Pitt Announces Big Change to 2026 Spring Game

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers' annual Blue-Gold spring game on April 11 will be closed off for public viewing, the program announced on March 16.

The team cited planning complications due to the construction in and around Acrisure Stadium in preparation for the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held outside of the stadium on April 23-25.

"Fans will still have the opportunity to celebrate Pitt Football this spring at the Pitt Block Party at Arts Landing during the NFL Draft from April 23-25," said the release. "The free three-day fan event in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District will feature an immersive Pitt Football museum and draft showcase, live entertainment, food trucks and interactive activities highlighting Pitt’s rich NFL legacy."

The annual Blue-Gold game bookends spring practice for the Panthers, which will be the last time the team has organized practice until fall camp.

The team added that updates and highlights from the game will be shared across all of Pitt football's social platforms.

Pitt Makes Another Acrisure Stadium Change

Nov 29, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers tight end Justin Holmes (88) reacts with wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr. (5) after his touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

This is yet another change to Acrisure Stadium for Pitt. In January, Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced that the capacity of Acrisure Stadium will be reduced by nearly 17,000 seats exclusively for Pitt home games next season. The upper East and West sections of the stadium will no longer be available as a result of the change.

The thinking behind the change is to create a more intimate and energetic environment for the fans and players by essentially pushing the fans closer to the field. The upper deck in the North end zone will remain open.

Greene said that season ticket holders in the now-closed off sections will have priority at new seats at comparable prices.

The change moved Acrisure Stadium from the second-largest venue in the ACC to the 10th-largest. The new capacity of 51,416 is noticeably smaller than the old Pitt Stadium, which held 56,500 fans.

However, Pitt will be playing on a supposedly improved playing surface beginning next season. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced in February that the previous field would be replaced with a more cold-tolerant and durable kind of grass called Tahoma 31 Bermuda.

There were complaints about the state of the playing surface last season. Most of those complaints were from the Steelers, who play the day after Pitt home games in some cases during the season.

Pitt will officially kick off the 2026 season against Miami (Ohio) in Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 5 and will have four consecutive home games to begin the campaign. In addition to the RedHawks, the home opponents will be UCF, Syracuse, Bucknell, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

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