Pitt announced a strategy Wednesday that will significantly alter the atmosphere and capacity for football games at Acrisure Stadium.
Starting this fall, the stadium’s upper east and west sides will be unavailable, reducing capacity from 68,400 to 51,416.
The announcement corresponded with the launch of football season ticket sales Wednesday.
At its current capacity, Acrisure Stadium ranks second in the ACC behind Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, which seats 81,500. Now, the Panthers will rank 10th in the conference in available seats.
“Throughout last season, our administrative team carefully observed every aspect of the gameday experience and identified key enhancements for 2026,” athletic director Allen Greene said in a statement. “Our goal is clear: transform Pitt football into a must-attend event, not just another game on the schedule. Today’s announcement is just the first step in showing we’re committed to being both creative and bold in pursuing every opportunity that strengthens our program.”
"Our priority is to create the best student-athlete & fan experience for Pitt, & that's exactly what we're doing.”
Read Allen Greene’s letter to fans about a new ticket strategy coming to Acrisure Stadium & his vision for where the department is headed.https://t.co/7PN0bBYtTw pic.twitter.com/ii9ioUymZ9
— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) January 28, 2026
Areas at Acrisure Stadium that will no longer be available for Pitt fans are the 500 sections.
Pitt’s student section will remain unchanged, remaining at 10,000 seats per game.
For comparison, Pitt Stadium (1925-99) sat 56,500. Acrisure Stadium’s new seating arrangement still will be larger than ACC peers North Carolina (50,500), Stanford (50,424), Boston College (44,500), Syracuse (42,784), Duke (35,018), SMU (33,200) and Wake Forest (31,500).
In 2025, Pitt averaged 51,845 fans over seven home games, including a 68,400-person sellout Nov. 9 when Notre Dame visited.
The 2024 campaign saw Pitt average 53,077 fans, while the remainder of the Narduzzi era (excluding the covid-impacted 2020 campaign) has featured average home game attendance figures of 48,122 (2023), 54,710 (2022), 45,408 (2021), 43,372 (2019), 41,696 (2018), 36,294 (2017), 46,075 (2016) and 48,150 (2015).
“Prior to getting here, I’d heard about our capacity and our fan experience,” Greene told reporters Wednesday. “One of the very first things coach Narduzzi said was, ‘Our players want to run out of the stadium and feel the energy from our fans.’ Creating a more intimate environment in this way allows us the opportunity to do that.”
Another opportunity for Pitt could pertain to added revenue, as the Panthers are exploring advertising options with tarps that would potentially cover off-limits sections.
“I think that covering is being contemplated in our strategy,” Greene said. “We still have some work to do with the Steelers to find a plan that makes the most sense for us.”
Existing upper-level season-ticket holders will have priority access to lower-level inventory that is currently available at comparable prices to their existing seats.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to play in Pittsburgh,” coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “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.”
Pitt’s home games next fall include a nonconference slate beginning with Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 5, UCF on Sept. 12 and Bucknell (Sept. 26).
The Panthers host Syracuse on Thursday, Sept. 17, North Carolina on Oct. 10, Georgia Tech on Oct. 31 and Florida State on Friday, Nov. 13.
“We want to have a more electric environment,” Greene said. “We have the opportunity to start playing night games this year, and we want our fans to feel the energy. We have some other things that are going to be coming out later this fall and into the summer that are going to be some plans we have for the gameday atmosphere, which will include some more things that I would consider are pop and sizzle.”
Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) has been the home of Pitt football since 2001.
