Since moving to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals had played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. The Cardinals had only planned to play there until a new stadium could be built in Phoenix. However, the savings and loan crisis derailed funding for a new stadium. Over time, the Cardinals expressed frustration at being merely tenants in a college football stadium. Notably, it denied them access to additional revenue streams available to other NFL teams. The Cardinals campaigned several years for a new and more modern facility.
The 63,400-seat stadium opened on August 1, 2006 after three years of construction. The stadium was designed by Eisenman Architects and Populous (formerly HOK Sport).[11] The stadium is considered an architectural icon for the region and was named by Business Week as one of the 10 “most impressive” sports facilities on the globe due to the combination of its retractable roof (engineering design by Walter P Moore) and roll-in natural grass field, similar to the GelreDome and the Veltins-Arena.[12] It is the only American facility on the list. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new stadium was held on April 12, 2003. It was designed to appear like a coiled rattlesnake.
Light emitting diode (LED) video and ribbon displays from Daktronics in Brookings, South Dakota were installed in 2006 prior to Arizona's first game of the season.