New York City to get first-ever soccer-specific stadium in 2027

FLUSHING, Queens (PIX11) — A new soccer stadium is coming to Willets Point in Queens as part of a multi-million-dollar redevelopment project.

PIX11 News got a first look at the construction site, where dirt, dust, and heavy machinery now stand across from Citi Field, where the new stadium is being built.

At the future home for the New York City Football Club, the foundation is being laid for Etihad Park — the first-ever soccer-specific stadium in New York City. As a soccer match got underway at Citi Field, fans expressed their excitement about the new stadium. 

“It’s great, I mean, I think every New York team should have a home,” said soccer fan Freddy Mero. 

He added, “The fact that it’s doing that and soccer’s getting a lot of love and the World Cup’s coming through, I mean, it’s great.”

New York City FC has been playing without a permanent home since the team first started playing in 2015 — something Chief Operating Officer Jennifer O’Sullivan said has presented challenges. Now, the team is ready to take control of its own home field. 

“There’s a certain amount of inefficiency that happens in our day-to-day that goes away when you have your own venue,” O’Sullivan said. 

She added, “For us to be able to have that and control our own day-to-day and control our own revenue streams, control what our fan day experience looks like is going to be a game-changer for us.”

The new professional soccer stadium is part of phase two of the massive Willets Point redevelopment — a site once known for its auto shops and junkyards. The $780 million project also includes 1,400 affordable housing units, along with a hotel and new retail space. The stadium itself will include a food hall as well as a seven-story entrance covered in LED screens, known as ‘The Cube’. 

“We estimate that about 60 percent of our fans will walk through that,” said O’Sullivan. “So, when you come off the train, when you come out of the parking areas, you’ll walk into this huge immersive experience which will be, I think, very unique and different to any other stadium that you’ve seen.”

The transformation of Willets Point is expected to generate over $6 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years. Developers broke ground at the arena last December, and so far, the steel beams for the stands are rising, forming the skeleton of what will soon be the stadium.

While the stadium won’t be ready in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the doors are expected to open by 2027.

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