ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Construction crews working on the new Buffalo Bills stadium have surpassed a million hours of work this month.

The cost of the new stadium has risen to $2.1 billion, up from the initial estimate of $1.5 billion. However, the new stadium will have nearly 10,000 fewer seats.

Marc asked: “With the growing fan base and many sold-out Buffalo Bills games, why would the team be building a smaller stadium? I believe they are reducing the seating capacity by 10,000 seats.”

He is correct. The new stadium will have a capacity of about 62,000, compared to the current Highmark Stadium’s 71,608 seats.

A stadium representative says that reducing capacity is a trend across all sports, not just football. For example, when the New York Yankees opened their new stadium in 2009, the capacity also dropped by thousands.

“The reason for reduced capacity is to create a better in-venue experience. Bigger seats, larger concourses, more intimacy,” the representative stated.

Highmark Stadium is already a popular venue. According to BuffaloBills.com, an average of 70,615 fans attended each game last season, just shy of a sell-out.

The law of supply and demand says that if there isn’t enough supply to meet demand, prices can increase. Once completed, the new stadium will feature several high-end club seat levels, a 260,000-square-foot canopy, and about 10,000 more fans watching from home.

News10NBC asked if ticket prices are expected to rise but has not yet gotten a response. Currently, crews are working on the canopy, which will cover more than half of the crowd. The structural steel portion is expected to be finished in January.

The entire project remains on track to be completed by the start of the 2026 NFL season.

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