Gotham FC Is Hosting the Largest Women’s Sports Event in NYC History

July 15, 2026

On Wednesday night, Gotham FC hosts the Washington Spirit at Citi Field in what has been dubbed the Queens Classic, a rematch of last year’s NWSL Championship, played under the lights at the home of the New York Mets, broadcast nationally on ESPN, and attended by what is shaping up to be the largest crowd in the history of women’s sports in New York City. More than 40,000 fans have already secured their seats, and the lower bowl is sold out. This is not a regular-season match that simply got moved to a bigger venue; this is an event.

The vision started simply enough. Other NWSL clubs — Bay FC and Chicago — had staged one-night-only matches at baseball stadiums with impressive results. Gotham’s leadership took notice and started having conversations. The Mets and Citi Field came to the table not as a reluctant landlord but as an enthusiastic partner, eager to host the first women’s professional sporting event in the building’s history. The World Cup was coming to the region. The timing was too perfect to ignore. And with Gotham having just announced their permanent move to Etihad Park in Queens beginning in 2028, the borough connection gave the whole thing a narrative weight that made it feel inevitable. BOARDROOM