During the 2025 season, with the Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers playing their home games at Acrisure Stadium and tearing up the playing surface (which at one point was, per Aaron Rodgers, “borderline unplayable”), former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a suggestion.
Kick Pitt out.
He also suggested building a smaller stadium for Pitt, one that would be more full than Acrisure for Pitt home games. With a move out of the venue by Pitt unlikely and impractical, Pitt has made an important adjustment to its residence at the Steelers’ stadium.
Via Chris Peak of 247sports.com, Pitt will reduce the capacity from 68,400 to 51,416. That will take Pitt from having the second-largest capacity in the ACC to the tenth.
The reduction, by nearly 25 percent of available tickets, will happen by closing the upper decks on the east and west sidelines. The area above the north end zone will remain available to Pitt students, as part of their 10,000-seat allotment.
The goal is to concentrate the folks who show up for the game toward the field.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to play in Pittsburgh,” coach Pat Narduzzi said in a press release. “It’s the toughest town out there, blue-collar through and through, with fans who bring passion that you dream of playing in front of. We want opponents to feel that toughness the second they step into Acrisure.
“This move is going to bring our fans closer to the action and crank up the energy in a world-class stadium. Our guys are looking forward to amplifying our home-field advantage in one of the ACC’s best venues.”
There’s an added benefit to shutting down the upper decks for the two biggest seating areas in the stadium. It reduces operating costs. No security in the upper deck. No concessions for the upper deck. No cleanup of the upper deck.
The average attendance for Pitt games in 2025 was 51,845.
Still, the best long-term approach would be for Pitt to have its own stadium, one with capacity that matches its normal attendance. It creates a better atmosphere, and it avoids awkward UFL-style TV images of full sections of empty seats.
Especially in Pittsburgh, where the seats are bright, glaring yellow.
