Shannon Scovel | NCAA.com | April 3, 2020 What will the U.S. Bank Stadium look like for the 2020 NCAA wrestling tournament? Relive the dream coming true for 10 wrestlers in Pittsburgh Share Welcome to a college wrestling tournament like none other. For the first time in history, the NCAA wrestling national championships will be held in an NFL stadium and will be expected to draw more than 40,000 fans for each of the six sessions. The University of Minnesota will host the tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and will open up the championship experience to a broader base. Take a look at the mat layout below: Action will, as usual, take place across eight mats during the first three sessions. The fourth session will feature six mats arranged in a "dog-bone" structure with two mats on each side and two in the middle, and the fifth session will include three middle. On Saturday night, in the sixth and final session, two athletes from each weight class will run out of the green and red tunnels onto the elevated stage in the middle of the field under the bright lights for a championship experience to remember. Full schedule of the tournament is listed below: 2020 DI WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE THURSDAY, MARCH 19 Time Event Location 9:30 a.m. Gates open U.S. Bank Stadium 11 a.m. Session I U.S. Bank Stadium 4:30 a.m. Gates open U.S. Bank Stadium 6 p.m. Session II U.S. Bank Stadium FRIDAY, MARCH 20 Time Event Location 8:30 a.m. Gates Open U.S. Bank Stadium 10 a.m. Session III U.S. Bank Stadium 1 - 6 p.m. NCAA Wrestling Fan Festival Open The Armory 5:30 p.m. Gates open U.S. Bank Stadium 7 p.m. Session IV U.S. Bank Stadium SATURDAY, MARCH 21 Time Event Location 8:30 a.m. Gates open U.S. Bank Stadium 10 a.m. Session V U.S. Bank Stadium Noon - 5:30 p.m. NCAA Wrestling Fan Festival Open The Armory 4:30 p.m. Gates open U.S. Bank Stadium 5:35 p.m. Parade of All-Americans U.S. Bank Stadium 6 p.m. Session VI U.S. Bank Stadium *All times are local, central. All times, events, and locations are subject to change. Single-session tickets are available to the public for the first time in recent NCAA Wrestling Championships history, including locations in the lower level of U.S. Bank Stadium. For more championship information or to buy tickets go to NCAA.com/Wrestling. https://www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d1 UNDERSTANDING THE TOURNAMENT: How the 2020 NCAA wrestling tournament works Listen to Anthony Holman talk about how the idea of the championship developed and transitioned into the current model: The bid to host the championship in U.S. Bank Stadium was unique, according to the University of Minnesota coaches and administrators, but the reward is that the arena and tournament reach will help grow the sport long term. "What this venue allows us to do is sell to the entire general public, and we're going to well exceed the capacity of any arena in this country, and we're going to be able to have fans who traditionally have not had access to this tournament be able to experience it," Tom McGinnis, senior associate athletic director, University of Minnesota, said. The stadium will enhance the experience for student-athletes, as there will be more practice space, more and larger locker rooms, additional areas for student-athletes to rest and recover between matches. The floor will cover 98,570 square feet, and the larger venue provides the opportunity to spread out mats providing optimal competition space for wrestlers. Photographers will have better access to mats to capture action shots. The fans will enjoy more entry points, more rest rooms and concession locations. There will also be over 2,200 digital screens / televisions at the stadium as well as free public WiFi. Just like every year, ten champions will be crowned on the national stage. This time, though, they will experience that thrill in front of more fans than ever before. LATEST DI WRESTLING NEWS ALL TIME: Dream matchups | Penn State lineup | Best venues CHAMPS: History | Format | Relive 2019 heavyweight title Dan Hodge Trophy: History, winners, and how it works Here's the history of the Dan Hodge Trophy, named after one of the all-time greats and given annually to the top college wrestler every year since 1985. READ MORE Wrestling award winners crowned at NCAA championships The NCAA presented the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Awards to eight student-athletes at the Divisions I, II and III Wrestling Championships over the last two weekends. READ MORE Here's how Penn State wrestling dominated to win the 2022 NCAA team title Behind five national champions, Penn State wrestling is back to its winning ways as a team, clinching the 2022 team title. READ MORE