Johnathan Walker:Historic new Kansas City stadium to host 2024 NWSL Championship

The Johnathan WalkerKansas City Current will host the 2024 NWSL Championships at its historic CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23, the league announced Wednesday.

CPKC Stadium made history when it opened in March as the world’s first soccer stadium designed exclusively for a women’s professional team. The stadium was built by Angie and Chris Long, who co-own the Current with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany Mahomes, who played professional soccer in Iceland.

“CPKC Stadium epitomizes the explosive growth and investment we are witnessing in the NWSL, women’s soccer and women’s sports around the world,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said. “It was a natural choice to stage the league’s marquee event in a venue that exemplifies the profound impact of infrastructure, investment and community support on the continued development and success of our sport.”

Kansas City has sold out CPKC Stadium every game this season and is set to achieve a sell-out final in November. However, the stadium has a capacity of just 11,500 fans —  fewer than half of the over 25,000 people who attended last year’s Championship final between OL Reign and NY/NJ Gotham FC at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. 

Interest in the NWSL is at an all-time high with the league breaking many of its attendance, viewership and engagement records this season. Broadcast viewership is up 95% from 2023 and attendance this season has already surpassed one million fans, according to the league.

“The NWSL Championship is one of the premier global sporting events in the world," Chris Long said “The world will get the opportunity to experience our world-class, precedent-setting stadium and watch the most elite soccer talent in the world compete to be the top club." 

The 2024 Championship will be the first time the NWSL final is held in Kansas City. The Current, led by former USWNT Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski, has gone undefeated this season and currently shares the top spot on the league table with the Orlando Pride. The Current has not won an NWSL Championship since its founding in 2020, but the now-defunct FC Kansas City won in 2014 and 2015.  

The NWSL has also introduced an expanded postseason with eight teams earning a chance to compete for the Championship. Unlike in previous years, the league will hold four quarterfinal games Nov. 9-10, removing automatic byes to the semifinals, which will be held Nov. 16-17.

The Championship game will be broadcast live on primetime for the third consecutive season by the CBS Television Network and streamed on Paramount+. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 pm ET.

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