Is it already time to expand Q2 Stadium? – CAPITAL CITY SOCCER
Since day one, Austin FC has sold out every home match at Q2 Stadium.
With the stadium hitting full capacity every home match, it makes you wonder how soon until the club adds more seats to meet the insatiable demand of watching the Verde & Black play.
Way before the stadium was ever built, ATXFC planned for this day.
The North End was designed to accommodate an upper deck.
It seems most likely that this new section would be cantilevered over the concourse and connected to the club’s private suites on the upper North side (in the area outlined in red below).
Q2 Stadium future expansion
Back in 2019, here’s what club president Andy Loughnane said, “The stadium is being built with expansion opportunities all the way up to 22,000 seats.”
Doing some quick math, that’s 1,262 additional seats that could go up on the North End. (Considering the mile-long waitlist for season tickets, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went back to the drawing board to wedge in even more seats where possible.)
An expanded Q2 Stadium with 22,000 seats still falls below the average size of current MLS stadiums by more than 2,000 seats.
The dust has barely settled since its grand opening in June 2021, but I could see new stadium seating construction starting as soon as late 2022.
To that point, club president Andy Loughnane had this to say in an August 10 interview with SportsPro Media, “We’re analysing studies that could add anywhere between 400 to 1,000 seats in the north building,” Loughnane confirms. “And these are studies that are underway as we speak.”
Just outside the stadium, Verde Square, a new four-building project (office, hotel, retail, and apartments) is expected to begin after Austin FC’s regular season ends in October 2022.
With construction outside of the stadium going on, it makes sense to start the revamp inside Q2 at the same time.
Austin FC has the second smallest venue of the six newest MLS soccer-specific stadiums, either built or under construction, with 20,738 seats. The average capacity of the new stadiums listed below is 24,434.
| Stadium | Franchise | Capacity | Opening Date |
| Lower.com Field | Columbus Crew | 20,371 | 2021 |
| Q2 Stadium | Austin FC | 20,738 | 2021 |
| TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 26,000 | 2021 |
| Geodis Park | Nashville SC | 30,000 | 2022 |
| Centene Stadium | St. Louis City SC | 22,500 | 2023 |
| Miami Freedom Park | Inter Miami CF | 27,000 | 2024 |
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