{"id":166531,"date":"2026-03-17T19:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/166531\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:48:14","slug":"nj-ny-gotham-fc-heads-across-the-river-to-new-york-club-will-host-rivals-washington-spirit-at-citi-field-in-queens-classic-in-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/166531\/","title":{"rendered":"NJ\/NY Gotham FC heads across the river to New York: Club will host rivals Washington Spirit at Citi Field in \u201cQueens Classic\u201d in July"},"content":{"rendered":"

NJ\/NY Gotham FC is finally earning the \u201cNew York\u201d part of their club name, and in a big way\u2014they will host rivals Washington Spirit at Citi Field for the \u201cQueens Classic\u201d on July 15. The historic ~42,000 capacity stadium will open the club up to a New York City-based market, and shine a spotlight on the burgeoning rivalry between the two clubs. The match will also take place days before the Men\u2019s FIFA World Cup final is played in New Jersey, giving the two clubs extra attention on a global stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis summer will be transformational for soccer in our region, and we\u2019re really excited to put women\u2019s sports and our world-class athletes at Gotham FC front and center when a global spotlight is on New York,\u201d said Ryan Dillon, the Chief Business Officerat Gotham FC. \u201cIt will be a history-making summer of soccer, and this event ensures that we are a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe District vs. Empire rivalry belongs on a big stage, and Citi Field delivers,\u201d said Kim Stone, the CEO of the Washington Spirit. \u201cThis is one of the most electric matchups in the NWSL, and our fans bring an intensity that demands to be seen. Playing in New York City just days before the World Cup final is a moment we\u2019re not taking lightly. The NWSL is women\u2019s soccer at its best, and New Yorkers know a big moment when they see one \u2013 this is it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gotham isn\u2019t the first team to host a big game at a baseball stadium\u2014Bay FC hosted a 2025 match at Oriole Field and Chicago Stars played at Wrigley Field in 2024. Both matches broke attendance records at the time with 40,091 and 35,038 fans in attendance respectively. Denver Summit is set to break the attendance record again at their home opener at Mile High Stadium with over 5o,000 tickets sold.<\/p>\n

Citi Field is home to the New York Mets, and is one of the homes of MLS club NYCFC. NYCFC is also building Etihad Park, the first soccer-specific stadium in New York City, next to Citi Field. The stadium is set to open in summer 2027.<\/p>\n

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Gotham FC have long struggled with attendance, partially due to their location in New Jersey, although numbers have improved in the past few years. The club had an average attendance of 8,892 in 2025<\/a>, up 41.1% from 2023.<\/p>\n

The matchup against the Spirit has the opportunity to be a particularly heated game. Gotham beat the Spirit in the NWSL Championship last year, while the Spirit knocked out Gotham in the semifinals in 2024. The two clubs are also competing in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup knockout round in May. Both are top teams that will be vying for the chance to win the Shield and Championship in 2026.<\/p>\n

Both clubs made significant acquisitions over the offseason. Spirit resigned star Trinity Rodman and acquired young Paraguayan star Claudia Mart\u00ednez, while trading away former rookie of the year Croix Bethune.<\/p>\n

Gotham FC signed Norwegian star Guro Reiten from Chelsea, and signed top rookies Jordynn Dudley, Andrea Kitahata, and Teagan Wy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Queens Classic at Citi Field is a powerful moment for the NWSL and for women\u2019s soccer in the New York area,\u201d said Sarah Jones Simmer, the Chief Operating Officer of the NWSL. \u201cBringing the reigning NWSL champions Gotham FC together with the Washington Spirit for a championship rematch on such an iconic stage is a testament to the momentum behind our league and the global attention on the sport this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

To kick off the collaboration between Gotham FC and the Mets, mascots Mr. and Mrs. Met will be Torch Bearers at Gotham FC\u2019s 2026 NWSL Home Opener on Saturday, March 21.<\/p>\n

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, March 25 for the highly anticipated July 15 match. The club also plans to earmark discounted and free tickets for community nonprofits and fans from underrepresented populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NJ\/NY Gotham FC is finally earning the \u201cNew York\u201d part of their club name, and in a big…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,19203,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-166531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nwsl","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-queens","13":"tag-queens-headlines","14":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}