After years of building a fan base on both sides of the Hudson, Gotham FC is getting a permanent New York City address, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing Tuesday that the reigning NWSL champions will move into Etihad Park in Queens in 2028.

The move will bring Gotham FC to New York City FC’s under-construction stadium in Willets Point, giving the women’s soccer club a permanent matchday home in the five boroughs while keeping its New Jersey roots intact, team officials said.

Etihad Park, a 25,000-seat stadium expected to open in spring 2027, will be New York City’s first soccer-specific stadium and the country’s first all-electric outdoor sports venue, according to the announcement. NYCFC is expected to begin playing there during the 2027 Major League Soccer season, with Gotham FC joining the following year.

“Bringing Gotham FC to Queens means that the young girl kicking a ball around Jackson Heights, Jamaica or the South Bronx will be able to take the train and watch some of the best players in the world in her own city,” Mamdani said. “It means more customers for neighborhood restaurants, more visitors filling our hotels and, most importantly, a permanent home for world-class women’s soccer in the greatest city in the world.”

The announcement gives Gotham FC a firmer foothold in New York City at a moment when the broader region is already sharing the soccer spotlight. New York and New Jersey have jointly served as a host region for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, with several matches played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and the tournament final scheduled there for July 19.

At Tuesday’s press conference in City Hall, Hochul pointed to the regional energy around the World Cup, saying soccer had become a “unifying force” and noting $20 round-trip buses that carried fans from Columbus Circle to matches.

“Now to make this announcement at this moment in history is just the perfect, perfect timing to say we’re taking it to the next level,” Hochul said. “This is all about giving the women what they have deserved all along. They’ve always deserved first-rate, they deserve the pay, they deserve the facilities, they deserve the fans, and we’re going to be delivering that right here in New York.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani swapped his suit jacket for a Gotham FC jacket Tuesday in the City Hall rotunda – Gov. Kathy Hochul jokingly asked whether it came out of her budget money.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

The announcement came the morning after the U.S. men’s national team crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium in Seattle, ending the tournament co-host’s run after late controversy over Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension.

President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the suspension. FIFA cleared Balogun to play against Belgium, drawing criticism from European soccer officials and the Belgian federation.

Mamdani opened the press conference by praising the men’s team, saying its players had “made our nation proud” and brought “the people’s game” to life across the country.

Asked about Trump’s role in the red-card controversy, Mamdani said Balogun “should have never been given that red card,” calling it a “cruel red card.” But he said the team’s loss did not erase the broader soccer moment unfolding in the U.S.

“It was a very difficult night, and yet the difficulty doesn’t take away from our pride in the players, our pride in the team,” Mamdani said. “We too are a soccer country.”

One foot still in New Jersey

Gotham FC has long drawn support from both sides of the Hudson, and club leaders repeatedly emphasized Tuesday that the Queens move would not sever the team’s connection to New Jersey.

Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Gotham FC’s governor, said the club’s future includes both its new matchday home in Queens and its recently announced permanent training facility in Whippany, New Jersey.

“For the first time, Gotham is no longer borrowing a future, we’re building our own,” Tisch Blodgett said. “And just as importantly, today’s announcement doesn’t change who we are. Gotham was built by supporters on both sides of the Hudson. New York and New Jersey are inseparable parts of our identity, and they always will be.”

Tisch Blodgett said the move reflects Gotham’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading women’s sports organizations.

“From day one, our ambition has been bigger than championships,” she said. “We are building one of the world’s most iconic clubs and helping define the future of women’s sports.”

Yael Averbuch West, Gotham FC’s president of soccer operations, also said the team’s New Jersey roots remain central to its identity. Averbuch West said she grew up playing soccer in New Jersey and played for the club in its early days at Rutgers University in Piscataway.

“Those New Jersey roots are part of who we are, and they will always be,” Averbuch West said. “That’s why I’m so excited that today’s announcement doesn’t leave our roots behind, it builds on them.”

Gotham FC President of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West and Gotham FC Governor Carolyn Tisch BlodgettPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell

The stadium will feature dedicated spaces for Gotham FC, including a permanent locker room and club merchandise throughout the venue. Fans will also have access to the Five Boroughs Food Hall, which is expected to include gathering spaces and local small businesses representing each borough.

Brad Sims, CEO of NYCFC, said the club always intended Etihad Park to be more than a home for its men’s team.

“Beginning in 2028, New York City will have both men’s and women’s professional soccer clubs playing in New York City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium,” Sims said. “This is a proud moment for New York City FC, for Gotham FC, for Queens and for New York City.”

A rendering shows Gotham FC playing inside the completed Etihad Park in Queens, where the club is set to make its permanent home beginning in 2028.Rendering via Gotham FC

The stadium is being privately funded by City Football Group and built entirely with union labor, according to the announcement. In addition to MLS and NWSL matches, the venue is expected to host international soccer matches, Olympic soccer matches in 2028, concerts and other major events.

Etihad Park is part of the broader Willets Point redevelopment, which was approved by the City Council in April 2024 and also includes 2,500 affordable homes, a 650-seat elementary school, a 250-room hotel, retail space and 40,000 square feet of public open space.

NYCFC installed the final steel beam at the stadium during a topping-out ceremony in March, about 15 months after breaking ground in December 2024. 

Although NYCFC is financing the $800 million project for Etihad Park and the surrounding area, the city’s Independent Budget Office has previously estimated the stadium could cost the city $538 million in lost tax revenue because NYCFC will not be required to pay property taxes during its 49-year lease.

Gotham FC will get an early look at its future borough next Wednesday, when it faces the Washington Spirit at Citi Field in the Queens Classic, a rematch of the NWSL Championship.

With reporting from Shane O’Brien