NYC’s first pro soccer stadium tops out in Queens
All images courtesy of NYCFC, unless noted otherwise
Etihad Park, New York City’s first-ever professional soccer stadium in Queens, topped out this week. The NYC Football Club (NYCFC) laid the final steel beam on Wednesday, completing the 25,000-seat stadium’s frame on schedule after construction began in December 2024. Developed by NYCFC, Related Companies, and Sterling Equities and designed by HOK, the seven-story, fully electric stadium is expected to open for the 2027–28 Major League Soccer season as NYCFC’s official home in the five boroughs.
“Etihad Park represents everything we envisioned for soccer in the largest market in the country—a world-class, fan-first stadium that will elevate NYCFC and Major League Soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.
“This is a transformational project that will be a cathedral for the sport, an anchor in the city’s sports landscape, and an inspiration for the next generation of players and fans across New York. The impact of this stadium will be felt for decades to come.”
Located across from Citi Field, the stadium will feature a striking, “activated cube” entranceway, which will be illuminated on match days with vibrant colors and imagery to provide a dynamic experience for visitors. S9 Architecture and Turner Construction Company are design and construction partners on the project, as 6sqft previously reported.
Etihad Park will be the first fully electric stadium in Major League Soccer and the first fully electric professional sports venue in NYC. Its $780 million construction is fully financed by NYCFC and built entirely with union labor. The city will lease the land to the soccer club and its development partners for 49 years, with an option to extend the lease by an additional 25 years.
When it opens, it will be operated by unions 32BJ and UNITE HERE Local 100. Since breaking ground in 2024, the project has employed more than 300 Queens residents.
Wednesday’s topping-out ceremony included a tree placed atop the final beam, following a centuries-old tradition symbolizing growth, resilience, and good fortune for the building and its visitors.
“Today marks an important milestone towards finally giving New York soccer fans our own stadium,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
“I want to thank all of the workers who have gotten us to this point, including the more than 300 hard-working men and women from Queens who have been hired on this project. Etihad Park represents more than just a soccer stadium—it’s the type of project we want to see: fully electric and union-made by and for New Yorkers.”
Etihad Park is a central piece of the broader Willets Point redevelopment, which is transforming a neighborhood long known for junkyards and decades of disinvestment into a sprawling mixed-use community.
The project will include 2,500 housing units across multiple buildings, 1,400 of which will be subsidized or below-market rate, making it the largest affordable housing development in NYC in four decades.
The second phase of the redevelopment will add a 650-seat public school, 40,000 square feet of public open space, retail space, and a 250-key hotel, as 6sqft previously reported.
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