The Buffalo Bills will take the field for OTA practices this week, which begin on May 27, while construction continues across the street at the new Highmark Stadium.
We won't be seeing the Bills' new stadium this year, but we already knew that, as the expected completion date isn't until July 2026.
In a developing issue recently uncovered by WGRZ, however, the stadium construction won't be completed until December 2026. What does that mean for the Bills and the fans expecting to start the 2026 season in their new home?
According to the report, fans will still be allowed in the stadium in July, as it will officially open for business, despite a few items will be incomplete. So, fans can expect to see some things being worked on, but nothing major.
In May, Bills COO Pete Guelli stated, "We have no choice but to be open in July." He added, "We have no choice to make sure this building is ready for the football team and for our fans." The part that fans might not understand is that the Bills are still on track to receive what is called a certificate of occupancy, which essentially says the building is safe to be occupied and meets all building codes.
The exterior of the new @BuffaloBills stadium is starting to take shape! The lower levels of the exterior have a brick-like appearance, but are actually comprised of large prefabricated concrete panels installed within a steel framework that surrounds the outside of the stadium. pic.twitter.com/h6DxTWSxOW
— Buffalo Bills Stadium Updates (@Bills_Stadium) May 21, 2025
Buffalo Bills VP of Stadium Operations John Polka said, "That'll be [when] the building is substantially complete and ready to occupy," Polka said. "So we will have work still continuing to go on, things to be finished up, but that's the day when we anticipate the building's ready to be occupied by our staff, to start getting ready for games and events."
Polka added, "We will still have work going on that needs to be finished, up in areas, completed. Punch list items," The phrase of note here is, "punch list items". This is a largely cosmetic list of items, finishing touches, that sort of thing. Punch list is also referred to as a deficiency list. The items needing to be addressed are typically found during a "final" walkthrough by a contractor, owner, or architect. They might include broken tiles, damaged drywall, or paint imperfections.
In short, the Bills will likely open the 2026 season in the new stadium, but fans should expect some minor work being completed throughout the first few months of the season, up until December, but for the overall fan experience, there shouldn't be any issues.
The world’s largest snowmelt system. 😍
New Highmark Stadium is built for Buffalo: https://t.co/wIuEHLrh7p pic.twitter.com/lYPZWd2DaJ— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 19, 2024
