Etihad Park, NYCFC’s new stadium set to open next year, was named a host venue for the 2028 Summer Olympic soccer tournaments, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games committee announced on Tuesday.
Located next to Citi Field at Willets Point in Queens, the new soccer-specific stadium will host group-stage and knockout matches for both the men’s and women’s competitions before the gold-medal matches on July 28-29 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Other host sites include Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, San Jose, and San Diego. Match assignments and schedules will be released in April.
“Bringing Olympic Football group stage and knockout matches to stadiums across the United States means more fans will witness this global event and experience the Olympic spirit firsthand,” Shana Ferguson, LA28 chief of port and games delivery officer, said.
The Summer Olympics provide a first legitimate benchmark event for NYCFC’s new stadium, which will hold an estimated 25,000 fans within its state-of-the-art confines. The upcoming 2026 MLS campaign will be the final year in which the club plays its home matches at Yankee Stadium, which has hosted the team since its inception in 2015.
NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said it is an “honor” for the club to host games at the new stadium during the upcoming Olympics.
“Witnessing a home Olympic Games is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Sims said in a statement. “Hosting LA28 Olympic Football matches at the future home of New York City FC will yet again showcase our incredible city on the world stage and further elevate our growing soccer culture with our new purpose-built stadium in Queens.
“With today’s announcement, we are already seeing the impact our stadium will have, as one of the world’s most prestigious competitions in the Olympic Games comes to New York City.”
This will be the first Olympic Games that feature more women’s teams (16) than men’s (12). While the women’s tournament will feature the game’s top professionals, the men’s tournament is classified as a U-23 competition, though each team is allowed three overage players on its roster.
The United States is the only country to have qualified, doing so automatically as the host nation.
