The Washington Commanders are returning to Washington, D.C., after nearly three decades away, thanks to a new proposal to build a 65,000-seat stadium on the current RFK Stadium site.
And, if organizers get their way, it’s not just American football that will be played at the new venue, with officials also eyeing professional soccer.
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Those behind the project have proposed professional soccer, specifically women’s soccer, as one of the more than 200 annual events they hope to stage there year-round.
Because the stadium will be roofed, officials have expressed ambitions to pursue major tournaments such as the Super Bowl, NCAA basketball Final Four and Women’s World Cup, which the U.S. is likely to co-host in 2031 with other Concacaf nations.
U.S. Soccer did not immediately respond to questions for this story.
A full deck published by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser outlines the project’s plans. There are logos for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and U.S. Soccer’s national team, as well as other soccer logos for the Concacaf Gold Cup, English Premier League, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The project’s term sheet, dated April 28, also outlines potential uses of the stadium. It states the city “recognizes the public value in providing spaces for women’s sports and is discussing … whether such an opportunity can be provided for professional women’s soccer” at the stadium.
Tuesday, the Spirit welcomed the Commanders’ new stadium, saying it supported the opportunities the venue presents. The teams share an investor in former NBA star Magic Johnson.
“We’re excited for Spirit investor Magic Johnson and the Commanders as they work to bring a new, world-class stadium back to D.C.,” the team said in a statement. “Audi Field has been an incredible home for the Spirit, and we’re proud of the energy our fans bring to matchdays. As D.C. sports continues to grow, we’re always supportive of opportunities that celebrate the city’s rich sports legacy — including the role RFK (Stadium) played in launching professional women’s soccer.”
Magic Johnson joined majority owner Michele Kang as an investor in the Washington Spirit. (Kylie Graham / Imagn Images)
The Commanders and Spirit also have a history of working closely, beyond Johnson’s shared investment.
Former Commanders president Jason Wright recently told The Athletic the two teams had a working relationship while he was in D.C. The former NFL player is part of the ownership group behind NWSL Denver through Ariel Investments’ Project Level. Wright was with the Commanders from 2020 to 2024, crossing paths with the Spirit’s current majority owner, Michele Kang.
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“I had been working with the Washington Spirit to try to think about joint plans on a practice facility and how a new stadium development could work,” Wright said. “Michele Kang is a remarkable owner. She’s super thoughtful and just a great human being. I talked to her and her staff for years about how we could possibly partner.”
RFK Stadium played host to several historic moments for women’s soccer, including the inaugural match of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2001 and several USWNT games. WUSA was the first iteration of professional women’s soccer in the U.S., and RFK Stadium served as the home stadium for the league’s Washington Freedom — the former club of many U.S. greats, including Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.
Though a 65,000-seat stadium might seem ambitious for an NWSL crowd, the Spirit have consistently filled the 20,000-seat home venue at Audi Field, known affectionately as Rowdy Audi, which they lease from Major League Soccer team D.C. United. So far this season, the team has enjoyed three consecutive sellouts.
The current single-match record for an NWSL game was set last year by the Chicago Stars and Bay FC when 35,038 fans filled Wrigley Field on June 8 for the league’s first match held in an MLB stadium. That record has the potential to be broken this season when Bay hosts the Spirit at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, on Aug. 23. The MLB stadium has a capacity of 42,300.
Kang, who became the majority owner of the Spirit in 2022, has been outspoken about the team’s plans to find space for its own facility, specifying the team hoped to find “70 to 100 acres” of land for its ambitious plans.
(Top photo: Ben Radford / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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