue – Minnesota Meetings & Events
  • 2017 David Vickers Award – Stadium Business Awards
  • 2018 Most Visited Concert Venue – Lyft
  • 2018 Best Sports Venue – Minnesota Meetings & Events
  • Association for Corporate Growth Bold Awards (Special Recognition)
  • 2019 Best Sports Venue – Minnesota Meetings & Events
  • 2019 International Association of Venue Managers’ (IAVM) Venue Excellence Award
  • 2020 Best Sports Venue - Minnesota Meetings & Events 

Sustainability 

  • LEED Platinum for Building Operations and Maintenance (2019)
  • LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction (2017)
  • 2018 Innovator of the Year – Green Sports Alliance
  • 2018 Finalist for Sustainability & Community Award – Stadium Business Awards
  • 2019 Finalist for Sustainability & Community Award – Stadium Business Awards

Construction and Design

  • LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction
  • 2016 Large Project of the Year – Association of Women’s Contractors
  • 2016 Quality in Construction – National Asphalt Pavement Association
  • 2017 Engineering of the Year Award – American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
  • 2017 Best Sport Design – World Architecture Fair
  • 2017 Finalist for A+ Award – Architizer
  • 2017 Finalist for Sport in Architecture – World Architecture News
  • 2018 IDEAS2 Award (Merit Category) – American Institute of Steel Construction
  • Grand Award for Innovative Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering Solutions - ACEC