Ford Field Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit , Michigan , USA , that is the current home field of the NFL ' s Detroit Lions . It regularly seats 65 , 000 , though it is expandable up to 70 , 000 for football and 80 , 000 for basketball . The naming rights were purchased by Ford at $ 40 million over 20 years ; the Ford family ( including Lions owner William Clay Ford , Sr . ) holds a controlling interest in the company . Design . Ford Field was originally planned to be an outdoor stadium , simultaneously with Comerica Park , which opened in April 2000 , as part of a public project to replace Tiger Stadium and the Pontiac Silverdome . Ford Field was constructed after Comerica Park , opening in 2002 . It cost an estimated $ 430 million to build , financed largely through private money , public money , and the sale of the naming rights . The stadium ' s design incorporates a six - story former Hudson ' s warehouse , which was constructed in the 1920s . Hammes Company , a real estate development company in Middleton , Wisconsin , developed the new stadium , as well as the warehouse . The presence of the warehouse allows for a seating arrangement that was unique among professional American football stadiums at the time of Ford Field ' s opening . The majority of suites at Ford Field are located in the Hudson Warehouse along the stadium ' s southern sideline , as are the lounges that serve the premium club seats on that side of the field . The bulk of the grandstand seats are located along the northern sideline and both endlines , with gaps in the stadium ' s upper half at the southwest and southeast corners . The upper deck on the stadium ' s northern sideline also contains one level of suites and a smaller section of club seating . A similar design was implemented at the renovated Soldier Field , albeit with the use of a new structure ( as opposed to an existing building ) to house four levels of suites . Unlike most indoor stadiums , Ford Field allows a large amount of natural light to reach the FieldTurf field , thanks to immense skylights and large glass windows at the open corners . The windows along the ceiling are frosted to mimic the automotive factories that are prevalent in Metro Detroit . The southwest corner provides the seating bowl and concourse with sunlight year - round and also offers fans a view of downtown Detroit . To prevent the stadium from becoming an overly imposing presence in the Detroit skyline , the playing field and lower bowl ( 100 level ) were set below street level , similar to the design at adjacent Comerica Park . Ford Field is one of the few venues in the NFL that has end zones in the east and the west ( the others being Arrowhead Stadium , Cowboys Stadium , Sun Life Stadium , the Georgia Dome and Cleveland Browns Stadium ) . The NFL has a rule against this type of construction , so that the sunlight can not be a major distraction to the players on the field . The NFL had to give permission for the east – west end - zone construction , because the Hudson ' s warehouse would have required alterations otherwise . The natural light is not a distraction to the players in a day game , because the light only reaches as far as the sidelines , leaving the field still properly lit with the combination of artificial stadium lighting and sunlight . Major events . Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5 , 2006 , as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks , 21 – 10 to win their fifth Super Bowl championship in front of 68 , 206 in attendance . It also marked the final game in the 13 - year career of Detroit native and 10 - year Steelers running back , Jerome Bettis . Madonna played to a sold - out Ford Field on November 18 , 2008 , as part of her record - breaking Sticky and Sweet Tour . On April 1 , 2007 , Ford Field hosted World Wrestling Entertainment ' s WrestleMania 23 . This event set a Ford Field attendance record of 80 , 103 . It was the first WrestleMania held in the Detroit area since 93 , 173 fans set a world indoor attendance record at the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III in 1987 . The stadium is home to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl featuring a top Mid - American Conference team and a Big Ten Conference team . It has also hosted the annual Mid - American Conference Championship Game since 2004 . On December 13 , 2003 , Ford Field hosted the largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game up to that time , as 78 , 129 people packed the stadium for the Basketbowl , where the University of Kentucky defeated Michigan State University , 79 – 74 . The University of Detroit Mercy and Ford Field hosted the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament regional semifinal and final games ( March 28 and 30 , 2008 ) , and hosted the 2009 Final Four ( April 4 and 6 , 2009 ) . For the 2008 NCAA Basketball tournament , the court was placed in the center of the football field rather than in an end of the stadium . This was the first time this configuration was used for NCAA Tournament play with the new 70 , 000 - seat capacity rule in effect . The Division I NCAA Men ' s Ice Hockey Championship , known as the Frozen Four , was held on April 8 and 10 , 2010 with Boston College defeating University of Wisconsin to win the Championship . This has been the only time NCAA hockey has used a football stadium for the championship and resulted in the largest attendance ( 37 , 592 ) at a Frozen Four event . The MHSAA Football Finals take place on Thanksgiving weekend , typically drawing over 60 , 000 fans . The stadium is also used each fall to host the MCBA finals , where Michigan high school marching bands compete to be the best in the state . Ford Field has been the site of several neutral - site regular season college football games , including Michigan State vs . Florida Atlantic in 2010 and Western Michigan vs . Illinois in 2008 . On December 13 , 2010 , the Minnesota Vikings played a home game at Ford Field against the New York Giants after the Metrodome ' s inflatable roof collapsed due to a rip in the roofing material caused by heavy snow accumulation . The roof failure forced the already postponed game to be moved elsewhere , and after deliberations , the NFL chose Ford Field . It was the first ever regular - season Monday night game in Ford Field . Field Painter Paul Kurdi had to paint the " Norsman " on the center of the Lions home field to ensure swift event assurance for the Football game to feel like Minnesota . The Lions hosted their first ever Monday Night Football game in Ford Field on October 10 , 2011 , hosting the Chicago Bears . Kid Rock held his 40th birthday party at Ford " 40 " Field to kick off the tour of his new album " Born Free " on January 15 , 2011 . Ford Field hosted two group stage matches of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament on June 7 , 2011 . Panama played Guadeloupe in the first match , and the United States played Canada in the second match . The Professional Bull Riders will bring their Built Ford Tough Series tour to Ford Field for the first time ever in March 2012 . Ford Field is the second Detroit - area venue the BFTS will visit ; they had visited The Palace of Auburn Hills in 2001 and 2007 .