Paycor Stadium

About Paycor Stadium

On the Ohio River waterfront in downtown Cincinnati, a 65,515-seat open-air stadium gives the Cincinnati Bengals one of the prettiest settings in the NFL, the river, the Roebling Suspension Bridge, and the Kentucky hills filling the view beyond the far stands. Paycor Stadium has been the Bengals’ home since 2000, and after two decades of frustration it has finally become a fortress.

The Bengals had spent three decades sharing Riverfront Stadium, later Cinergy Field, with the Reds before this became their own home in 2000. It opened named for Hall of Fame coach and team founder Paul Brown. On fall Sundays the “Who Dey” chant fills the Banks district as fans stream in from both Ohio and Kentucky across the river bridges.

Designed by NBBJ under lead architect Dan Meis, the $449.5 million stadium opened on August 19, 2000, and became the first NFL facility to win an American Institute of Architects design award, praised for its sleek, asymmetrical bowl and its connection to the riverfront. The field started as natural grass and has been artificial turf since the mid-2000s, currently a FieldTurf surface.

The Bengals’ 2021 playoff run, culminating in Super Bowl LVI, changed how the place feels. Joe Burrow’s arrival turned Paycor Stadium into one of the NFL’s most electric venues, and the Banks entertainment district around it has grown into a year-round destination linking the ballpark, the stadium, and the river.

Getting to Paycor Stadium

Public Transit

Paycor Stadium sits in Cincinnati’s riverfront district, accessible by streetcar and bus.

Metro operates additional bus service on game days. If staying downtown, the stadium is a 10-minute walk from most hotels along the riverfront.

Driving + Parking

The stadium address is 1 Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH 45202. I-71 and I-75 converge just north of downtown.

Approximately 20,000 parking spaces surround the stadium. Official lots cost $25–$40. The Banks garages between the stadium and Great American Ball Park are the most convenient. Newport on the Levee in Kentucky offers cheaper options ($10–$20) with a short walk across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge. Pre-purchase through SpotHero.

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft are widely available in downtown Cincinnati. Drop-off zones are along Pete Rose Way near the stadium entrance. Post-game pickup zones shift to reduce congestion, check the Bengals app. From downtown hotels, expect $6–$10. Surge pricing after games is moderate, walk to the Banks or across the Roebling Bridge and wait 10–15 minutes.

From the Airport

Construction & Design

The Bengals spent 30 years as tenants before they got a house of their own. From 1970 they shared Riverfront Stadium, later Cinergy Field, with the Reds, and when Hamilton County voters approved a sales tax in 1996 to build separate homes for both teams, the football stadium was the marquee project. NBBJ, with the young designer Dan Meis leading, broke ground in April 1998, and the $449.5 million stadium opened in 2000. Public money covered nearly all of it.

What set it apart was the look. Meis gave it an asymmetrical, sculptural bowl, open toward the river, ribbed in exposed steel and stripped of fussy ornament. The first NFL stadium ever to win an American Institute of Architects design award. A statement, from a franchise that badly needed one. It was named not for a sponsor but for Paul Brown, the Hall of Fame coach who founded the team, an honor that held until Paycor bought the rights in 2022.

The stadium is not standing still. In 2025 Hamilton County and the Bengals agreed to a roughly $470 million renovation, about $350 million from the county and $120 million from the team, to run through 2027 as part of a new long-term lease. The work adds new suites, clubs, and technology while keeping the riverfront bowl the city has known for a quarter-century.

History of Paycor Stadium

Paycor Stadium was built to replace Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), which the Bengals shared with the Cincinnati Reds from 1970 to 1999. In 1996, Hamilton County voters approved a sales tax to fund new stadiums for both teams. The $449.5 million project was designed by NBBJ and broke ground in 1998. The stadium was named for Paul Brown, the Hall of Fame coach who founded the Bengals in 1968.

First Game (August 19, 2000): The Bengals hosted the Chicago Bears in a preseason game before a sellout crowd. The first regular-season game came on September 10, a 24–7 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

First College Football Game (September 21, 2002): Ohio State defeated the University of Cincinnati 23–19 before 66,319 fans, the stadium’s all-time attendance record.

First Home Playoff Win (January 15, 2022): The Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders 26–19 in a Wild Card game, their first playoff win since the 1990 season and the first ever at this stadium. It launched a run, through road wins at Tennessee and Kansas City, to Super Bowl LVI, the franchise’s first appearance since 1988.

Naming Rights Change (August 2022): After 22 years as Paul Brown Stadium, the venue was renamed Paycor Stadium in a 16-year deal with the Cincinnati-based human capital management company.

The Burrow era rewrote the building’s reputation. For most of its first two decades the stadium hosted a team that reached the playoffs but almost never won there, and fans grew used to leaving early. Joe Burrow ended that. Drafted first overall in 2020, he turned a perennial also-ran into a contender within two seasons, delivering the franchise’s first Super Bowl run in a generation and its first home playoff win in 31 years. “Who Dey,” the Bengals’ call-and-response chant, is now one of the most recognizable home-field sounds in the NFL, and a stadium that once emptied at halftime routinely sells out.

Beyond football, Paycor Stadium anchors one of the most walkable game-day settings in the league. The Banks, the mixed-use district between the stadium and Great American Ball Park, packs bars, restaurants, and riverfront into a few blocks, and fans cross the Ohio River from Kentucky on foot over the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge. It has hosted international soccer friendlies, NCAA showcases, and stadium tours from Kenny Chesney to the Rolling Stones, and it sits at the heart of a riverfront that Cincinnati has spent two decades rebuilding around its two stadiums.

From decades of frustration to a Super Bowl run that electrified a city, Paycor Stadium has witnessed the full arc of the Bengals’ story, and with Joe Burrow under center, the best chapters may still be ahead.

Sources & Further Reading

• Stadiums of Pro Football, Paycor Stadium: stadiumsofprofootball.com. Capacity, cost, the design team, and history.
• Paycor, naming-rights announcement: paycor.com. The 2022 naming deal.
• WCPO, Hamilton County–Bengals lease and renovation: wcpo.com. The ~$470M renovation and lease.
• Wikipedia, Paycor Stadium: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paycor_Stadium. Naming history, the surface history, and events.