Alamodome

Design and Flexible Features

The Alamodome is a rectilinear, five-level stadium designed for maximum flexibility to host a wide variety of events. Its primary configuration seats 64,000 for football and marching band competitions, with the ability to expand to hold 72,000 spectators for major events. The facility was engineered to convert into a basketball or hockey arena within 12 to 18 hours through the use of retractable seating and the installation of a temporary playing surface. In its standard arena configuration, typically using only the two lower levels at one or both ends, it seats 20,662 but can expand to 39,500 when the entire upper level is opened, a setup used for Spurs playoff games and major concerts.

A unique smaller auditorium setup, branded as the Illusions Theater, can create an intimate venue for upwards of 11,000 people using floor space and the north grandstand. When it opened, the Alamodome featured 38 luxury suites and 6,000 club level seats, which was fewer than the original design specification for 66 suites. An expansion in 2006 added 14 new luxury suites, bringing the total to 52, and the Sports Club and Top of the Dome restaurant received renovations in 2004. The venue also contains two permanent Olympic-size ice rinks suitable for NHL games, figure skating, and speed skating, and for convention business, it offers 30,000 square feet of meeting rooms and 160,000 square feet of continuous exhibit space, fulfilling its original purpose of driving convention traffic to San Antonio.

Professional Basketball Tenancy and the Spurs Era

The Alamodome served as the home of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1993 to 2002, moving from the smaller HemisFair Arena. The Spurs' nine-season tenure included their first NBA championship season in 1999, with Finals games drawing crowds of 39,514 and 39,554. The venue also hosted the 1996 NBA All-Star Game. During the regular season, most of the upper level was curtained off, but for popular opponents and playoffs, capacity was expanded to 35,000 and then 39,500 by opening sections of the upper deck. Despite this success, the team and fans grew dissatisfied with the basketball configuration, which placed the court at one end of the stadium with temporary stands on one side, creating poor sight lines and a cavernous atmosphere as over half the stadium was often curtained off.

The configuration also tied up the venue for much of the year due to the Spurs' consistent playoff runs, as they only missed the playoffs once in their nine years there. This limited the Alamodome's availability for other events like conventions, concerts, or attracting a football team, which was part of its original mandate. The decision was made to build a new, basketball-specific arena, now known as the Frost Bank Center, and the Spurs moved after the 2002 season. In a notable return on January 13, 2023, the Spurs hosted the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome to celebrate their 50th anniversary, setting a regular season single-game attendance record of 68,323 spectators, which was the first NBA game at the Dome since the 2002 playoffs.

College Football: Home to UTSA and Major Bowls

The Alamodome is the permanent home of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners football team, which began play there in 2011. UTSA set records for the largest initial game attendance for a start-up NCAA program at 56,743 and the largest average first-season attendance at 35,521. For most games, UTSA only sells tickets for the lower bowl, which holds 36,582 fans, making the Alamodome the largest stadium in its former conference, Conference USA, and its current home, the American Athletic Conference. The venue hosted the Conference USA Football Championship Game in 2021 and 2022, both won by UTSA. It annually hosts the Alamo Bowl, which matches teams from the Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences, and this game set facility attendance records in 2006 (65,875) and 2007 (66,166). The Alamodome has also hosted the Big 12 Football Championship Game in 1997, 1999, and 2007.

The stadium is a major hub for other college and high school football events. It hosted the AT&T Corps Classic in 2006 between Texas A&M and Army, drawing a sell-out crowd of 64,583. It was the site of the 2006 East-West Shrine Game, an annual college football all-star game. For high school football, it hosted the Texas Football Classic from 1999 to 2011 to kick off the season and has been the site of the All-American Bowl, a national high school all-star game, since 2002, with the 2017 edition drawing 40,568 fans. The Alamodome also regularly hosts University Interscholastic League (UIL) state playoff and championship games, including state quarterfinals and finals in 2002, 2006, 2007, and 2009.

Professional Football: NFL, CFL, and Spring Leagues

The Alamodome has hosted six National Football League preseason games, with two each in 1993 and 1994, one in 1995, and one in 2001. Most notably, it hosted three NFL regular season games in 2005 for the displaced New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina. The Saints played the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions in San Antonio, averaging 62,665 fans per game. The Dallas Cowboys also held their preseason training camps at the Alamodome in 2002, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The venue was home to the San Antonio Texans of the CFL for the entire 1995 season, attractive for its ability to accommodate the league's larger 150-yard long and 65-yard wide field. The Texans averaged 15,573 fans, won a playoff game against Birmingham in front of 13,031 at the Dome, but folded after the season with the collapse of the CFL's U.S. expansion.

In arena football, the San Antonio Talons of the Arena Football League played at the Alamodome from 2012 to 2014, averaging 7,209 fans over 28 home games before folding. The venue housed the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football in 2019, playing the league's inaugural game and averaging 27,391 fans, more than double the league's other teams, before the AAF shut down in April. In 2020, The Spring League played a mini-season in a bubble environment at the Alamodome, though final games were moved due to COVID-19 issues. Most recently, the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL (now United Football League) began play at the Alamodome in 2023, and the venue hosted the inaugural XFL championship game on May 13, 2023, chosen for its history of hosting large events.

