Gotham FC is officially becoming a New York City club. Starting in 2028, the reigning NWSL champions will call Etihad Park in Queens their permanent home, club and city officials announced, shifting regular-season matches out of Harrison, New Jersey and into the five boroughs. Leaders are pitching the move as a more accessible, truly city-based matchday experience for fans across New York.
Great teams deserve great homes, and beginning in 2028, Etihad Park in Queens will welcome fans from every borough and beyond to cheer on @GothamFC for decades to come. https://x.com/i/status/2076709100797227412
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) July 13, 2026
Officials At City Hall
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul and Gotham FC executives rolled out the deal at City Hall, calling it a watershed moment for women's sports in the five boroughs. According to Gotham FC, the club will start playing home matches at Etihad Park in 2028 and will have dedicated club spaces inside the new stadium.
Etihad Park By The Numbers
Etihad Park is a 25,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium rising in Willets Point that officials say will be the city’s first all-electric outdoor professional sports venue. As outlined by the Mayor's Office, the privately funded project from City Football Group is being built entirely by union labor, with New York City FC set to move in for the 2027 season and Gotham FC following a year later. Local reporting has highlighted planned amenities that include a multi-level LED gateway, a supporters porch and a Five Boroughs Food Hall.
What It Means For Fans And The Club's Footprint
Right now, Gotham stages home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Club leaders say shifting games to Queens is meant to grow the team’s fan base inside the city without abandoning its roots across the river. In a separate announcement, Gotham FC detailed plans to renovate the former Red Bulls training complex in Whippany into a 27,000-square-foot training center scheduled to open in 2027, signaling that facilities and community programming will remain anchored in New Jersey. Club officials told reporters that playing in Queens while keeping operations and training in New Jersey is intended to balance longtime Jersey supporters with new borough-based fans.
Transit And Neighborhood Impacts
Etihad Park is going up next to Citi Field as part of the broader Willets Point redevelopment and will lean on the Mets-Willets Point 7 train stop and the Long Island Rail Road to move crowds, a key piece of the stadium’s planning. The stadium serves as an anchor for a larger redevelopment that already includes newly opened affordable housing, along with promises of jobs and public space, as reported in coverage such as Queens scores as Etihad Park rises in Willets Point and reporting on the Willets Point Commons phase. Project partners and city agencies say upgraded transit connections and new public spaces are central to keeping matchday impacts manageable for the neighborhood.
What's Next
Officials say details on season tickets, match scheduling and neighborhood programming will roll out as construction progresses and league calendars solidify. The National Women's Soccer League has also covered the announcement and noted that Etihad Park will host MLS action in 2027 and stage international matches and other major events, with Gotham FC beginning home play there in 2028; see NWSL for more. For now, city leaders and the club are framing the deal as a long-term bet on putting world-class women's soccer within easier reach of more New Yorkers.
