Stadium Journey's MLS Stadium Ranking 2025
- Dave Cottenie
- 6h
- 19 min read
With the FIFA World Cup around the corner, the 2025 Major League Soccer season has been one of great importance and great change. Huge news arrived in November, with the announcement that the MLS season schedule would be changing to align itself with other international soccer leagues beginning with the 2027-28 season. Also, the highly controversial MLS Season Pass on AppleTV+ will see the extra subscription fee waived and not require extra payment from those who already subscribe to AppleTV+.
Atlanta United FC once again lead MLS in attendance, averaging over 41,400 fans per game and even welcomed an astounding 65,520 fans for their home opener against CF Montréal. Philadelphia Union claimed their second Supporters’ Shield with the best record during the regular season. The MLS playoffs culminated in the MLS Cup Final, played on December 6th, where Inter Miami CF defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida 3-1. The ageless Lionel Messi of Inter Miami had 29 goals on the season, to lead the league, while Yohei Takaoka of Vancouver had 13 clean sheets on the year.
The annual MLS rankings at Stadium Journey are based on the FANFARE metric used on the website, where a number of different writers assess the soccer experience based on the categories of Food, Atmosphere, Neighborhood, Fans, Access, Return on Investment and any extras that the writers experienced. The stakes are high, with an average grading of 3.88 being earned out of a possible perfect 5.0.
This list is just an amalgamation of a number of opinions, and may not be in agreement for all. Please let Stadium Journey know your opinions on our various Social Media outlets. How is your list different from ours? What do we have right? What do we have wrong?
Without further ado, Stadium Journey is proud to present the 2025 Rankings of the Major League Soccer Experiences.
Chris Green - Orlando City SC is everything the MLS wants its teams to be: a team with a beautiful stadium in the middle of a downtown district with nearby restaurants, shopping, and public transportation; an incredibly passionate fan base that shows up and sells out games regardless of the team’s record; and a vibrant city that has embraced its growing sports culture – this is the blueprint the league has asked teams to follow from here on out. Orlando has produced one of the most impressive game day experiences anywhere and continues to do so every game. From the never-ending songs at the wall to the march into the stadium, Inter&Co Stadium has everything you could imagine wanting in a soccer stadium.
Chris Green - “It’s a fantastic place to play. These environments didn’t exist when I played…Portland is among the top of the list of great environments…this is what soccer should be like.” – Robin Fraser
The Portland Timbers game experience is unparalleled in MLS. Without a doubt, this is one of the best experiences any sports fan will have in America, let alone MLS. After recent stadium expansions and enhancements, the transformation of Providence Park from a former baseball field into a top-tier soccer establishment is complete, and the results are breathtaking. A vaulting sideline seating expansion that added multiple levels of seats and concessions for fans provides some of the best views in the stadium, and a new fan store near the main entrance provides fans a perfect place to gear up before matches. Add to that the biggest crowds and the loudest environment in the league, making this a perfect place to watch MLS at its best.
Dave Cottenie - When entering the gates at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for an Atlanta United FC soccer match, one of the items that will catch a fan’s attention is the large banner above the gates that confidently states “Unite & Conquer” in gold lettering on a black background. This slogan aptly describes the life of the Atlanta United Football Club. Taking to the pitch for their first season in 2017, Atlanta United has been a runaway success. They have led Major League Soccer in attendance every season they have played, with the exception of the 2020 Covid 19 season. They have been dubbed the “Loudest Pitch in MLS” according to Newsweek magazine. They even won the MLS Cup in just their second season, 2018.
Dennis Morrell - The Vancouver Whitecaps needed a plan for an acceptable venue to host MLS matches before a franchise would be awarded. Vancouver fans were satisfied upon learning BC Place, home of the Canadian Football League’s Lions, would be further renovated after the Olympics with completion set for September 2011. Until it was complete, though, the Whitecaps played most of their inaugural campaign in a makeshift venue on the site of the former Empire Stadium, the longtime home of the NASL Whitecaps from 1974-1983. They closed out play at this site on September 21st with a 3-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC. On October 2nd of their first season, they opened their new, renovated home with a 1-0 defeat to the hands of their Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers. In terms of history, BC Place served as the Olympic Stadium for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It has hosted eight CFL Grey Cup Championship games.