Major NCAA Basketball and Volleyball Events

The Alamodome has established itself as a premier venue for the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, having hosted the event in 1998, 2004, 2008, 2018, and 2025, with another scheduled for 2026. The 2018 and 2025 tournaments used a centre court configuration mandated by the NCAA where the game is played on a court positioned in the centre of the stadium and all seating is utilized, allowing for crowds of over 70,000 spectators. The venue has also been selected to host the NCAA Women's Final Four on multiple occasions, including in 2002, 2010, 2021, and with a future event scheduled for 2029. Additionally, the Alamodome hosted the NCAA women's volleyball Final Four in 2011, underlining its versatility for different collegiate sports at the highest level of competition.

Concerts, Wrestling, Baseball, and Diverse Programming

Beyond football and basketball, the Alamodome hosts a wide array of entertainment events. It has been a popular site for professional wrestling, hosting WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view in 1997, 2017, and again in 2023. The 1997 event drew over 60,000 fans and featured San Antonio native Shawn Michaels winning the championship, while the 2017 event attracted just over 52,000 spectators. From 2013 to 2017, the Texas Rangers played annual MLB exhibition games at the venue to conclude their spring training, facing teams like the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers, though the stadium's short right-field fence of 272 feet makes it unsuitable for regular season use.

The Alamodome has also been a significant concert venue since its opening, with Paul McCartney performing the first stadium concert there on May 29, 1993, to 48,709 fans. It has since hosted major acts including George Strait, Garth Brooks, Elton John, Metallica, One Direction, and Bad Bunny. The venue's versatility extends to hosting boxing matches, motocross events, ice shows, and large conventions like the upcoming 'Nationals at the Dome' event in June 2026, which expects over 1,000 teams. It also hosts major marching band competitions, including the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional Championship and UIL state contests, along with graduation ceremonies for UTSA and area school districts.

Economic Impact, Legacy, and Future

Over its first 30 years of operation, the Alamodome has welcomed over 34 million attendees, with 46 percent travelling from more than 90 miles away, indicating its strong regional draw. A recent survey indicated the venue has generated over 3.9 billion dollars for the local economy since opening. In January 2023 alone, events at the Alamodome reached an audience of 54 million through live attendance and broadcasts. The stadium continues to book a busy schedule of events, with 86 impactful events predicted for a 90-day period in 2026, expecting over 160,000 attendees and an estimated economic spend of nearly 21 million dollars.

The Alamodome's ongoing relevance is secured by major future bookings, including the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2026 and the NCAA Women's Final Four in 2029. While it never achieved its original goal of landing a permanent NFL franchise, the Alamodome has succeeded as a versatile community asset. It hosts special events such as the annual Alamo Bowl football game, UTSA's graduation ceremonies, and most of Northside ISD's high school graduation ceremonies. The venue's ability to adapt its configuration for events ranging from an intimate theatre setting to large basketball finals ensures it will remain a key driver for tourism, sports, and entertainment in San Antonio for years to come.

Questions about Alamodome

Did a Canadian Football League team ever play at the Alamodome?

Yes, the Alamodome was home to the San Antonio Texans for the entire 1995 CFL season. The stadium was attractive to the CFL during its U.S. expansion because it could fully accommodate the league's larger 150-yard long and 65-yard wide playing field. The Texans averaged 15,573 fans for ten home games, won a playoff game at the Dome before losing to Baltimore, and then folded after the season as the U.S. expansion collapsed. Their playoff loss marked the last significant CFL game played in the United States.

Why did the San Antonio Spurs leave the Alamodome?

The San Antonio Spurs left the Alamodome after the 2002 season due to growing dissatisfaction with the venue for basketball. The court was positioned at one end of the stadium, resulting in poor sight lines and a cavernous feel as large sections were curtained off. Furthermore, the Spurs' long playoff runs booked the facility solidly into the spring each year, limiting its availability for other events like conventions and concerts, which conflicted with the building's original multi-purpose mission. The team moved to the new SBC Center, now the Frost Bank Center, a basketball-specific arena.

Has the Alamodome ever hosted NFL regular season games?

Yes, the Alamodome hosted three NFL regular season games in 2005. These were home games for the New Orleans Saints, who were displaced after Hurricane Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints played the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions in San Antonio, averaging 62,665 fans per game in the 64,000-seat stadium. These marked the first and only NFL regular season games played in the city to date, though the venue has hosted numerous preseason games.

What other major events does the Alamodome host beyond sports?

Beyond sports, the Alamodome is a major concert venue, hosting acts like Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and Metallica since its opening in 1993. It regularly hosts WWE events, including the Royal Rumble, and large conventions utilizing its 160,000 square feet of exhibit space. The venue also hosts high school graduation ceremonies for UTSA and Northside ISD, marching band championships, and special events like ice shows and motocross. Its diverse programming is a key part of its economic impact on San Antonio.

What is the seating capacity of the Alamodome for a football game?

The Alamodome can seat up to 64,000 spectators for a typical football game. This capacity is expandable to hold 72,000 spectators. The stadium's design allows it to host marching band competitions as well. For most University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners games, only the lower bowl with a capacity of 36,582 is used.

When did the Alamodome open and what was its construction cost?

The Alamodome opened on May 15, 1993. It was constructed at a cost of $186 million. The facility was built to increase the city's convention traffic and attract a professional football franchise. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-18.