Lincoln Financial Field reopens at full capacity for Eagles fans

The first fans are expected to watch the Eagles practice Sunday, August 8. It’s expected to be “largest crowd since the end of the 2019 season.”

A closeup of Lincoln Financial Field

The Philadelphia Eagles are welcoming fans back to Lincoln Financial Field for games and events starting Sunday, August 8, 2021, after over a year of shutdowns due to the pandemic. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

The Philadelphia Eagles will welcome fans back to Lincoln Financial Field this season as the organization reopens the stadium to full capacity.

The first set of fans is expected Sunday to watch the Eagles practice. Then on Thursday, the Birds take on the Pittsburgh Steelers for a preseason showdown.

A closeup of Lincoln Financial Field
The Philadelphia Eagles are welcoming fans back to Lincoln Financial Field for games and events starting Sunday, August 8, 2021, after over a year of shutdowns due to the pandemic. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

At the stadium, fans can expect to see COVID-19 prevention measures such as mask requirements, routine disinfection, and hand sanitizer dispensers.

The organization is also asking those who are experiencing COVID symptoms to stay home.

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On Sunday, the Eagles will host the “largest crowd since the end of the 2019 season,” said team president Don Smolenski. The reopening comes as new cases of the coronavirus increase due to the more contagious delta variant.

Norman Vossschulte, director of fan experience for the Eagles, said the team is focused on the present but will be ready to call an audible if necessary.

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“We’re going to make sure what we know right now is what we’re going to execute on,” said Vossschulte. “However, if it comes to a point where they tell us we have to do something different, we are able to roll right into that.”

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