The NWSL has selected CPKC Stadium, the newly constructed home of the Kansas City Current, as the site of the 2024 NWSL Championship, the league announced Wednesday. The soccer stadium, which opened in March, is the first stadium built specifically for a professional women’s sports team.
Kansas City now hosts the NWSL Championship, which airs primetime on Saturday, November 23 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
CPKC Stadium was unveiled at the start of the 2024 season. The stadium has a relatively small capacity, with room for 11,500 fans. Combined with the popularity of the Current — who dominate the league with a record-breaking 17-game undefeated streak — the venue has been sold out all season, with a waiting list of 3,000 people, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The ambitious project was spearheaded by Chris and Angie Long, who co-own the team with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes. According to the Wall Street Journal, about 40 banks declined to finance the $70 million project, with men’s team owners telling the Longs it wasn’t viable.
“CPKC Stadium exemplifies the explosive growth and investment we’re seeing in the NWSL, women’s soccer and women’s sports around the world,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a league press release. “It was a natural choice to host the league’s premier event in a venue that exemplifies the profound impact that infrastructure, investment and community support can have on the continued development and success of our sport.”
In a league where teams sharing a stadium are sometimes pushed out of stadiums, the new stadium gives Kansas City more control over scheduling and ticket sales. The Current has played most of its home games in coveted Saturday night slots, while other clubs have been forced to play on Sundays or afternoons to accommodate MLS teams.
Kansas City’s consistent sellout makes it a logical choice to host the NWSL finals. The size of the venue, however, has raised some concerns: compared to CPKC Stadium’s 11,500 capacity, more than 25,000 filled San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium for last year’s finals.
The announcement comes as the NWSL is enjoying record viewership thanks to a new broadcast deal signed in November. According to the NWSL’s press release, attendance has already surpassed 1 million fans, reaching the milestone earlier in the season than in previous years, and viewership is up 95% compared to the 2023 season.
