42-469: Inter&Co Stadium (formerly Orlando City Stadium and Exploria Stadium ) is a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando, Florida . The stadium is located along West Church Street in the Parramore neighborhood west of Downtown Orlando . It is the home of Orlando City SC , which entered Major League Soccer (MLS) as an expansion franchise in 2015, and National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club,
84-638: A deal to provide financial support for a variety of Orlando projects including the new MLS soccer stadium. The last piece in stadium funding was an October 2013 vote on using an existing tourism tax to fund the final quarter of the $ 80 million stadium project. On October 22, 2013, the Orange County Board of Commissioners voted 5–2 to approve the use of $ 20 million in tourist development tax funds to build an $ 84 million multi-purpose soccer stadium in downtown Orlando. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced on December 11, 2013, that
126-436: A roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA : 110–120 yards (100–110 m) long by 70–80 yards (64–75 m) wide. These soccer field dimensions are wider than the regulation American football field width of 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m), or the 65-yard (59 m) width of a Canadian football field. The playing surface typically consists of grass as opposed to artificial turf , as
168-400: A single-leg match as a result. All games were played behind closed doors. The stadium will be one of twelve venues to host the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup . In May 2019, Cure Bowl officials announced the college football game would be moved to Exploria Stadium from Camping World Stadium . It was the stadium's first non-soccer event. It moved back to Camping World Stadium in 2020 after it
210-409: A small but ardent collection of fans from the two main supporter groups, The Ruckus and Iron Lion Firm. The supporters' section would also have its own "pub-style" area. Heineken announced a partnership with multiple MLS teams on November 12, 2014, including Orlando City, making Heineken the official beer of the team as well as giving Heineken naming rights to the ground level bar on the south side of
252-447: Is expected to create around 1000 more in an area that much needed its economic growth. The team released artistic renderings of the stadium on December 11, 2012. On September 30, 2013, the architectural firm Woods Bagot released their drawings of the stadium on their website. The team announced that these drawings were released without their knowledge or input, and that they had not selected an architect yet. Woods Bagot proceed to remove
294-437: Is in comparison to the much larger American football stadiums that mostly range between 60,000 and 80,000 in which the original North American Soccer League teams played and most MLS teams occupied during the league's inception. As opposed to gridiron-style football stadiums, where the front row of seats is elevated several feet above the field of play to allow spectators to see over the heads of substitute players and coaches on
336-652: Is particularly visible in European American football leagues and conflicts between teams sharing the stadium (a notable example are Eintracht Braunschweig and the Braunschweig Lions which share a stadium) and (often municipal) owners of the stadiums sometimes arise, leading to attempts at single sport-specific venues. In Australia the term has much the same meaning as that in the United States. The dominance of Australian rules football in
378-616: Is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football rather than soccer, although the term is not common in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadiums are quite common. The term tends to have a slightly different meaning in these countries, usually referring to a stadium without an athletics track surrounding the field. Some soccer stadiums in Europe are also used for other sports, including rugby, American football, and field hockey. The problem with oversized stadiums designed for another sport
420-445: The 2017 season by hosting New York City FC in the stadium's inaugural match. Cyle Larin scored the first goal in stadium history as Orlando won 1–0 in front of a sellout crowd of 25,550. On July 10, 2019, Orlando City progressed to their first U.S. Open Cup semi-final, defeating New York City FC on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The game received viral media coverage for what became known as "The Running of The Wall" when NYCFC won
462-506: The COVID-19 pandemic at the time, CONCACAF selected Exploria Stadium to host the latter stages of the delayed 2020 CONCACAF Champions League in one centralized and neutral location. With the competition paused in March at the quarter-final stage, three of the four ties had already had the first leg contested. Los Angeles FC vs Cruz Azul was the only outstanding first leg and was changed to
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#1732775501807504-535: The Orlando Pride . The stadium was completed in time for Orlando City's home opener of the 2017 season on March 5 and it became the first ever venue to permanently host MLS , NWSL , and USL teams all in the same location that year. As well as home matches for Orlando City, Orlando Pride, the stadium has also been used as a host venue for both the United States men's and women's national teams,
546-462: The 11 third round winners and the 21 American MLS teams. The teams were divided into eight regional groups of four, with either one or two third round teams. Pairings were drawn from the eight groups and announced on May 30. The Round of 16 took place June 18, 19, and 20. The Round of 16 draw took place on June 13. The Fourth Round winners were divided geographically into four groups and pairings were determined within those groups. A fixed bracket for
