Yankee Stadium could be quite busy this fall, and not just for the Yankees.
On Monday, New York City FC announced that it plans to host home games at Yankee Stadium during the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. This will be the first time in four years that an MLS team plays a playoff game in the Bronx.
The timing of this announcement is interesting. It came just days after the Yankees were knocked out of the postseason and have been splitting their home games with Citi Field, which opens the door for NYCFC.
NYCFC hasn’t seen a home playoff game at Yankee Stadium since 2021, when they beat Atlanta United 2-0 in the first round and eventually won their first MLS Cup title.
As of now, New York City FC is guaranteed at least one home playoff match in the opening round. This series will be a best-of-three format, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3 if necessary.
Currently, NYCFC is sitting in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. However, they could potentially finish as high as 4th or drop to 6th, which would impact their home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The final standings will be decided in their last regular season match against Seattle on Saturday.
NYCFC will conclude the regular season at home, hosting the Sounders at Citi Field, aiming to maintain their solid performance in the area.
This season, they have tallied 11 wins and 5 losses at home.
Scheduling has been a bit tricky for NYCFC lately, especially with both New York teams in action, but they’ll have to navigate the potential impact of the Mets and Yankees’ postseason runs on their own plans.
Looking ahead, NYCFC has plans to move into a new soccer-specific stadium next to Citi Field, expected to be completed in 2027.
