The future Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park is one step closer to being ready for the Buffalo Bills’ 2026 season, with the Thursday finish of its new grass field, despite only starting to lay grass on Tuesday.
The field includes an outer ring of turf and a natural grass playing surface. There also is drainage and a heating system to prevent the buildup of snow or water, Erie County Stadium Corporation President Steve Ranalli said.
"There's certainly some fields that can be pulled out of the stadium, right, rolled out and rolled back in. That's obviously not the case here, this is a permanent grass field," he said. "But as far as the rest of the elements, it is really at the at the cutting edge of what a natural grass field is, both at the NFL level, as well as even at the European soccer level."
Around 1,200 people a day have been working on the stadium over the past month, and construction hit its peak a couple months ago with 1,500 people working.
The project remains on schedule, and progress should be unimpeded even as winter hits, Ranalli said.
“Proof of that was last winter, right? We had a tough one. We had an extremely cold winter. These guys were trying to pour concrete," he said. "At this point in time, the building's a lot more buttoned up. It should be easier to work in here, even if it's snowing outside. That’s the hope.”
The lower bowl seating also is close to completion, and upper bowl seating will start next, Ranalli said.
The goal remains to be ready for the 2026 preseason, Ranalli said.