588-404: The 1990s, after the multi-purpose stadium era. The term "soccer-specific stadium" was coined by Lamar Hunt , who financed the construction of Columbus Crew Stadium , the first soccer-specific stadium constructed specifically for Major League Soccer. In the 2000s, other Major League Soccer teams in the United States began constructing their own stadiums. Canada's first soccer-specific stadium
630-491: The 2016 and 2017 NCAA Women's College Soccer Championship would be held at the new stadium. On August 4, 2014, the team announced that the stadium location would be moved one block west, to avoid having a delay to the opening day, due to Faith Deliverance Temple fighting the city's eminent-domain claim. The new location resulted in the closure of Parramore Avenue between Church Street and Central Boulevard in February 2015, as
672-693: The 21 American clubs from Major League Soccer and 25 non-affiliated American clubs in the USL Championship . The new USL League One entered its six non-affiliated clubs. The qualification tournament , held in 2018 and early 2019, determined seven teams from local amateur leagues. The 10 entrants from the USL League Two and the 14 from the National Premier Soccer League were determined based on results achieved in those leagues in 2018. Finally, beginning this year,
714-773: The Open Cup this year. States without a team in the Open Cup: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Host team listed first Bold = winner * = after extra time , ( ) = penalty shootout score All times local to game site. The First round of the Open Cup took place on May 7 and 8. There were 19 games between eight local qualifiers, 14 NPSL , 10 USL League Two , and 6 USL League One teams. The teams were paired geographically. The pairings were announced on April 10. The Second round
756-416: The bowl. It was also supposedly going to have bars, retail shops, and restaurants. Additional renderings and information about the stadium were released on June 10, 2014. The stadium has an open plaza, where those passing by can see inside, since the field is 8 feet (2.4 m) below street level. It was initially planned to have a seating capacity of 19,500, with the structural ability to expand to 25,000 in
798-478: The coin toss for the penalty shoot-out and elected to kick the penalties in front of an empty South Stand, the opposite side of the stadium to The Wall where the Orlando City supporters were located. The Orlando supporters took it upon themselves to run en masse down the length of the concourse and fill up the stand directly behind the goal the penalties were being taken. Adam Grinwis saved two penalties during
840-731: The construction of a $ 110 million MLS soccer stadium. However, in May, the Florida House of Representatives failed to vote on a bill that had passed the Senate that would have provided up to $ 30 million in state funds towards the stadium project. Orlando City SC President Phil Rawlins responded by expressing his intent to find alternative funding and keep seeking MLS expansion. The Orlando downtown soccer stadium moved closer to securing funding on August 8, 2013, when Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer reached an agreement on
882-487: The design and purpose of a soccer-specific stadium is primarily for soccer. Some facilities (for example SeatGeek Stadium , Toyota Stadium and Historic Crew Stadium ) have a permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for staging concerts. A soccer-specific stadium typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in North America, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly
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#1732775501807924-623: The finals for both the NWSL Championship and NCAA Women's College Cup , numerous Florida Cup games, the MLS Combine in 2018 and 2019, and the 2019 MLS All-Star Game . Aside from soccer, the stadium hosted the 2019 and 2021 Cure Bowl , a college football bowl game , as well as the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games opening ceremony. In April 2013, the City of Orlando purchased downtown land for $ 8.2 million to be used towards
966-400: The future. This was changed in May 2015 to simply building room for 25,000 in the initial construction, rather than waiting for another construction period. The field is grass, with canopies over fans to protect them from the elements and to increase noise levels. Just before a game began, the lion would rotate 180° to "watch" the action. A festival plaza lined with palm trees on the south end of
1008-545: The images from their website. The design phase began on January 7, 2014, when Mayor Buddy Dyer and some of the Orlando City SC staff traveled to Kansas City to begin working with the design firm Populous . The original renderings of the stadium proposed 18,000 seats, including 2,500 club seats. It would also have 300 seats in specialty suites. The stadium's square footage is about 290,000 square feet (27,000 m), with 120,000 square feet (11,000 m) devoted to
1050-415: The latter is generally disfavored for soccer matches since players are more susceptible to injuries. However, some soccer specific stadiums, such as Portland's Providence Park and Creighton University's Morrison Stadium , do have artificial turf. The seating capacity is generally between 18,000 and 30,000 for a Major League Soccer franchise, or smaller for college or minor league soccer teams. This