Lloyd Brown - Football Club Cincinnati (FC Cincinnati) has been in existence since 2015. At that time, they played at the USL’s Champions level of competition. They played their home matches at Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati. The team was an immediate success, as the population of Queen City has a large ethnically diverse population, and soccer was their game of choice. By 2019, they had applied for membership at the MLS level. This application was approved, with the requirement that a soccer-specific stadium be built for the team in the first few years of membership in the MLS. The team immediately went to work on getting a venue built. After much discussion of several sites and some trading of property with the local school system work got underway on building a new stadium in the neighborhoods just northwest of downtown Cincinnati. There were still some delays, as the team changed architects, choosing Populous as their new designer. Finally, the $250 million stadium opened in 2021 as West End Stadium. It offers a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 25,513. A majority of those seats are chairback seats with cupholders. The stadium includes 59 suites, a 3,100-person standing area for the supporter groups, and 4,500 premium or club seats. The stadium seats feature the team’s kit colors of blue with the accent color of orange.
Marc Viquez - There was a time when the thought of the Columbus Crew relocating elsewhere was a reality, but after a campaign to keep the club in town and a new ownership group, the result would be the $314 million Lower.com Field for the club to call home. The 20,371-seat venue is located in the Arena District next to Huntington Park and a few blocks west of Nationwide Arena. The stadium offers a field with a hydroponic heater that can raise the field temperature by 20 degrees if needed and water can drain in less than 3 minutes. The Nordecke supporters' section is the steepest and second largest of its kind in the MLS while offering a beer garden on the concourse.
Andrew Kulyk - The FC Dallas franchise was already a trendsetter back in the early 2000s, when they designed and built one of the first soccer-specific stadiums in Major League Soccer. The size, configuration, and intimate game day experience became an instant hit. The template has since been emulated across the entire swath of the league, with a building boom continuing in existing and expansion cities. FC Dallas took it one step further, adding the National Soccer Hall of Fame, which opened in 2018. This is a resplendent museum and interactive series of exhibits, adding a unique dimension to this complex and making it a true destination even on non-game days. Come 2025, and it will be an entire remake and reimagination of Toyota Stadium. Just about the entire stadium is being demolished and remodeled, side by side, and come 2028, a completely new venue will entertain fans and athletes alike, offering new comforts, amenities, and a canopied roof to shelter patrons from the summer sun and much, much more.
Dave Cottenie - The landscape of Toronto FC is changing. The glory days that culminated in Toronto Football Club being the first Major League Soccer team to secure the trifecta in 2017 of the Voyageurs Cup (Canadian Championship), Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup, are gone. TFC legends Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley have all departed as well as coach Greg Vanney. The rebuild is now on. After a few stutter steps, Toronto FC hopes to bring the squad back into playoff contention for the 2024 season. Playing their first match in 2007, Toronto FC has been crucial for the development of Major League Soccer, paving the way for other Canadian squads CF Montreal and Vancouver Whitecaps FC to take to the pitch. The strong ownership of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, also owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Marlies, has been critical in the continued success of the franchise. Since its inception, the home of Toronto FC has been BMO Field. Located at Exhibition Place, on the site of the former home of the Toronto Blue Jays, Exhibition Stadium, the city owned stadium is preparing to be the smallest host of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. BMO Field was originally built as, and currently retains the moniker of, Canada’s National Soccer Stadium, and has been renovated and expanded numerous times. It has seen the Grey Cup, MLS Cup and the NHL Centennial Classic and will be expanded temporarily to host its biggest event yet in the World Cup.
Richard Smith - Major League Soccer (MLS) started in 1995, and one of the founding teams was the New York/New Jersey MetroStars which played in Giants Stadium. The New York Bulls are the successor to that franchise having been purchased directly by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, producers of the Red Bull Energy Drink. After briefly being Red Bull New York they changed to the more American style New York Red Bulls name. The soccer venue opened in 2010 after a lot of political activity and is now the home to the Red Bulls. Located in Harrison, New Jersey, just on the other side of the Passaic River from Newark, Sports Illustrated Stadium seats 25,000 seats and is also owned by Red Bull GmbH. The stadium has also been home to other events such as the Premier Lacrosse League, local commencements, and many concerts. In December of 2024, New York Red Bulls and Sports Illustrated Tickets, a fan-first, live event ticketing marketplace, proudly announced a landmark, 13-year partnership.
Lloyd Brown - The Seattle Sounders FC has been one of the premier clubs in the MLS over the last two decades. They have won two MLS Cups (2016 and 2019), and the Supporters Shield for the best regular season record in 2014. Seattle has two major rivalries with their Pacific Northwest neighbors in the form of the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Sounders have played at their current home since 2009. CenturyLink Field changed its name to Lumen Field in November 2020. This was not the result of a new stadium sponsorship agreement. CenturyLink has rebranded itself as Lumen Technologies. Most stadium signage has been changed to reflect this, but due to the immense cost of changing the name on the roof of the stadium, the CenturyLink name remains in place. Lumen Field has a capacity of 67,000, but for Sounders matches the capacity typically is limited to the lower bowl and can hold 37,722. Capacity is typically expanded for the rivalry games against the Timbers or Whitecaps or playoff games.
