Michigan Stadium

Pick a row before you pick a section

At Michigan Stadium, the best seats for most fans are on a sideline between the 30-yard lines, in rows 25 to 60. That band is high enough to see plays unfold across the whole field and low enough to feel close to the players. Because each section climbs up to 98 rows, the row number on your ticket shapes your day as much as the section number does.

Owned by the University of Michigan and sitting on Ann Arbor's South Main Street, the Big House is the country's largest stadium, with a listed capacity of 107,601. Six or seven Saturdays each fall, from the first week of September (sometimes late August) into late November, the Michigan Wolverines host Big Ten opponents here, and no home crowd has dipped under 100,000 since November 8, 1975.

• See the Wolverines up close: west sideline, Sections 22 to 24.
• Most noise: next to the student section, which fills Sections 26 to 33.
• Less climbing: rows near the entry tunnels.
• Sun at your back late in the day: the west side.

The bowl, decoded: sections, rows and tunnels

There is no upper deck. The Big House is one continuous bowl, most of it dug below ground level, so you walk in near the middle or top and head down to your row. From the street, the stadium looks far smaller than it is.

• Sidelines: seating guides put Sections 1 to 4 and 42 to 44 on the east sideline and Sections 20 to 26 on the west. Corners and end zones take the numbers in between.
• Rows: rows A and B sit closest to the field, then numbered rows continue up to 98.
• Tunnels: fans enter partway up, at rows 56 and 74 on the east side and row 72 on the west. A seat near those rows saves a long climb in either direction.
• Seat type: nearly everything is aluminum bench seating with no armrests. Chairbacks are scarce: rows 85 and up in Sections 22 to 24, plus the club seats.

Seating guides place the Michigan sideline in front of Sections 22 to 24 on the west side. Students occupy Sections 26 to 33 and parts of 25 and 34. The 2010 renovation built sideline structures holding 83 luxury boxes and 3,200 club seats, and the university lists both indoor and outdoor club seating on the east sideline.

The university also sorts seats into pricing tiers called Victors, Valiant, Maize, Blue and End Zone, so a tier name on a listing tells you roughly where in the bowl you will land. For accessible seating, the university lists East Sideline rows 52 and 70, West Concourse Sideline row 97, rows 70 in both end zones, and the east-side clubs.

Seats for every kind of Saturday

For the clearest view of the game

Stay between the 30s and keep to rows 25 through 60. The lowest rows sit nearly at field level, where players and staff standing on the sideline cut off part of the field. Higher up, the sightline improves until, past the 80s, players start to look small.

For noise and student energy

The student section in Sections 26 to 33 is the loudest part of the building. The sections next door get almost the same volume without four hours on your feet.

For comfort

If a bench for three-plus hours sounds rough, look at the chairback rows high on the west sideline or at the east-side clubs. Otherwise, bring a foam pad without pockets, which the stadium allows.

Where the Big House disappoints

• Top rows of the end zones. The far goal line is a long way off, and there is no shade above you.
• The first rows of the end zones. You see your end clearly and everything else at a flat, foreshortened angle.
• The middle of a bench row at a sellout. With no armrests, a full row packs shoulder to shoulder, and getting out at halftime takes a while.

Weather is the other trade-off. There is no roof and almost no cover anywhere in the bowl. With end zones at the north and south, the late-afternoon sun sinks behind the west rim and glares straight at anyone sitting on the east sideline. Early September can be hot, and late November can be bitterly cold, so dress for both ends of the season.

Which games are hardest to get

The toughest tickets are night games and the rivalry dates, when Ohio State or Michigan State makes the trip to Ann Arbor. September non-conference games are normally the simplest to buy into. Kickoff may be noon, 3:30 p.m. or under the lights, and the university often holds the time as TBA until close to gameday, so keep your travel plans flexible.

The bowl draws crowds beyond football, too. The 2014 NHL Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings drew 105,491, and a 2014 Real Madrid–Manchester United soccer match drew 109,318. Graduating students also hold their main commencement here.

Parking, shuttles and the vehicle-free zone

Gameday parking is a patchwork: university lots, Pioneer High School, the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing course, local businesses and residents' lawns. As of the 2026 season, many university lots require permits. Season ticket holders buy Blue Lot passes based on priority points, and the Maize and Brown lots sell day-of on site while space lasts. Opening times range from 6 a.m. to noon by lot and kickoff slot, and cars left more than two hours after the game risk towing. University lots ban charcoal and wood grills.

Streets around the stadium close to cars. South Main and East Keech shut three hours before kickoff, and for 2026, East Hoover between South Division and Greene shuts 90 minutes before. After the game, Main Street flows one way southbound toward I-94.

Many visitors skip driving and ride TheRide's FootballRide shuttle from hotels and park-and-ride sites, paying a small fare by mobile ticket or exact cash. Buses run about every 20 minutes from two hours before kickoff until 30 minutes before, drop off near Gate 2 by Crisler Center, and run back for roughly an hour after the game. No hotels sit within walking distance. Current lot details are on the university's football parking page.

No bags means no bags: 2026 entry rules

Michigan goes further than the clear-bag rules used at most large stadiums. As of the 2026 season, every bag is banned: whether purse, fanny pack or clear tote. Fans carrying medical or childcare items, such as prescriptions or diapers, use a bag exception gate (Gate 3 on the south end or Gate 9 West on the north end), where one suitably sized bag is checked and tagged.

• Leave at home: bottles of any kind, even empty ones; outside food; umbrellas; strollers and infant car seats; cushions with pockets or backs; video cameras.
• Fine to bring: blankets, rain gear, pocketless foam pads, binoculars without a case, phones and small cameras.
• Gate time: two hours before kickoff.
• Infants: Big Ten policy requires a ticket for everyone, babies in arms included.

Read the university's stadium safety page before you go, since rules can change. Reserved Seat orders come with guaranteed entry.

From Ferry Field to 107,601

Michigan opened the stadium in 1927 to replace Ferry Field, spending about 950,000 dollars on a 72,000-seat bowl. Athletic director Fielding Yost had the footings built to carry future expansion, and it has grown many times since. Michigan christened it with a 33–0 win against Ohio Wesleyan on October 1, 1927, then dedicated it 21 days later by shutting out Ohio State 21–0.

A 1956 press box pushed capacity to 101,001, and every listed capacity since has ended in 01, and campus legend says the extra seat belongs to Fritz Crisler, the former athletic director. Attendance peaked at 115,109 when Notre Dame visited on September 7, 2013, and lost. Keith Jackson helped make the Big House nickname stick by the mid-1980s. A 226-million-dollar renovation finished in 2010 widened seats and aisles, permanent lights led to a first night game on September 10, 2011 (Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31), and 152-by-55-foot video boards went up at both ends in 2023. For the other side of the Ohio State rivalry, see the Ohio Stadium guide.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Michigan Stadium
• Michigan Athletics – Safety at Michigan Stadium
• Michigan Athletics – Football Gameday Parking
• Michigan Athletics – Football Ticket FAQ
• Michigan Athletics – Accessible Seating
• TheRide – FootballRide 2026
• RateYourSeats – Michigan Stadium sideline seating
• RateYourSeats – Michigan Stadium seating guide