Bank of America Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Uptown section of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It has a capacity of 75,037 and is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) and Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The stadium opened in 1996 as Ericsson Stadium, with Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson initially holding the naming rights. In 2004, Charlotte-based financial services company Bank of America purchased the naming rights under a 20-25-year agreement at $140 million. Former Panthers president Danny Morrison called it a "classic American stadium" due to its bowl design and other features.
In addition to the Panthers and CLTFC, the stadium hosts the annual Duke's Mayo Bowl, which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and either the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the Big Ten Conference. The stadium was planned to host the annual ACC Championship Game through at least 2019; the game was moved in 2016 but reinstated in 2017. The ACC announced on May 19, 2022, that Bank of America Stadium would continue to host the championship through at least the 2030 season. The largest crowd to ever attend a football game at the stadium was on September 9, 2018, when 74,532 people watched the Panthers defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16–8.
Sites considered for selection The Panthers organization considered several possible sites for the stadium's location before choosing the Charlotte center city site. Part of the site was occupied by the historic Good Samaritan Hospital. As part of the preparation for the 2019 Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Project, Charlotte historian Michael Moore determined the site was also significant as the location of the city's first known lynching in 1913.
One alternative was near NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in northeast Mecklenburg County. Another was at the intersection of I-85 and US 74 in western Gaston County. A popular option was to locate the facility near Carowinds amusement park, with the 50 yard line being on the state border of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Naming rights The stadium was originally known as Carolinas Stadium, a name which remains in use for certain events such as FIFA matches. It opened on August 3, 1996, as Ericsson Stadium after Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights in a ten-year, $25 million agreement. In 2004, the stadium received its current name after Bank of America purchased the naming rights for 20 years. Since then, many fans now refer to the stadium as "BOA", or "The Bank."
Stadium features
Bank of America Stadium has many unique external features. Aspects of the stadium's architecture, such as the three huge main entrances, incorporate the team's colors of black, process blue and silver. Arches that connect column supports on the upper deck resemble the shape of half a football, while several acres of numerous trees and landscaping surround the building. The stadium's architecture and design has been compared to that of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Soldier Field, among others. It has also received mentions for externally resembling "a fortress" instead of a stadium.
Each of the stadium's entrances are flanked on both sides by two larger-than-life bronze panther statues, something unique throughout the entire NFL. These six statues are all named "Indomitable Spirit" and were installed in 1996. Each one depicts a crouching, snarling panther with green eyes; they are the largest sculptures ever commissioned in the United States. The names of the team's original PSL owners are engraved into each statue's base.
The stadium also has six light domes. These are found on top of the main entrances, two per entrance, and sit over a hundred feet in the air. Originally, they simply glowed the Panthers' unique 'process blue' every night. As the seasons wore on, the emitted light became less and less impressive and the domes started showing their age. During the 2014 renovations, the domes were rebuilt with LED systems which allow them to project process blue in various ways not possible with the original technology.
Additionally, two people in the Panthers Hall of Honor, former team executive Mike McCormack and former Panthers linebacker and assistant coach Sam Mills, are honored with life-sized bronze statues outside the stadium. Before the 2014 renovations, the names of the hall of honor inductees were placed where the upper ribbon board now resides. These names were subsequently repainted onto the top rear wall behind the last row of seats, then replaced by signs in 2019. Three marble copies of a quote about the stadium from team founder Jerry Richardson were placed near the stadium's entrances in 2014. Due to renovations, these quotes were later displayed in the lower concourse entrances. They are also engraved on benches outside the stadium.
In 2016, a statue of Richardson was added in front of the stadium's north gate in celebration of his 80th birthday. The statue stands nearly tall and features larger than life sculptures of Richardson flanked on both sides by two panthers. One panther stands on its hind legs, claws bared, while the other crouches. All three sculptures have the same bronze color and both panthers have the green eyes of and physically resemble the "Indomitable Spirit" statues. In June 2020, the statue was removed, with the team citing potential safety concerns due to protests going on at the time.
Carolina Panthers
In addition to hosting every Panthers home game since 1996, Bank of America Stadium has hosted seven playoff games. Carolina has also had over 150 consecutive sellouts at the stadium starting with the 2002 season.