Andrew Kulyk - The city of St. Louis has a rich and storied soccer tradition spanning over a century, both at the amateur and professional levels. So it was a no-brainer that as the MLS was rapidly expanding and in search of new markets, it would be St. Louis that would be high on the priority list. In the early 2010s, plans were put in place for a stadium featuring a hybrid NFL field and soccer pitch, with the primary goal of keeping the NFL St. Louis Rams from relocating. That effort fizzled, and the Rams did indeed move back to their original home in Los Angeles. The focus then became a soccer-specific venue, and a long sought-after site on the western fringes of downtown, adjacent to historic Union Station, was presented to the MLS expansion committee. When the league expanded to 30 teams in 2019, St. Louis was awarded one of the new franchises, aided by a strong presentation with renderings of a gleaming new stadium, and a solid ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, making this team the first major franchise with a female controlling owner. Energizer Park opened its doors in the spring of 2023, ushering in a new and exciting era in St. Louis sports history.
James Hilchen - Opened in 2019 at a cost of $200 million, Allianz Field is a soccer-specific stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. Home to Minnesota United FC and Minnesota Untied FC 2, the stadium holds a capacity of 19,400. Though relatively new, Allianz Field has become known as one of the premier soccer stadiums in the country. The stadium has hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup games, a World Cup qualifier, and most recently hosted the 2022 MLS All-Star game. Among the features at Allianz Field are an 88,000 square foot translucent stadium skin, a 360-degree canopy, and a heated playing surface. For cycling purists, there are accommodations for 400 bikes to be parked should you choose to ride to the game. There are also 280 seats for ADA guests and their companions.
James Hilchen - Children’s Mercy Park is home to both Sporting KC of Major League Soccer and the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League. The stadium opened in 2011 on day that saw Sporting KC and the Chicago Fire play to a 0-0 draw. Over the years, Children’s Mercy Park has won numerous awards. It is also the only venue to host the MLS All-Star Game, the United States Men’s National Team, and the MLS Cup all in the same year. The stadium has also held numerous World Cup qualifiers, Olympic qualifiers, CONCACAF Gold Cups, and international friendlies.
Andrei Ojeda - The L.A. Galaxy, one of the original 10 teams who began play in 1996, played initially in the storied Rose Bowl and would remain there until 2003. At the site of the 1994 World Cup, crowds at Galaxy games were often sparse. Only the Columbus Crew played in a soccer-specific stadium as other teams often found themselves using NFL stadiums, where oftentimes the venues were practically empty. Upon moving to the StubHub Center in 2003, then known as the Home Depot Center, the Galaxy would move into a much more intimate 27,000-seat stadium. Aside from soccer, the facility also houses a velodrome, a track, and field, and a tennis stadium, located right next to the soccer facility. In Jan 2019, the venue name changed from the StubHub Center to Dignity Health Sports Park.
David Welch - Nashville is quickly becoming one of the up-and-coming sports cities in the country, with the high level of support the Nashville Predators receive, the past successes the Tennessee Titans have experienced, and the Triple-A Nashville Sounds routinely in the top 5 of minor league baseball in attendance annually. The city has also received a lot of support to attract a Major League Baseball expansion franchise, and is beginning to establish itself as a soccer town, with the addition of Nashville SC as part of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2020. Nashville SC is not the city’s first run at professional soccer – dating back to the early 1980s the Nashville Diamonds played in the American Soccer League. Later, the Nashville Metros and Nashville FC competed in various professional soccer leagues from the late 80s throughout the mid-2010s. Nashville SC first came to fruition as a member of the USL Championship level for three seasons, leading to the establishment of an MLS franchise in Nashville for the 2020 season under new ownership. Initially playing at Nissan Stadium for their first two seasons, the Boys in Gold would move into the soccer specific Geodis Park in time for the 2022 season. As of 2024 the 30,000-seat stadium is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States or Canada.
