A rendering shows Sacramento Republic FC’s planned, 20,000-seat stadium in the Railyards district.
MANICA
Sacramento Republic FC
Sacramento Republic FC’s stadium expansion that will nearly double the venue’s capacity, team officials said Tuesday, came as the product of a groundswell of fan interest and the ambitions of the soccer team’s ownership group.
Republic FC announced Tuesday that it intends to build a 20,000-seat stadium in the Railyards, overhauling the team’s original plan of a 12,000-seat facility that could one day expand. It would be capable of hosting concerts, festivals and international soccer games such as World Cup qualifiers, said Tim Holt, the team’s president and general manager.
“There was a realization of just how much demand there was, both from a Sacramento FC standpoint, and also in terms of the type of events that could be attracted to Sacramento,” Holt said.
Fans placed significant deposits on tickets at the future stadium following the team’s groundbreaking ceremony at the Railyards property in August, said Dustin Vicari, the team’s chief revenue officer. Plus, attendance at Republic FC’s current home pitch, Cal Expo’s Heart Health Park, has been strong.
“It’s still early to tally all the results, but we’re very, very excited and encouraged by the immediate response this region has shown already,” Vicari said.
The project gained momentum in late 2024, when the Wilton Rancheria tribe acquired a majority ownership stake in the team. At the time, the team and the tribe planned to build a $175 million stadium that would be ready for the 2027 season. Construction costs are now estimated at $350 million, according to a building permit application, and the stadium would be completed for the 2028 season.
A rendering shows Sacramento Republic FC’s planned, 20,000-seat stadium in the Railyards district. MANICA Sacramento Republic FC
Holt, who took on the role of team president earlier this month, served as the president of the United Soccer League from 2009 to 2015. He then spent 10 months as vice president of development for Orlando City SC, during its first season in Major League Soccer, and he served as managing director of USL-level San Antonio FC for eight years.
Republic FC plays in the USL, but the team’s leaders have long discussed the possibility of joining MLS.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty lauded the announcement in a statement Tuesday. The stadium, he said, is the centerpiece of the Railyards district and, he added, “an MLS opportunity is on the horizon.”
At the same time, the USL has announced plans to launch a Division One league in 2028.
For Republic FC, Holt said, such prospects are “a topic for another day.” But he made clear that the team has lofty ambitions.
“We’ve always needed a new home to take the club to the next level. The aspirations of this club have been to play at the highest level of American professional soccer,” Holt said. “That remains unchanged.”
The new league, known as “USL Premier” would introduce the first promotion and relegation system in U.S. soccer, wherein the top-performing teams each season are elevated to a higher division, and the last-place teams demoted to a lower division.
A rendering shows Sacramento Republic FC’s planned, 20,000-seat stadium in the Railyards district. MANICA Sacramento Republic FC
In some ways, it seems like a natural evolution for USL, Holt said.
“It allows the most ambitious teams the ability to continue to grow, and it allows other aspiring, new and existing clubs to not have an artificial ceiling,” Holt said. “It’s certainly very interesting. It’s challenging, but … It certainly has caught the interest of a lot of fans of the sport, in our country and abroad.”
Republic FC formed in 2014 and won the USL championship that season. The team finished in first place in the USL’s Western Conference regular season standings in 2016 and 2023, and in second place in 2018 and 2025.
Holt and Vicari said they believed Sacramento deserved a venue of the scale they now plan.
“No matter what’s ahead for Republic FC we’ll have a home that’s ready for it,” Holt said. “When you have a stadium like this, a venue like this — at this size, everything’s possible.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 3:30 PM.
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Annika Merrilees is a business reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously spent five years covering business and health care for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.