As NWSL teams continue to figure out their stadium futures, one team has found a permanent new home. Gotham FC will begin playing at the new Etihad Park in Queens in 2028.
The stadium, built by NYCFC, will open in July 2027 and will be the team’s new home after years of shuffling between Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey. It’s also part of a massive redevelopment plan that will include a hotel, as well as retail and dining.
And now, it will also include Gotham FC’s 15 regular-season home games per year, but not until the 2028 season. That will guarantee at least 32 matches per year at the stadium.
The state of NWSL stadiums
Of the NWSL’s 16 teams, Gotham FC will become the 11th to share a stadium with their local MLS or USL counterparts. Amongst the others, Kansas City is currently the only team to play in its own stadium, but is expected to be joined by the Boston Legacy, which is scheduled to complete its renovation of White Stadium in time for the 2027 season. Beyond that, the Denver Summit recently announced a delay in opening their new stadium, with construction now scheduled to be completed in 2029.
That leaves two teams still searching for permanent homes:
- The Chicago Stars are playing at Northwestern University’s Martin Field, the home of the University’s soccer and lacrosse teams. No stadium deal is known to be in the works, but with the Chicago Fire building a new stadium in the South Loop of Chicago, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Stars end up playing there.
- The North Carolina Courage currently plays at WakeMed Soccer Park in a suburb of Raleigh. The stadium was opened in 2002 and has a capacity of only 10,000. Team ownership has been vocal about their need for a new venue, which they want to build in downtown Raleigh.
Next steps
Gotham FC fans can place a $28 deposit for season tickets in the new stadium, and that deposit is valid for up to eight seats. It will also be applied to your season ticket purchase, but there is no word from the team about whether that deposit is refundable if you decline to buy seats. Nevertheless, a $28 deposit is pretty trivial, so we don’t see any reason not to do it if you’re interested.
But note: the priority list for deposit customers will be determined by registration date, so the earlier you place your deposit, the earlier your selection timeslot will be.
In the meantime, for those Gotham FC fans in New Jersey, this year and next year will be your last chances to enjoy catching a game close to home. But for stadium chasers, not to worry: Sports Illustrated Stadium will continue to be the home of the New York Red Bulls, so there’s no rush to get there unless you specifically want to see an NWSL game.
