Etihad Park will be the name of New York City FC’s new stadium scheduled to open in 2027, the Major League Soccer club and the national airline of United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday.
It’s a 20-year agreement between Etihad Airways and New York City FC for the stadium being built in Willets Point, Queens. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“For over a decade, we’ve been investing in New York with a vision of building the city into one of the soccer capitals of the world,” New York City FC CEO Brad Sims said in a press release.
Etihad Park will be 100% privately financed, and be the first fully electric sports stadium in New York City and all Major League Soccer, according to a press release. The stadium is expected to seat approximately 25,000 people.
Sims hopes Etihad Park “will become a cathedral of soccer in the United States.”
NYCFC advanced to the conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs, and will host rival New York City Red Bulls at Citi Field in Queens at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
While the Red Bulls are based in Harrison, New Jersey, NYCFC is the only MLS club located within New York City. New York City FC is majority owned by City Football Group, and began play in March 2015. Etihad Airways has been a principal and founding partner and jersey sponsor of NYCFC since its inaugural season.
The franchise won the MLS Cup title in 2021, and won the 2022 Campeones Cup against Atlas, the 2021 champions of Mexico’s Liga MX.
Etihad Park will be part of a new, 23-acre neighborhood at Willets Point, Queens, which will feature 2,500 new affordable housing units, a new 650-seat public school, a new hotel, and more than 150,000 square feet of public open space.
The Willets Point redevelopment project is estimated to generate $6.1 billion in economic activity, create 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs.
The New York City Council voted overwhelmingly to approve the next phase of the Willets Point Redevelopment project, including the stadium, earlier this year.
“We hope that Etihad Park becomes a central hub for the community, as it will host not only sporting events, but also concerts, festivals, and community activities, fostering a sense of belonging and connection for all New Yorkers,” Sims said.
Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves believes the venue “will become a landmark sports destination in the U.S.”
“We have been backing New York City FC since the start in 2014 and this marks the latest chapter in our support for the club,” Neves said in the press release.
NYCFC, Etihad Airways and partners from the New York City Soccer Initiative plan to build 26 mini-pitches across the city in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Together, they have already built 50 mini-pitches in the city from 2016-21.