Boston Legacy FC announced on Thursday that the opening of White Stadium is delayed until the 2028 NWSL season, and the team will play its entire 2027 home schedule in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
White Stadium in Boston was one of the foundational parts of the Legacy ownership group’s successful expansion bid to the NWSL, which first voted to admit Boston as a team in January 2023.
Legacy FC will share the stadium with Boston Public Schools in a public-private partnership.
The team originally planned to play at the renovated 10,500-seat White Stadium in 2026, but that timeline was delayed by years of political and legal challenges.
Construction remains ongoing at the stadium. Instead, Legacy FC debuted at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in March, and split games between the cavernous NWSL venue and the soccer-specific Centreville Bank Stadium farther south of Boston in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
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“Throughout this journey, we have been guided by a simple belief: Boston deserves a world-class home for professional women‘s soccer and youth sports — a home that will shape the future of our club, expand opportunities for Boston Public Schools students, and serve families and communities for generations to come,” Boston Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said in a statement.
Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket also seats 10,500 fans.
The venue opened in 2025 as the home to USL Championship men’s team Rhode Island FC. Boston Legacy FC has averaged 8,980 fans per game in Pawtucket this season.
Boston Legacy FC plans to share the cost of rebuilding the dilapidated White Stadium with the City of Boston.
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That cost has nearly tripled from initial estimates, with the city’s contribution expected to cost $135 million in taxpayer money. Legacy FC plans to pay $190 million.
The NWSL team will have access to the facility for home games while Boston Public Schools athletic teams use the stadium throughout the week.
Locals who were part of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the Franklin Park Defenders argued that rebuilding White Stadium, which is in Boston’s Franklin Park, violated state laws that cover public park land.
The legal battle reached a likely conclusion earlier this month when Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a lower court’s ruling and allowed construction to continue.
In a statement earlier this month, Epstein called the ruling “a tremendous victory” that “clears the way for completing the White Stadium renovation and delivering a world-class facility that will serve our community for generations.”
The club said on Thursday that “construction is actively progressing in the grandstands, with crews on site six days a week.”
White Stadium’s renovation was so essential to the NWSL’s acceptance of the Boston franchise that failure to begin playing at the venue in 2026 would “risk NWSL terminating its rights,” according to previous court documents.
That drastic situation did not develop, but NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told ESPN earlier this year that the decision to admit Atlanta and Columbus as 2028 expansion teams included the factor that both already have their proposed home venues constructed and operating. Boston ISA, the team’s first supporters’ group, said that it is “genuinely pleased” with the selection of Centreville Bank as the team’s 2027 temporary home thanks to its “lively atmosphere.”
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In a statement, the group wrote: “While we are disappointed by this news [White Stadium’s delay], we know the club has worked tirelessly to overcome the many unnecessary obstacles put in their path to playing gin the city, and we are so excited to see their vision come to life.”
The team’s move to Pawtucket this year came after season ticket holders had already selected their seats at Gillette Stadium, adding frustration and confusion among fans.
Thursday’s announcement provides clarity for the years to come. Boston joined the NWSL as an expansion team alongside Denver Summit FC this year to bring the league to 16 teams.
Denver faced some stadium delays as well. Summit FC now plays at Centennial Stadium, a 12,000-seat temporary stadium that the team built and opened in July, slightly behind schedule.
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Denver plans to build a permanent, 14,500-seat stadium inside city limits, but the club confirmed in July that it won’t be ready for the start of 2028 as originally planned.
The Chicago Stars also announced this week that they would return to Martin Field on the campus of Northwestern University for the 2027 season.
The Stars have been operating on year-to-year leases amid uncertainty around a long-term venue.
