Pittsburgh Panthers Announce Spring Game Change

The Pittsburgh Panthers' annual Blue-Gold spring game on April 11 will be closed to the public, the program announced on March 16. Director of Athletics Allen Greene cited planning complications due to construction in and around Acrisure Stadium for the 2026 NFL Draft. Fans will still have the opportunity to celebrate Pitt Football at the Pitt Block Party at Arts Landing during the NFL Draft from April 23-25. The free three-day fan event will feature an immersive Pitt Football museum and draft showcase, live entertainment, food trucks, and interactive activities highlighting Pitt's NFL legacy. The Blue-Gold game bookends spring practice for the Panthers, which will be the last time the team has organized practice until fall camp. Updates and highlights from the game will be shared across all of Pitt football's social platforms. And the team is preparing for a season with a reduced stadium capacity, after Greene announced in January that the upper East and West sections of Acrisure Stadium will be closed, reducing the capacity by nearly 17,000 seats. The new capacity of 51,416 is noticeably smaller than the old Pitt Stadium, which held 56,500 fans. But the playing surface will be improved, with the Pittsburgh Steelers replacing the previous field with Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass. The Panthers will kick off the 2026 season against Miami (Ohio) in Acrisure Stadium on September 5. So the team is looking forward to a strong start, with four consecutive home games to begin the campaign. The home opponents will include UCF, Syracuse, Bucknell, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida State. The Panthers are preparing for a competitive season, with a focus on creating a more intimate and energetic environment for fans and players.