Inaugural season The Panthers played their inaugural season at Clemson University's Memorial Stadium while the stadium was being constructed. On August 3, 1996, the stadium played host to its first professional football game as the Panthers took on the Chicago Bears during the preseason. The inaugural kickoff was at 7:35 pm. Carolina won 30–12. The stadium's first regular season game took place on September 1, 1996, against Carolina's to-be division rival Atlanta; the Panthers won 29–6.
Playoff games In 1996, on their way to their first NFC Championship Game, Carolina defeated the then-defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys in the first playoff game the stadium hosted. Again they defeated the Cowboys on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004. Carolina was handed their first ever home playoff loss, 33–13, by the Arizona Cardinals on January 10, 2009, in the divisional round. The Panthers suffered a second home playoff loss against the San Francisco 49ers 23–10 on January 12, 2014, in the same round. En route to their fourth NFC Championship game appearance, the Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks 31–24 in the divisional round on January 17, 2016. The Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 49–15 in the NFC Championship game for their second NFC Championship in franchise history on January 24, 2016. This marked the first NFC Championship played and won at the stadium.
Notable weather events Since it is an open-air stadium, Bank of America Stadium has been subject to a number of events caused by extreme weather. In 2011, a rainstorm blanketed the stadium towards the end of the second quarter and caused severe flooding. Four-plus inches of rain fell in under an hour. Charlotte Magazine later termed the game as the '11 Water Bowl. Carolina won 16–10. On December 24, 2022, the temperature was at kickoff, making it the coldest home game in Panthers history. On June 28, 2025, a FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 match between Benfica and Chelsea was suspended at the 86th minute after the referee called the players and staff into the tunnel, while storms were approaching Charlotte. The game resumed after around 2 hours, and Chelsea went on to win 4-1 after extra time.
Impact on NFL venues At the time of its construction in the mid-1990s, the stadium was a pioneering project for the use of Personal Seat Licenses. It was the first large-scale project funded in the United States chiefly through securing PSLs, which were a new idea themselves. The strength of PSL pledges impressed NFL owners and helped result in the Carolinas receiving the first NFL expansion team in nearly two decades.
The Seattle Seahawks used the stadium, among others, as a reference when designing CenturyLink Field. By 2013, the number of new or renovated stadiums since Bank of America Stadium opened had risen to 25.
Stadium renovations
During its first few seasons the stadium was considered so far ahead of its time that until the 2013–14 offseason it only underwent minor improvements (aside from seating additions). The most notable of these improvements came in 2007 when the original scoreboards, video boards and displays from 1996 were replaced with 31.5' x 77' Diamond Vision video boards. Four ribbon boards were also installed: two spanning the length of the field on either side and two in opposing corners.
In the following years the stadium still wasn't considered as up-to-date as other NFL stadiums. Several reasons existed, including the lack of a surround sound system, smaller video boards compared to the rest of the league and poor cellular reception, among others. During the 2013 offseason, the Panthers renovated the home locker room. It now contained 74 lockers compared to 66 previously, the interior became more clean and modern, and the team's then-new logo was added throughout.
The Panthers proposed a $250 million stadium renovation project in early 2013, pending a vote by the city of Charlotte to help pay for it. This plan included two sets of new scoreboards, multiple escalators, infrastructure and concourse improvements, among others. The subsequent vote by the city failed and efforts to get any money from the State of North Carolina failed as well. However, in April 2013 the Charlotte city council agreed to an $87.5 million deal for the renovations. This deal also kept the Panthers in Charlotte until at least 2019. Despite the lower cost, the renovations would stay true to the team's original plans.
2014–2017 renovation 2014 In January 2014, the Panthers began the most significant renovations to the stadium in its 18-year history as part one of a multi-year renovation plan. The upgrades, completed by the start of the 2014–2015 NFL season, included numerous enhancements. First and perhaps most striking of all, two 200' x 56' HD video boards (over twice the size of their predecessors), and two 360° ribbon boards from Daktronics replaced the previous scoreboards/ribbon boards. The new ribbon boards were the tallest in the NFL and the video boards were among the top ten largest in the NFL when installed. Secondly, escalators were installed for the upper deck, making access easier for fans. These warranted extensions to the building itself which retained the stadium's original external designs. A new surround sound system was also included, with speakers placed around the perimeter of the bowl doubling as flagpoles. In addition, four covered open-air sections on the upper deck called "fan plazas" were added. Finally, LED-enhanced glass domes were installed along with new external signage above the main entrances.
2015