Zygi Wilf enters his 22nd season as Owner/Chairman of the Minnesota Vikings in 2026 and has been instrumental in transforming the organization since the Wilf family purchased the club in 2005. During that time, Wilf and his brother, Mark, have focused on creating a world-class organization that consistently competes for championships, provides the best fan experience in the NFL, has a positive impact on the community and grows the game of football.
Since taking ownership of the club, the Wilfs have invested heavily in building a culture that gives players and staff the best possible environment to succeed and emphasizes the value of each individual. During each of the past four offseasons from 2023-26, ownership's efforts received a resounding stamp of
approval through the NFL Players Association's annual report cards for all 32 teams, which evaluate areas ranging from the quality of team facilities and programming to the treatment of players' families. Previous reports have described the Vikings as "a shining example of what is possible when a concerted investment is made in both staffing and facilities."
Two of the biggest organizational achievements – opening U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016 and hosting Super Bowl LII in 2018 – have come under the Wilfs' leadership. The multi-use U.S. Bank Stadium celebrated its 10-year anniversary in July 2026 after welcoming more than 11 million visitors across 2,200 events and generating $2.77 billion in total economic activity from its operations during its first decade. The venue delivers one of the best fan experiences in sports and entertainment and is in the upper echelon of stadiums throughout the world, winning several awards for its construction and design, operations and sustainability initiatives.
As the largest construction project in state history, U.S. Bank Stadium created thousands of jobs, generated tremendous economic impact throughout the region and helped spur more than $1 billion in surrounding development on the east side of downtown Minneapolis. Capable of hosting hundreds of community, national and international events each year, the facility has been home to Super Bowl LII, the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four, multiple ESPN X Games and dozens of high-profile concerts. Continuing the organization's commitment to bringing premier events to Minnesota, Wilf helped lead the successful effort to secure the 2028 NFL Draft, with U.S. Bank Stadium serving as the centerpiece of the three-day event. Wilf and his brother, Mark, also led the development of the Vikings new headquarters, Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, which opened in 2018 in Eagan, Minnesota. As the headquarters and training camp home of the team, TCO Performance Center serves as the centerpiece of Viking Lakes, a 200-acre mixed-use development that has become one of the NFL's premier destinations for sports, business, health care and community engagement. The growing campus includes corporate office, medical, hospitality, retail, residential and recreational amenities, creating a year-round destination and extending the Vikings impact off the field. The 6,000-seat TCO Stadium has also emerged as a tremendous venue for sports and community events, welcoming thousands of visitors annually to Vikings training camp, high school football games, graduation ceremonies and the high school girls flag football state championship. Together, Viking Lakes and TCO Performance Center serve as a hub for youth sports, community programs and corporate events.
The Wilfs have also made growing the game of football and creating new opportunities for young athletes an organizational priority. The Vikings have been at the forefront of the rapid expansion of girls flag football throughout Minnesota and the surrounding region. After launching a four-team high school pilot program in 2024, the Vikings introduced Minnesota's first high school girls flag football league in 2025 with 51 participating schools. The league more than doubled to 104 schools in 2026, with every school from the inaugural season returning for a second year. Through financial support, equipment, coaching resources and championship events at TCO Stadium, the Vikings continue to build a sustainable pathway for girls to participate in and develop through football.
Philanthropy has long been a key point of emphasis for the Wilfs, which was most recently evident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wilf Family Foundations and the Vikings gave over $5 million in donations and commitments to support health care workers, the elderly, food banks, social service organizations and Jewish causes in Minnesota, New York, New Jersey and Israel. Zygi and Mark have also been actively engaged with the team's player-led Social Justice Committee. Since 2018, the Wilf family and the Vikings have donated more than $8.5 million to social justice causes throughout the United States, including $5 million in June 2020. Their continued work with players focuses on three areas: 1) reducing socioeconomic disparities; 2) expanding educational curriculum on racism and Black history; and 3) advocating for law enforcement and criminal justice reform.
Throughout their heavy involvement in business and civic endeavors, the Wilfs have been particularly dedicated to children's health issues. In 2015, Zygi and Mark donated $5 million to the University of Minnesota to create the Wilf Family Center. Designed to be the intellectual center of children's health care in the Midwest, the center has an impact extending far beyond the region's borders. In 2017, under the Wilfs' leadership, the Vikings launched the new Vikings Foundation with the mission of advancing the well-being of youth through engaging health and education initiatives. In 2019, the Foundation unveiled Vikings Table, a food truck that provides free meals to underserved children in Minneapolis-St. Paul and surrounding communities. In its first six years of operations, Vikings Table surpassed 100,000 meals served to families in need.
The journey for Wilf from avid New York Giants fan sitting in the bleachers of Yankee Stadium in the 1960s to taking over the leadership of one of the NFL's proudest franchises has been marked by bold and well-founded business decisions, commitment to family and employees, and appreciation for NFL history. Wilf was recognized in 2013 with the Fritz Pollard Alliance's Tank Younger Award in honor of his commitment to hiring and promoting minority candidates on the football and business side of the Vikings franchise. In spring 2019 the Wilf Family Foundations made a $1 million donation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to help the development of a Founders Exhibit that shines a light on the many contributions of founders
and owners of NFL franchises.
Along with his ownership of the Vikings, Wilf is a principal of Garden Homes, a nationwide leader in retail, commercial and private residential development.In 2018, Wilf and his family launched WISE Ventures, an investment fund based in Manhattan focused on early- and growth-stage investment opportunities in sports, entertainment and real estate. In 2021, Wilf became vice chair and managing partner for Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride. The Pride won their first NWSL Championship in 2024 and continue to be competitive year after year.
Wilf, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, emigrated with his parents from Europe to the United States in the early 1950s and settled in New Jersey. He attended nearby Fairleigh Dickinson University, earning a bachelor's degree in economics and later graduated from New York Law School in Manhattan. Wilf, and wife, Audrey, have four children and 11 grandchildren.
