'Best-in-class experience' - NWSL expansion teams Denver Summit and Boston Legacy FC to play opening matches in NFL stadiums

The Legacy will play their first home game on NWSL's opening weekend at the Patriots' stadium, which seats 65,878, in Foxborough, Massachussets. The MLS's New England Revolution call the stadium home and this season drew an average of 24,477 per game.

Boston will play their inaugural 2026 season at Gillette Stadium before a planned move to White Stadium in 2027.

The NWSL attendance record is 40,091, set this year by Bay FC at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

The Summit will play their first home match in the Broncos' venue, which seats 76,125 fans. The Summit currently have 15,000 deposits for season tickets, and the club also factored in local interest in their decision.

“We’re excited to bring this football club into the most iconic venue in Denver, and that was a driver of our decision,” Summit FC president Jen Millet told Sports Business Journal. “The other piece for us is that we’ve seen so much excitement about this club, and the community that has really rallied around the club, so we want to make sure that we can welcome everybody in when we host our first match in March.”

Another factor is the construction of their temporary ground, which will be adjacent to the team's permanent training ground in the Denver suburbs. SBJ reported that the team is hopeful the venue will be ready for its second home match, but is also preparing to play additional home matches elsewhere in the Denver metro area - including another at Empower Field or Dick's Sporting Goods Park (home of MLS side Colorado Rapids).

“If we have more matches very early in the season, that could be challenging, but if it’s spread out a little bit, then we might not need to play anywhere else,” Millet said. “We’re awaiting more information on that.”

The team's ultimate goal is to play at a 14,500-seat venue in Santa Fe Yards for the 2028 NWSL season, a move approved by the city of Denver in May. The total cost is expected to be between $220 to $270 million and it would be the second stadium specifically built for an NWSL team. The team's training center and temporary ground are expected to cost $25 million.

Boston, on the other hand, will be renovating White Stadium in partnership with the city of Boston. Boston Public Schools will be the primary day-to-day tenant of the 10,000-plus-seat arena. The stadium was originally supposed to open in early 2026, but was delayed partially due to local opposition.

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