Stanford Sports and Game Days

Stanford is better known for its labs than its locker rooms, but its athletic record is hard to match. Stanford athletes have won more than 130 NCAA team titles and the university took the Directors' Cup, an award for the best overall college sports program, 25 years in a row from 1994-95 to 2018-19. For visitors that means plenty of chances to see top college sport, often at modest prices and in venues a short walk from Palo Alto.

This page covers the main venues, the conference change of 2024, how to buy tickets and what to expect on a football Saturday. All schedules, prices and policies come from Stanford Athletics at gostanford.com, which you should check before you go.

The Cardinal and the ACC

Stanford's teams are the Cardinal, named for the color, not the bird. The Stanford Tree you see dancing on the sidelines is the band's mascot. The university has no official mascot.

In 2024 Stanford left the Pac-12 and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with Cal and SMU. The move means football and basketball road trips to places such as Durham, Louisville and Blacksburg, plus visits to Stanford from teams based on the East Coast. Not every team moved to the ACC. Men's and women's water polo, men's volleyball and men's gymnastics compete in the MPSF. Our history of Stanford puts the change in context.

The main venues

Nearly all of Stanford's big venues cluster in the athletics area on the northeast side of campus, between Campus Drive and El Camino Real. That puts them within about a mile of the Palo Alto Caltrain station.

Stanford Stadium

The stadium has hosted Super Bowl XIX in 1985 and matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The rebuild removed the old running track and cut capacity sharply, which brought seats closer to the field. Home football games fill the roads around it, which affects everyone on campus that day. Hoover Tower, for example, closes on home football game days.

Maples Pavilion

Maples opened in 1969, named for Roscoe Maples of the class of 1904, its main donor. A privately funded $26 million renovation added a covered concourse, a lower seating bowl and padded seats. Both basketball teams and women's volleyball play here, as does women's gymnastics. Stanford's women's basketball team has won three NCAA titles and women's volleyball has won nine, so these are often the liveliest tickets on campus in winter. Our men's basketball guide covers the other half of the Maples schedule.

Men's volleyball split its 2026 home matches between Maples and Burnham Pavilion, the older arena nearby, which Stanford lists as the team's competition site. Stanford Athletics lists regular season men's volleyball matches at Maples as free. Check the schedule for the venue of each match. Our volleyball guide covers both programs.

Klein Field at Sunken Diamond

Stanford's baseball field sits below ground level in the hollow left when the stadium was built in 1921, with trees and grass rising around it. It has 2,113 fixed seats plus lawn seating for a total of about 4,000. The park has hosted 16 NCAA regionals and 4 super regionals. Spring evenings here are one of the most relaxed outings on campus.

Stanford Softball Stadium

Softball plays at Stanford Softball Stadium, the renovated park that opened on February 5, 2026. It has 1,347 seats. Our softball guide covers the team and the season.

Avery Aquatic Center

Avery is an outdoor complex with two 50 meter pools, a competition pool and a dive tower with platforms up to 10 meters. It holds about 2,480 fixed seats. U.S. national teams have trained here before Olympic Games. Regular season swimming, diving and artistic swimming meets are free. Men's water polo regular season games have been ticketed since 2025.

Buying tickets

Stanford sells its own tickets through tickets.gostanford.com. That is the safest place to buy.

1. Check the schedule. Each sport's schedule on gostanford.com links to tickets for home events.
2. Buy online. Choose seats on the Stanford Athletics ticket site. Season plans and mini plans are sold there too.
3. Load your mobile tickets. Add them to your phone wallet before you leave home. They work without Wi-Fi or cell service. Screenshots are not accepted.
4. Resale. The Stanford Athletics site links to StubHub for fans buying and selling tickets. Prices there are set by sellers.

Football in 2026

Stanford's 2026 schedule mixes ACC games with nonconference opponents. Our Stanford football guide covers the team in more depth. Two dates stand out for the rest of the season:

• Big Game, November 21: The 129th meeting with Cal is in Berkeley at California Memorial Stadium. The rivalry dates to 1892 and the winner takes the Stanford Axe. Fans headed to Berkeley should plan on BART or a long drive across the bay.
• SMU, November 28: The final home game of the regular season, at Stanford Stadium.

The ACC Championship Game is on December 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some kickoff times are announced only a week or two ahead, so check gostanford.com before booking a dinner.

Football game day

On a home Saturday, tens of thousands of fans arrive in a few hours. Here is how it works according to Stanford's Gameday Central.

• Parking lots open five hours before kickoff. You need a lot pass bought ahead or you pay on site. On-site payment is only at General Lots 7 and 8 and IM South Lot 4 and cash is not accepted.
• Bags: Stanford uses a clear bag policy. Clear bags up to 12 by 12 by 6 inches and small clutches are allowed. Bag drop is at Sunken Diamond and near Gate 10.
• Concessions are cashless.
• Re-entry is allowed until the end of the third quarter after another security screening.
• Accessibility: Carts carry guests with limited mobility from near the stadium to Gate 4, starting 30 minutes before gates open.

Tailgating

Tailgating is part of a Stanford football Saturday and the setting under the trees is pleasant. Fans may tailgate in designated football lots once they open, five hours before kickoff. Stanford asks fans in the Sunken Diamond lot not to take up extra parking spaces. For a turnkey option, Stanford's partner RevelXP sells reserved tailgate packages with tents, tables and chairs on Maloney Field and Avery Plaza.

Rules on grills, tents, music and alcohol in the lots are set in Stanford's fan policies. Read them before you load the car. Inside the stadium, outside alcohol is not allowed and alcohol sales stop at the end of the third quarter.

Getting there

The Caltrain station at Palo Alto is the best way to avoid traffic. It sits roughly a mile from the stadium on foot. Caltrain's special Stanford station by the stadium will not open for 2026 football games, so use Palo Alto. Our parking and transit guide covers game day parking and the pregame traffic plan. For travel to Palo Alto, see getting to Palo Alto.

Frequently asked questions