As NYCFC builds its own soccer-first stadium, the team continues to play most home matches at Yankee Stadium, in part due to the Yankees’ minority ownership of the MLS franchise. But when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami come to town Wednesday, the match will instead be played at the New York Mets’ Citi Field.
It’s a decision that could have business ramifications. Messi road games are typically huge economic drivers for host teams. Many clubs sell additional seats in their stadium just for that game—or move to bigger venues altogether. Messi’s first road game against the New York Red Bulls, for example, was the team’s highest-grossing match in its stadium’s 13-year history. It would stand to reason that the Yankees might be eager to capture that at their own venue.
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NYCFC is playing 11 games at Yankee Stadium this year, up from nine in 2024, with another five at Citi Field. There is not any agreement between the team and the Mets to have Messi play at Citi Field as part of a wider stadium real estate accord. The reason, according to people familiar with the situation, is more mundane—the Yankees play at home on Wednesday, and though MLS schedule-makers knew that in advance, this was the best date to have Inter Miami travel to play NYCFC.
Each year, months before the full MLS schedule is released each December, clubs give available dates to the league. For some teams, depending on their home venue, this is a big list with a lot of wiggle room. They’ll give dozens of possible dates and subsequently lobby MLS for their ideal preferences. That could include a favorable date for the Messi game, for example, or early road games when the weather is cold.
For NYCFC, which plays games in two MLB stadiums, there fewer options. The MLB schedule is already out at that point, and MLS games require a six-day open window at either venue to get the soccer field laid out and then removed again for baseball.
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Each MLS club plays 17 home games in a season, and this year, according to one of the people familiar, NYCFC wasn’t even able to give MLS 17 available dates—the team’s final regular-season game, on Oct. 18 against the Seattle Sounders, is yet to be assigned and will depend on both MLB teams’ playoff success. Given that NYCFC has so few available dates to get into its schedule, there’s far less room to nitpick the schedule-maker’s choices.
More than 44,700 fans packed the Bronx last September for Messi’s first road game against the club. Citi Field only holds 41,800 for baseball and hasn’t had more than 31,000 for an NYCFC match. The marquee tie-up also comes on a school night up against both of NYC’s MLB teams playing key games in their effort to secure playoff spots, including the home Yankees game.
While Citi Field holds fewer fans than Yankee Stadium, the economics for NYCFC are not dramatically different across the two stadiums, one of the people said. That said, outside of the revenue-share for NYCFC, there are potentially implications for the Yankees missing out on that opportunity, either via an upfront fee from the soccer team or from their own cut of revenue. A rep for NYCFC declined to comment on the financial specifics; reps for the Mets and Yankees didn’t respond to requests.
The team has broken ground on a $780 million soccer-specific site, Etihad Park, across the street from Citi Field, that is set to open in early 2027. Mets owner Steve Cohen reportedly initially pushed back against his proposed neighbors, before coming to an agreement that would allow match attendees to park around Citi Field. He has more recently supported the team’s endeavor as he looks to bring additional development, including a casino, to the area.
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Everyone involved in the scheduling challenges can take solace in the fact that this complexity is likely coming to an end. Etihad Park is scheduled to open before the 2027 MLS season, and with it a whole bunch of open dates for the team—and the league—to play with.
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