American Airlines Center

The Victory Park seat call

At American Airlines Center, the strongest basketball tickets sit along a Plaza Level sideline, row 6 or higher, and the best hockey seats are center ice on the Plaza Level from row 10 up. The corners of the Plaza Level are the best compromise for both sports. On a budget, a low Terrace Level row near center court or center ice usually beats a high Plaza row behind a basket or net.

Located in Victory Park, just north of the downtown core, the building is shared by the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars. Basketball capacity is roughly 19,200, hockey 18,532 and concerts as many as 21,000. Two big-league schedules keep the arena busy October through April, and a playoff run can stretch into June. Tours, family shows, college hoops, UFC and WWE take the open nights.

• Mavericks: NBA regular season, starting in late October.
• Stars: NHL regular season, starting in early October; both end in mid-April.
• Concerts: year-round, busiest in spring and fall.

Decoding Plaza, club and Terrace

Tickets and signs use level names rather than numbers, so it helps to translate.

Plaza Level (100s)

The ring nearest the court or ice. Closest seats, lowest angle. Find Guest Services by section 104.

Club level (200s)

Club seating attached to the Flagship and Platinum suite floors. You get lounge access and a higher, more centered look at the game.

Terrace Level (300s)

Upstairs, steeper and farther out; its Guest Services desk is near section 326. The first rows open straight off the concourse; the upper rows take a climb.

Why the Terrace feels so high

Between the public tiers sit several suite rings: three suite tiers (Flagship, Platinum, Admiral) and specialty spaces such as the Admiral Loft Boxes and Theater Box Lounge. Stacking those pushes the Terrace up and back, so even its front row is a long way from the floor compared with the last row of the Plaza.

Seats to pick for Mavericks and Stars games

Basketball

Plaza sidelines are the premium choice. Starting around row 6 gets your eyes above the courtside seats and team benches. Corner sections downstairs give a full-court view on a diagonal for noticeably less than center court. Because a basketball court is shorter than a rink, more of each sideline section faces the action squarely than it does for hockey.

Hockey

Aim for the stretch between the two blue lines. On the Plaza Level, row 10 and above is safer than the front rows, where glass reflections and the dasher boards (the low walls around the rink) hide the far side. On the Glass tickets come with club perks and deliver the close-up thrill, not for following plays. According to seating guides, Dallas sits in front of section 119 (visitors at 118) and attacks the section 112 net in two of the three periods.

Comparing tiers

Down low, you hear the game and see faces, but the court or ice flattens out. The club level gives a cleaner overhead read with shorter lines in the lounges. The Terrace shows every power play and half-court set as a whole, with the center-hung video board filling in detail.

Concert setups and seats to skip

Most tours here use an end stage: the sections behind the stage are closed, and floor seats are set out on the arena floor. The Plaza side sections angled toward the stage usually beat the back half of the floor, where everyone stands on the same flat surface. Upstairs, choose Terrace sections toward the stage end instead of the ones directly opposite it.

Where you give up the most

• Low Plaza rows right behind the team benches: players and coaches on their feet hide the closest part of the court.
• Plaza seats behind the baskets: the basket support and backboard get in the way whenever play is at your end.
• Far Terrace corners at a concert: the longest distance to the stage.
• Anything labeled limited view: for end-stage concerts, expect a speaker stack or the side of the stage to block part of the view.

Demand across two seasons

Sharing a building means the Mavericks and Stars rarely leave a quiet week between October and April, and demand swings by opponent, weekday and stakes. Weekend games, marquee visitors and any playoff date sell first; midweek games against less popular opponents leave the most choice. NBA Finals games were played here in 2006, 2011 and 2024, the NHL brought its All-Star Game in 2007, and postseason runs push prices up quickly. Reserved Seat backs every order with a 100% guarantee.

Victory Station, garages and purse limits

By train

Victory Station is next door. Two DART light rail lines, Green and Orange, call there; if you are on Red or Blue, switch at West End Station. The TRE, the commuter train from Fort Worth, stops at Victory Station too, though most Sundays have no service. When an event starts after 6 p.m., a westbound TRE waits until 20 minutes after it ends, per the arena. Confirm times with DART before you go.

By car

The arena counts more than 5,000 spaces around Victory Park, the bulk of it south and east of the building. Garages include Comerica, Commons, Lexus and D; Lot K is one of the surface options, with Lot F set aside for accessible parking. Facilities typically open two hours ahead, and you can reserve through JustPark. With only 8 feet 2 inches of headroom, the Lexus Garage is a poor fit for tall vans. Exits back up after games; leaving a little early or eating nearby afterward helps. Rates change by event.

Rideshare

As of fall 2026, the rideshare zone is north of the building. Fares spike in the minutes after a game ends.

Bags and entry

The arena FAQ for 2026–27 permits:

• a clutch or wristlet no bigger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches;
• a purse within 14 x 6 x 14 inches (length, width, height);
• clear bags, which are permitted but not required.

No backpacks, whatever the size, and security inspects every bag. For both teams, doors open an hour and a half before the start; concerts open 60 to 90 minutes ahead. The arena went cashless in November 2022 and has cash-to-card kiosks. Tickets are digital only (no screenshots), and leaving means you cannot come back in. Check the arena FAQ for current rules before you go.

Brick arches, two teams and a 2031 lease

Construction began in September 1999, and the arena opened in July 2001. Architect David M. Schwarz gave it brick walls and arched entrances for a traditional look rather than a glass-and-steel one. The City of Dallas owns the building, and the two teams run it through a joint operating company.

Concession stands on both public concourses take cards only, while the club levels and the Champions Club have their own food and bars. Victory Plaza, beside the arena, is the standard pregame meeting spot, and the restaurants around Victory Park and in Uptown get crowded well before tip-off or puck drop.

The long-term future may shift. According to Wikipedia, the Mavericks are under lease only through 2031 and have studied building a new arena somewhere else.

Sources

• Wikipedia: American Airlines Center
• American Airlines Center: Arena FAQ
• American Airlines Center: Parking
• American Airlines Center: Public Transportation
• American Airlines Center: ADA Accessibility Information
• American Airlines Center: Seating Maps
• RateYourSeats: American Airlines Center seating (orientation)