New York City FC will play its inaugural match at its new soccer-specific stadium, Etihad Park in Queens, on July 17, 2027. Club CEO Brad Sims announced the date Thursday, fulfilling a promise made years ago to establish a permanent home in the city.
"First of all, it’s a long time coming, right?" Sims said during a media event at MLS headquarters. "I got goosebumps…announcing the first game because this is 12, 13 years in the making." He highlighted the extensive effort to find a suitable location across the five boroughs, acknowledging the support from the league and various stakeholders.
Etihad Park is being built adjacent to Citi Field in Queens. The stadium's opening date also provides the first glimpse into the start of the 2027-28 MLS season, which will adopt a summer-to-spring schedule mirroring European leagues. Prior to this transition, MLS will play a condensed sprint season from February to May 2027.
During the sprint season, NYCFC will split its home games between Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, venues that have hosted the team in the past. "We’ve been a team that’s been homeless," said NYCFC defender Kevin O’Toole. "Everyone’s super excited that I talk to. Right across the street from Citi Field, one of our previous home games, our official home, and a place where they can make it their own."
Sims emphasized the club's commitment to its New York City identity, noting that NYCFC is the only professional sports team in the city with "City" in its name. "We knew it was going to be hard. It was harder than I think anyone thought it was going to be, but incredibly proud moment for us to kind of fulfill that promise that we made, and the fact that we kind of never gave up and were very persistent about that."
The new Queens venue will also host another professional soccer team. Gotham FC confirmed earlier this month that it will move to Etihad Park starting in 2028, after playing its home games in New Jersey.
In addition to the stadium announcement, NYCFC also confirmed that defender Kevin O’Toole has signed a contract extension through the 2028-29 season, with an option for the 2029-30 season.