New York City’s first soccer-only stadium breaks ground

New York City Football Club has broken ground on this metro’s first professional soccer-specific stadium, a 25,000-seat space called Etihad Park, located at Willets Point in the borough of Queens. The team is self-financing the stadium, which Is part of a major redevelopment of Willets Point that will include housing, offices, community services, and food and beverage facilities.

Designed by HOK, Etihad Park will be Major League Soccer’s first all-electric stadium when it opens in time for the league’s 2027 season. J.P. Morgan arranged the private financing for the stadium, whose construction cost is estimated at $780 million. Turner Construction is the general contractor. The naming rights to the stadium are owned by Etihad Airways. The team is leasing the land for the stadium from the city.

The groundbreaking occurred after years of false starts over various stadium plans by the league, the city, and the team. In July 2022, it was reported that New York Mayor Eric Adams had approved a plan to build a stadium at Willets Point that would be completed in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament. Last April, the New York City Council voted 47-1 in favor of the plan. 

Mixed-use redevelopment 

Etihad Park is a key piece in Adams’ transformation plan for Willets Point, which calls for the delivery of 2,500 affordable homes, more than 40,000 sf of public open space, a 250-key hotel, a 650-seat public school, and street-level retail.

A year ago, the city broke ground on the first 880 housing units, to be completed in late 2026. The next round of residential construction will be 220 units for low-income seniors.

The $3 billion, three-phase transformation plan is projected to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over 30 years, and to create 1,550 permanent jobs. The soccer team will also incorporate community programming and outreach via its City in the Community Foundation, using its 35,000-sf multiuse space called City Square as a base.

Etihad Field will be located within walking distance of Citi Field and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., creating a major sports hub.