New York City FC opened its new stadium construction site to media on Saturday, offering a look at Etihad Park, the club’s first permanent home after 12 years of playing as tenants at other venues around the city. The soccer-specific stadium is rising next to Citi Field in Queens and is on track for completion next spring, with the club’s first game there set for July 17, 2027.
NYCFC chief operating officer Jennifer O’Sullivan said the design was built around making sure fans know exactly where they are. The supporters porch will offer views of the Manhattan skyline, and a “City Square” area will house a food hall featuring vendors from across the five boroughs.
“It’s been so important to us because for 12 long years, we’ve been looking for our own home,” O’Sullivan said. “We want people to know exactly where they are when they come into this building, and so making it representative of this community and this city was really important to us.”
The tour came ahead of NYCFC’s 1-1 draw against LAFC at Citi Field, the club’s current home while Etihad Park is under construction.
Construction Progress
Seats are already installed in sections of the lower and upper seating bowls on Seaver Way. Crews continue work on a seven-story, LED-lined entrance structure known as the “cube,” which is expected to handle 65 to 70 percent of fans entering the stadium. The grass playing surface has also been laid down, with completion targeted before winter weather sets in.
The club plans to run several test events at the venue before the official opening next summer.
Ticket Prices Still a Question
As with many new stadium projects across professional sports, the cost of attending games at Etihad Park is drawing scrutiny. Tickets for premium hospitality sections have gone on sale, but general admission pricing has not yet been announced.
O’Sullivan said the club’s stated aim is to keep tickets within reach for ordinary fans.
“Everybody deserves to have a really unique and valuable fan experience, and so that’s something that’s really important to us, and making sure that that price point for those fans is something that they can afford — that it’s something that also they feel the value that they’re getting for their money,” O’Sullivan said.
She added that the club has put particular focus on the general admission areas, saying food quality there will match what’s offered in the stadium’s more exclusive sections.
O’Sullivan was also asked about the Premier League financial scandal involving Manchester City, NYCFC’s sister club under the same ownership group, and whether it could affect the MLS club. She said there were “no concerns in New York.”
A Rough Stretch on the Field
The stadium news arrives as the club’s on-field performance has slumped badly. NYCFC has won just one regular-season match in its last 12 games since August. The team has also failed to win a single MLS match this season when it has conceded the first goal — a pattern that repeated itself Saturday, when LAFC scored first before NYCFC salvaged a draw with an early second-half goal.
Head coach Pascal Jansen pointed to missed scoring chances as a recurring problem.
“Somehow that is something that comes back to us all the time,” Jansen said. “So if you don’t reward yourself enough in these games, it stays a very tight game, and every mistake you make in the final phase of the game has cost us dearly.”
