A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium which is for a variety of sports. A soccer-specific stadium may host other sporting events (such as lacrosse, American football and rugby) and concerts, but the design and purpose of a soccer-specific stadium is primarily for soccer. Some facilities (for example SeatGeek Stadium, Toyota Stadium and Historic Crew Stadium) have a permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for staging concerts.
A soccer-specific stadium typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in North America, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly a roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA: long by wide. Although the official Laws of the Game allow for pitches in adult matches to be long by wide. The more restrictive range is specified for international matches like the ones used in the FIFA World Cup. These soccer field dimensions are wider than the regulation American football field width of , or the width of a Canadian football field. The playing surface typically consists of grass as opposed to artificial turf, as the latter is generally disfavored for soccer matches since players are more susceptible to injuries. However, some soccer-specific stadiums, such as Portland's Providence Park and Creighton University's Morrison Stadium, do have artificial turf.
The seating capacity is generally between 18,000 and 30,000 for a Major League Soccer franchise, or smaller for college or minor league soccer teams. This is in comparison to the much larger American football stadiums that mostly range between 60,000 and 80,000 in which the original North American Soccer League teams played and most MLS teams occupied during the league's inception. As opposed to gridiron-style football stadiums, where the front row of seats is elevated several feet above the field of play to allow spectators to see over the heads of substitute players and coaches on the sidelines, soccer-specific venues typically have the front row closer to the level of the pitch.
History
In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, first-division professional soccer leagues in the United States, such as the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer, primarily used American football stadiums, many of which were oversized in terms of seating capacity and undersized in terms of the width of the soccer field; they often used artificial turf (none of which, at the time, were approved for international soccer under FIFA rules). Although many of the baseball parks had smaller capacities, natural grass, and a wider field, these parks were generally in use during summer, when North American–based soccer leagues, such as Major League Soccer, also hold their seasons, and the irregular field dimensions and sightlines were often considered undesirable.
Soccer-specific stadiums first came into use in the 1990s, after the multi-purpose stadium era.
The term "soccer-specific stadium" was coined by Lamar Hunt, who financed the construction of Columbus Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium constructed specifically for Major League Soccer. In the 2000s, other Major League Soccer teams in the United States began constructing their own stadiums. Canada's first soccer-specific stadium was BMO Field in Toronto, home to Toronto FC. This stadium was renovated to accommodate Canadian football for the 2016 and subsequent seasons. The distinction is less prominent in Canada, where MLS's attendance figures are comparable to those of the domestic Canadian Football League, and the CFL's wider field means fewer compromises must be made to accommodate both; Tim Hortons Field was built purposely to both soccer specifications and CFL regulations. Of the three Canadian cities that host both MLS and CFL teams, only one (Montreal) has separate stadiums for each.
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Current MLS soccer-specific stadiums Stadium Club(s) City Capacity Opened Allianz Field Minnesota United FC Saint Paul, Minnesota 19,400 2019 America First Field Real Salt Lake Sandy, Utah 20,213 2008 Audi Field D.C. United Washington, D.C. 20,000 2018 BMO Field Toronto FC Toronto, Ontario 28,180 2007 BMO Stadium Los Angeles FC Los Angeles, California 22,000 2018 Sporting Park Sporting Kansas City Kansas City, Kansas 18,467 2011 Energizer Park St. Louis City SC St. Louis, Missouri 22,423 2022 Dick's Sporting Goods Park Colorado Rapids Commerce City, Colorado 18,061 2007 Dignity Health Sports Park LA Galaxy Carson, California 27,000 2003 Inter.co Stadium Orlando City SC Orlando, Florida 25,500 2017 Nu Stadium Inter Miami CF Miami, Florida 26,700 2026 Geodis Park Nashville SC Nashville, Tennessee 30,109 2022 PayPal Park San Jose Earthquakes San Jose, California 18,000 2015 ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Columbus Crew Columbus, Ohio 20,371 2021 Shell Energy Stadium Houston Dynamo FC Houston, Texas 20,656 2012 Providence Park Portland Timbers Portland, Oregon 25,218 1926 Q2 Stadium Austin FC Austin, Texas 20,500 2021 Saputo Stadium CF Montréal Montreal, Quebec 19,619 2008 Sports Illustrated Stadium New York Red Bulls Harrison, New Jersey 25,000 2010 Subaru Park Philadelphia Union Chester, Pennsylvania 18,500 2010 Toyota Stadium FC Dallas Frisco, Texas 11,000 2005 TQL Stadium FC Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 26,000 2021
