In the shadow of Citi Field, New York City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium is beginning to take shape.
New York City FC (NYCFC) broke ground on the Willets Point stadium last December and remains on course to open the 25,000-seater venue before the start of the 2027 MLS season. The stadium, located across the street from the Citi Field bullpen along Seaver Way in Willets Point, will be dubbed “Etihad Park” and will become the first fully electric stadium in the United States.
NYCFC is financing the entire $800 million project, which includes a 2,500-unit affordable housing complex, a 650-seat elementary school, a 250-room hotel, retail space and 40,000 square feet of public open space.
The club has made significant progress on the stadium’s west stand, which will be entirely made up of lounges, clubs and suites. The Tunnel Club, an exclusive lounge offering ticketholders access to pitch-side seating and 285 square-foot pitch-side suites, has already sold out more than a year before the stadium’s completion, NYCFC has confirmed.
The club is currently selling its Center Line Lounge and its Sideline Club suites, which are both located above the Tunnel Club. All hospitality seats will feature all inclusive food and beverage, NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said.
NYCFC is also making progress on the stadium’s north stand, which will house the club’s 3,400-seat supporter’s section. The stand has been constructed at the steepest gradient permitted in the MLS in order to intimidate visiting teams with a “wall of people,” Sims said.
Jon Stemp, chief of infrastructure at NYCFC’s parent company City Football Group, said he is not concerned by the potential impacts that a stand made entirely of corporate seats might have on the atmosphere at the new stadium.
Stemp said the club is striving to “find the balance” between creating an intimidating atmosphere and recognizing the economic reality of financing an $800 million project.
“We’ve got to get the balance right of who the customers and fans are,” Stemp said. “We think that the way we’ve designed it will create for a great atmosphere. If we get the production right, there’s no reason why the people in those (corporate) seats won’t be as vocal and excited and participative as much as those guys (in the supporter’s section).”
Stemp added that the new stadium will cater to New York residents of all income brackets, stating that a portion of tickets will be distributed to financially disadvantaged areas free of charge, while some tickets will go to residents of the new housing development springing up alongside the stadium.
The housing complex is accelerating toward completion, according to NYCFC officials, with the first two buildings of the project set to open to residents by April 2026.
All fans entering the completed Etihad Park will be greeted by “the Cube,” a giant seven-story structure measuring 11,000 square feet and featuring a giant LED screen.
Sims said the Cube will be a “key component” of the game-day experience at Etihad Park and compared the structure to the Las Vegas Sphere, noting that the LED screens can be tailored to specific events.
Stemp, meanwhile, said NYCFC is currently scouting “authentic local vendors” to set up stalls and food trucks at Etihad Park to ensure that the stadium reflects the culinary culture of its new home in Queens.
Local food and beverage vendors will also be able to operate in 40,000 square-foot “City Square” community space located outside the stadium, Stemp said.
“We don’t want it to be sterile. We want it to truly reflect our local cuisine,” Stemp said. “Queens is just an incredible place. There’s so much here and we’ve got to try and reflect that.”
Sims hopes the stadium will be the future host of concerts and international soccer friendlies, stating the arena will become one of the “most in-demand soccer venues in the country.”
Sims said NYCFC has agreed not to host events simultaneously with the New York Mets to facilitate accessibility at both Etihad Park and Citi Field. If both teams make their respective post-season play-offs, which take place at roughly the same time, NYCFC may be required to come up with alternate arrangements for their home fixtures.
Sims, however, does not foresee any issues and says a similar agreement already exists in Seattle between MLB franchise the Mariners and MLS club the Sounders. He said there is plenty of flexibility to move potential play-off fixtures at Etihad Park so that they don’t coincide with a Mets home play-off. He is also confident that NYCFC will not have to seek an alternative home venue in those circumstances.
“We already talked to the MLS about it and they were like, ‘no problem, we already deal with this,'” Sims said.
Speaking further on logistics, Sims said Seaver Way will likely be closed to traffic on game days to facilitate the safe crossing of fans walking to the venue from the Citi Field parking lots.
Meanwhile, he anticipates that the stadium’s roofs will play a significant role in drowning out the noise of overhead planes taking off from LaGuardia Airport. The roofs are slated to extend to the very edges of the Etihad Park pitch, sheltering spectators from the LaGuardia flight plan, which passes almost directly over the stadium.