Eric Moreno - In 2018, after the relocation of Columbus Crew SC to Austin proved unsuccessful, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced they would award an expansion franchise to the state capitol of Texas in time for the 2021 season. Construction began on the stadium, located in the North Burnet area of the city, and was completed in time to host Austin FC’s inaugural season. The home opener took place in June of 2021, and both the team and their home have proven to be an immediate hit with the fans in Austin, routinely reaching capacity for their home games. Q2 Stadium was designed to be sleek, modern, and inclusive, as well as to embody the spirit of Austin and its inhabitants – that mission was accomplished.
Andrei Ojeda - From L.A. to The O.C., southland sports fans will never suffer from a shortage of teams to cheer for. With fans having a choice of two teams to cheer for in each major sport, as of this season, Major League Soccer fans throughout the southland will also have their choice of two teams to cheer for with the addition of the Los Angeles Football Club. The first MLS game to take place in Southern California would take place at storied Rose Bowl in 1996. The L.A. Galaxy would call The Rose Bowl home until 2003 when they would move to more intimate settings at the Stubhub Center in the city of Carson. Throughout the early stages of the MLS, most teams often found themselves playing home games in front of sparse crowds at NFL venues. BMO Stadium, located on the spot formerly occupied by the Los Angeles Sports Arena, kicks off its inaugural season with a seating capacity of 22,000, all but securing a packed house for every contest. Banc of California Stadium is the first open-air professional sports venue to open in Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962.
Marc Viquez - Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer has called Soldier Field home since 2020. The team had previously played here from 1998-2005 before relocating to the soccer-specific stadium in the suburb of Bridgeview, 12 miles southwest of Chicago. The move back to Chicago was a surprise at first, but being 1.5 miles from downtown, accessible to superior mass transit, and close to a fan base that has embraced the game has made it a logical choice for the Fire. Soldier Field is the long-time home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and opened on October 9, 1924, as Grant Park Stadium. It was renamed the following year to honor the US soldiers who died in combat during World War I. The stadium features a Neoclassical style with Doric columns rising above the east and west entrances. The stadium went through $632 million renovations between 2002 and 2003 that reduced capacity and modernized the stadium. The exterior would be retained, but the interior would be significantly altered, providing a venue with a unique design. The move would be fruitful as average attendance has risen from 15,848 in 2022 to 24,474 in four seasons.
Meg Minard - PayPal Park is the home ground of the MLS San Jose Earthquakes. The soccer-specific venue was known as Avaya Stadium when it opened in 2015. It has gone by its current name (PayPal Park) since the start of the 2021 season. The city has hosted soccer since 1974 with teams in various leagues. The Earthquakes started in 1996 as one of the original members of Major League Soccer. The team has won two MLS Cup titles (2001, 2003) and two Supporters’ Shields (2005, 2012). The staff and fans make witnessing a match incredibly worthwhile as they are all friendly and helpful and seem pleased you have visited their team and stadium. One of the better matches to attend is when Los Angeles FC comes to town as there is usually a good contingency of away team visitors which makes the stadium rumble.
David Welch - Charlotte FC has created a match-day atmosphere that is festive, energetic, and reminiscent of traditional European soccer experiences. The passion of the supporters brings it to life, creating an environment any fanbase would be proud of. The one major drawback is the venue itself. Even with crowds topping 30,000, the sheer scale of Bank of America Stadium can dilute the energy and leave the experience feeling less intimate. The supporters and their traditions do plenty to bridge that gap, but the stadium still feels like a borrowed stage rather than a true home. Still, the ingredients are there: a devoted fan base, the vibrant Uptown setting, and traditions that connect fans to the club’s identity. With those elements in place, Charlotte FC has the right foundation to be one of MLS’s most exciting match-day experiences.
Richard Smith - The Philadelphia Union competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference of the league. They began in 2010 as an expansion team. Earlier attempts to bring the MLS to the area failed at Trenton, New Jersey, and at Rowan University (also in New Jersey). The MLS is soccer’s highest level in both the United States and Canada. Subaru Park opened in 2010 in Chester, PA, and has also been called PPL Park and Talen Energy Stadium. Besides soccer, there have been “Battle of the Blue” football games played here between the University of Delaware and Villanova. The stadium has also hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship, the Major League Lacrosse’s Championship known as the Steinfeld Cup, the ACC Lacrosse Championship, and the NCAA Division I and Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, as well as numerous rugby matches and concerts.
Greg Johnston - Montreal, Quebec was well prepared for a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise when the Impact joined in 2012. Owners Saputo, Inc. completed phase one of Stade Saputo in 2008 in anticipation of an expansion MLS team. In the meantime, the Montreal Impact of the North American Soccer League (NASL) called the then 13,000 seat stadium home. The stadium is located in Parc Olympique, seven miles northeast of downtown. Capacity expanded to 20,801 once the announcement of an MLS club became official in 2010. The organization has celebrated momentary successes in their brief history. Though they haven’t won an MLS championship, the Impact did win back-to-back Canadian championships in 2013 & 2014, reaching the CONCACAF Finals in the latter year.
