New England Patriots Tickets

The Patriots in brief: from Boston nomads to a six-title franchise

The New England Patriots play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, about 22 miles southwest of Boston. The stadium seats 64,628 for football, and the regular season runs from September into early January, so a Patriots ticket can mean a warm early-fall afternoon or a frozen December night.

The franchise began on November 16, 1959, when Boston executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth and final charter franchise of the American Football League (AFL). As the Boston Patriots, the team moved between borrowed fields for its first decade before settling in Foxborough in 1971 and taking the New England name. Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994.

The Patriots have won six Super Bowls, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in league history, with titles after the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons. They have reached 12 Super Bowls in all, most recently Super Bowl LX in February 2026, a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The team plays in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, and the Jets rivalry in particular has a long and bitter history.

Gillette Stadium for football fans

Gillette Stadium opened on May 11, 2002, replacing Foxboro Stadium. The Kraft Group owns and runs it, and it is also home to the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. A 218-foot lighthouse rises over the north end zone, and a 2023 renovation at that end added a video board the stadium describes as the largest of its kind in the United States.

The bowl has three levels:

• Lower level (100s): the seats closest to the field.
• Mezzanine (200s and CL club sections): the middle tier, where the club seats connect to the indoor Cross Insurance Club lounges on each sideline.
• Upper level (300s): the top tier, with a walkway separating the first seven rows from the rest.

The Patriots bench is on the east sideline in front of sections 108 to 111, with 109 and 110 at midfield. The visitors sit across the field in front of sections 130 to 135. For more detail on concerts and soccer layouts, see the full Gillette Stadium venue guide.

Picking seats: sideline, sun and height

The stadium runs northwest to southeast, which creates a clear sun side and shade side for afternoon games.

Sun side vs. shade side

At a 4 p.m. kickoff, the west side, which is the visitor sideline, falls into shade first (roughly sections 125 to 138, 223 to 238 and 323 to 340). The east side, behind the Patriots bench (about 101 to 115, 201 to 215 and 301 to 315), stays in the sun. Choose the east side in November and December, when the sun is welcome, and the west side in September, when it is not. Only the back rows of the lower bowl, under the club overhang, have any real cover from rain or snow.

The best views by budget

• Lower sideline, rows in the teens and higher: enough height to see over the benches and follow the whole field.
• Midfield club seats: CL9 and CL10 on the Patriots side and CL31 and CL32 on the visitor side combine a strong view with indoor lounge access, which matters most in winter.
• Upper midfield: sections 309 and 310 behind the Patriots bench, and 331 and 332 across the field. Target the first seven rows, in front of the walkway.

Seats to skip

The top rows of the 300-level corners are the farthest seats in the building and take the full force of December wind. The lower end zone sections, including 140 to 143 under the lighthouse, put you close to scoring plays and far from everything between the 30-yard lines.

The games that drive demand

The NFL plays a 17-game regular season over 18 weeks, so the Patriots host eight or nine regular-season games a year, plus August preseason games and any January playoff games. Demand usually follows these patterns:

• The Jets game. The rivalry dates to 1960, and episodes such as Bill Parcells leaving New England for the Jets and Bill Belichick resigning as Jets coach in 2000 to take the Patriots job keep it personal for both fan bases.
• The other division games. Buffalo and Miami visit every year, and with three division rivals that have all played each other since the AFL days, these games carry the most history.
• Prime-time and holiday games. Night games add a national audience and a longer tailgate.
• Late-season games with playoff stakes. December games carry standings pressure and cold-weather atmosphere.

Resale prices move with the opponent, the kickoff time and the standings. Early-season games against non-division opponents are usually the easiest to buy, and sideline club seats hold their value best through the winter months. Every order through this marketplace is backed by a 100% guarantee.

On the road, the division trips to Orchard Park, Miami Gardens and the Meadowlands are the easiest to plan, and the drive to the Meadowlands is short enough for a day trip from much of New England.

Getting to Foxborough and the tailgate scene

Gillette sits on Route 1, and the drive in is the defining part of a Patriots gameday. As of the 2025 season, the following rules applied; check the venue's current policy before you go.

• Parking: lots open four hours before kickoff. General lots have been free for Patriots games, while stadium-side lots require prepaid passes. Dropping passengers off on Route 1 is illegal.
• Tailgating: allowed once the lots open, with no open fires. The tailgate is a large part of the culture, so arrive early if you want to join it.
• Train: the MBTA runs event trains from South Station in Boston (stopping at Back Bay and Dedham Corporate Center) and from Providence. Tickets are sold only through the mTicket app, are nonrefundable and can sell out. Return trains leave about 30 minutes after the game ends.
• Rideshare: the pickup and drop-off area is in Lot 15, near the CVS Health Gate.
• Gates: general gates open two hours before kickoff, and club and suite gates three hours before. There is no re-entry.
• Bags: clear bags up to 12 by 12 by 6 inches, a one-gallon clear freezer bag, or a small wristlet about 6.5 by 4.5 inches.

Before or after the game, Patriot Place, the shopping and dining complex beside the stadium, includes the Patriots Hall of Fame. The stadium's A to Z guide and the MBTA's Gillette Stadium page list current details.

Milestones from Nickerson Field to Gillette

In their early years the Patriots had no home of their own. They played at Nickerson Field (1960 to 1962), Fenway Park (1963 to 1968), Alumni Stadium (1969) and Harvard Stadium (1970) before opening their own stadium in Foxborough in 1971. That building served until 2001, and Gillette Stadium replaced it in 2002.

• The first title (2001 season): the first of six Super Bowl championships.
• The perfect regular season (2007): a 16 and 0 regular-season record.
• The 28-point comeback (2016 season): a win in Super Bowl LI after trailing by 28 points.
• The sixth title (2018 season): tying the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins.
• Super Bowl LX (February 2026): the franchise's 12th Super Bowl appearance.

Fans who arrive early can trace that history at the Patriots Hall of Fame at Patriot Place, a short walk from the stadium gates.

Sources

• Wikipedia – New England Patriots
• Wikipedia – Super Bowl LX
• Wikipedia – Jets–Patriots rivalry
• Wikipedia – Gillette Stadium
• SeatGeek – New England Patriots fan guide
• Shaded Seats – Gillette Stadium sun and shade
• Gillette Stadium – A to Z guide
• Gillette Stadium – Bag policy
• Gillette Stadium – Parking
• MBTA – Gillette Stadium
• Wikipedia – NFL regular season