Under construction Stadium Club(s) City Proposed capacity Potential opening date Etihad Park New York City FC New York City, New York 25,000 2027 McDonald's Park Chicago Fire FC Chicago, Illinois 22,000 2028
Proposed MLS soccer-specific stadiums Stadium Club(s) City Proposed capacity Future New England Revolution Stadium New England Revolution Everett, Massachusetts 24,000
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Current NWSL soccer-specific stadiums Stadium Club(s) City Capacity Opened Audi Field Washington Spirit Washington, D.C. 20,000 2018 BMO Stadium Angel City FC Los Angeles, California 22,000 2018 CPKC Stadium Kansas City Current Kansas City, Missouri 11,500 2024 Inter.co Stadium Orlando Pride Orlando, Florida 25,500 2017 Lynn Family Stadium Racing Louisville FC Louisville, Kentucky 11,700 2021 Shell Energy Stadium Houston Dash Houston, Texas 22,039 2012 Providence Park Portland Thorns FC Portland, Oregon 25,218 2011 SeatGeek Stadium Chicago Red Stars Bridgeview, Illinois 20,000 2006 Sports Illustrated Stadium NJ/NY Gotham FC Harrison, New Jersey 25,000 2010 WakeMed Soccer Park North Carolina Courage Cary, North Carolina 10,000 2002
United Soccer League (USL)
Current USL Pro soccer-specific stadiums All USL Championship teams and USL League One teams have been required to play in self-owned, soccer-specific stadiums by the 2025 season. The following is a list of current USL stadiums, including the women's professional league USL Super League, that are soccer-specific stadiums:
Stadium Club(s) City Capacity Opened Al Lang Stadium Tampa Bay Rowdies St. Petersburg, Florida 7,227 1947 (2015 renovation) American Legion Memorial Stadium Carolina Ascent FC, Charlotte Independence Charlotte, North Carolina 10,500 1934 (2019–2021 renovation) Breese Stevens Field Forward Madison FC Madison, Wisconsin 5,000 1926 Cardinale Stadium Monterey Bay FC Seaside, California 6,000 2022 Cashman Field Las Vegas Lights FC Las Vegas, Nevada 9,334 1983 (2019–2020 renovation)Centreville Bank StadiumRhode Island FCPawtucket, Rhode Island10,5002025 Championship Soccer Stadium Orange County SC Irvine, California 5,000 2017 CHI Memorial Stadium Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Chattanooga, Tennessee 5,500 2020 Heart Health Park Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento, California 11,242 2014 Highmark Stadium Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 5,000 2013Lancaster Municipal StadiumAV Alta FCLancaster, California5,3001996 (2025 renovation)Lexington SC StadiumLexington SCLexington, Kentucky7,5002024 Lynn Family Stadium Louisville City FC Louisville, Kentucky 11,700 2020One Spokane StadiumSpokane Velocity, Spokane Zephyr FCSpokane, Washington5,0002023 Optim Health System Field South Georgia Tormenta FC Statesboro, Georgia 5,300 2022 Patriots Point Soccer Complex Charleston Battery Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 3,500 2000 Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium Phoenix Rising FC Phoenix, Arizona 10,000 2023Riverfront StadiumTampa Bay Sun FCTampa, Florida 5,000 2025 Ruoff Mortgage Stadium Fort Wayne FC Fort Wayne, Indiana 9,200 2026 Segra Field Loudoun United FC Leesburg, Virginia 5,000 2019 Tormenta Stadium South Georgia Tormenta FC Statesboro, Georgia 5,300 2022 Toyota Field San Antonio FC San Antonio, Texas 8,296 2013 Trinity Health Stadium Hartford Athletic Hartford, Connecticut5,500 1960 (2019 renovation) WakeMed Soccer Park North Carolina FC Cary, North Carolina 10,000 2002 Weidner Field Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs, Colorado 8,000 2021
Stadiums under construction +StadiumClub(s)CityPlanned capacityPotential opening dateRailyards StadiumSacramento Republic FCSacramento, California20,0002027AlumniFi FieldDetroit City FCDetroit, Michigan15,0002028
Proposed USL soccer-specific stadiums Stadium Club(s) City Proposed capacity Eleven Park Indy Eleven Indianapolis, Indiana 20,000 Iron District Stadium USL Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 8,000 Pro Iowa Stadium USL Pro Iowa Des Moines, Iowa 6,100Proposed Oakland Roots SC stadiumOakland Roots SCOakland, California25,000 SPH Stadium Miami FC Homestead, Florida 15,000
NCAA (Division I)