Paul Baker - The New England Revolution are one of the ten charter members of Major League Soccer. Owned by Robert Kraft and family, who also own the New England Patriots of the National Football League, the team shares their home, Gillette Stadium, with the Patriots. The Revolution actually predate their home venue, having played in Foxboro Stadium for their first six seasons before Gillette Stadium opened in 2002. Throughout the team’s history calls for a soccer-specific stadium have been made, but despite an abundance of rumors popping up over the team’s quarter-century history, no plans have come to fruition. Team owner Robert Kraft has repeatedly stated that he would like to build a soccer-specific stadium in or around Boston. The Revolution have won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, the 2008 North American SuperLiga and the 2021 Supporters Shield. The Revs have participated in five MLS Cup finals, most recently in 2014, losing each time. They have the most MLS Cup appearances without winning a title.
Eric Moreno - In 2006, the owners of the original Major League Soccer (MLS) San Jose Earthquakes were granted the right to relocate, and they chose the fourth-largest city in the country as their new home. The cosmopolitan Houston, Texas proved to be a perfect fit for the rechristened Houston Dynamo FC. The team experienced immediate success upon their arrival in Space City, winning the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007. Situated at the heart of Houston’s vibrant downtown, Shell Energy Stadium was designed by the same firm that was responsible for the famed Emirates Stadium in London, home of Arsenal FC. The facility was recently renovated in 2023 to replace most of the seats and upgrade the LED boards and has proven to be a hit with fans.
Gregory Koch - D.C. United is a charter member of Major League Soccer, joining the league for its inaugural 1996 season. For the first two-plus decades of their existence, the Black & Red played in cavernous, run-down RFK Stadium, which also served as a baseball and football stadium at various points in its existence. After many discussions of a new stadium, D.C. United finally got one in 2018, moving into Audi Field, a soccer-specific stadium located on Buzzard Point. This long-awaited home was intended to revitalize the atmosphere at D.C. United games, and for the most part, it has done so.
Lloyd Brown - The 18,000-seat Chase Stadium is designed to serve as an interim home for the team while their permanent home is under design in the Freedom Park development located near Miami International Airport. Soccer icon David Beckham is part of the ownership group and serves as the team’s President of Soccer Operations. He is also the driving force behind the Freedom Park development. The team reflects Miami’s unique cultural makeup. The official name of the team is Club Internacional de Futbol Miami, as the vast majority of the team’s supporters come from the many Latin communities found in the Miami area. First time attendees to a Miami game could easily feel they are in a stadium in South America.
Sean MacDonald - New York City Football Club got their start in 2015 as the 20th expansion franchise in MLS. Owned by Premier League club Manchester City and the New York Yankees, the team began to play at Yankee Stadium with the expectation that a soccer-only venue would be constructed somewhere in the five boroughs in the next few years. As the club begins their fourth season, however, there is no sign of that new stadium on the horizon. One proposed location for a new facility, which is actually outside the city proper, will instead be used for the Islanders new arena and no other options are currently being explored. This is bad for both NYCFC and the Yankees. Last season, changes to the baseball schedule forced City to play two home matches elsewhere, Rentschler Field and Citi Field. The constant changes to the turf as the soccer field is laid down and then removed is not good for the long-term health of the infield, although no problems have arisen so far. So what is it like attending a game at the only baseball stadium in the MLS? As you might expect, it leaves most fans singing the blues.
Matt Finnigan - When Dick’s Sporting Goods Park opened in 2007, it provided a new, cozy home for the MLS’s Colorado Rapids after having played the first decade of their existence in cavernous NFL Stadiums (Mile High Stadium from 1996-2000 and Empower Field at Mile High from 2001-2006). DSG Park, as it’s come to be known, promised to be a long-term home for the Rapids, with empty acreage surrounding the facility to be developed into just about anything in the suburb of Commerce City, north of downtown Denver. The ensuing 16 years have seen that acreage sit mostly empty while the MLS’s expansion boom has brought with it a proliferation of new soccer facilities aimed at providing great fan experiences. DSG Park now sits at a crossroads. The City of Commerce City owns DSG Park, leasing it to the Rapids’ ownership group, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (“KSE”), for $1 per year over 25 years. The City has accused KSE of failing to keep promises to develop the 917 acres appurtenant to the stadium.
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