1092-460: The lower tier state league clubs own their own venues which also qualify as soccer specific. 2019 U.S. Open Cup The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup , a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States, and was contested by 84 teams from leagues in the U.S. system . The 84 entrants included
1134-470: The new stadium. The stadium includes 49 rainbow-colored seats in Section 12 as a memorial that honors the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting . On June 4, 2019, it was announced that Exploria Resorts (a timeshare entity based in nearby Clermont ) had acquired naming rights to the stadium. On January 18, 2024, Brazilian digital bank Inter&Co secured the naming rights to the stadium. Due to
1176-474: The plaza, just outside the main entrance at Church Street and Terry Avenue was built (the streets are closed to vehicles during events). A balcony-style bar just below the video scoreboard with a 360° view was planned as well. A seating section on the north end is dedicated to members of supporters' clubs. As proposed — and if building codes allow — it has no seats, but rails and extra room for " safe standing ". The 3,811-capacity section, known as "The Wall" began as
1218-513: The private funding venture for the new stadium, at least $ 15 million has come from 30 foreign investors in countries such as Brazil and China via the EB-5 investment program , which grants American visas in exchange for a $ 500,000 investment in the project. More foreign investors looking to obtain green cards through the EB-5 program are joining this project, which has already created around 1000 jobs and
1260-535: The reigning champion of the National Amateur Cup , Milwaukee Bavarian SC , was invited to the tournament. Houston Dynamo were the defending champions but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Minnesota United FC . Atlanta United FC won their first Open Cup title, defeating Minnesota United FC 2–1 in the final . A total of 34 states and the District of Columbia are represented by clubs in
1302-435: The rest of the tournament was established. The quarterfinal matches took place on July 10. The semifinals took place on August 6 and August 7. The hosts of the semi-finals were drawn on July 11. The hosts were decided on July 11. Updated through SF On April 5, 2019, U.S. Soccer announced a 4-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the Open Cup. The entire tournament, from first round to final, will be carried exclusively on
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1344-572: The shootout win. On May 12, 2021, Orlando City majority owner Flavio Augusto da Silva announced he was in advanced negotiations with Zygi and Mark Wilf , owners of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL , for the sale of the club including the stadium and other related soccer assets. The combined value of the deal was estimated at $ 400–450 million. The sale was completed on July 21, 2021. Orlando City SC 's owners announced on May 29, 2015, that
1386-490: The sidelines, soccer-specific venues typically have the front row closer to the level of the pitch. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, first-division professional soccer leagues in the United States, such as the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer, primarily used American football fields, many of which were oversized in terms of seating capacity and undersized in terms of the width of
1428-515: The soccer field; they often used artificial turf (none of which, at the time, were approved for international soccer under FIFA rules). Although many of the baseball parks had smaller capacities, natural grass, and a wider field, these parks were generally in use during summer, when North American–based soccer leagues, such as Major League Soccer, also hold their seasons, and the irregular field dimensions and sightlines were often considered undesirable. Soccer-specific stadiums first came into use in
1470-633: The southern states means that unlike in New South Wales and Queensland , rectangular stadiums and grounds capable of hosting top level A-League soccer are rare. Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia is an example of such a soccer-specific stadium, being built in the 1960s and progressively updated, the vast majority of matches played there are soccer, with very rare Rugby League or Rugby Union games. The Wyndham City Stadium and Wyndham Regional Football Facility are also examples. Many of
1512-506: The stadium was built right on top of where the road currently runs. The club played their 2015 MLS inaugural season home matches at Citrus Bowl . On January 13, 2016, club president Phil Rawlins announced that construction of the team's stadium was taking four months longer than expected and that the team would remain at the Citrus Bowl (since renamed Camping World Stadium ) for the 2016 season . On March 5, 2017, Orlando City began
1554-468: The stadium would be privately funded by Orlando City SC and not the city. They also announced they would upgrade the stadium's capacity from 19,000 seats, to somewhere between 25,000 and 28,000 seats. The new plan was unveiled on July 31, increasing capacity to 25,500 by adding seats to the south end to maximize seats without major design changes that would set back the project by an additional year. Costs also rose from $ 110 million to $ 155 million. As part of
1596-517: The stadium. In addition to the announcement, a new rendering of the south side from inside the stadium was released. Panasonic was announced as the team's "Official Technology Partner" on December 17, 2014, in exchange for Panasonic providing on-field and fascia LED boards, the main scoreboard on the south end of the field, and dozens of flat panel TV screens throughout the stadium in suites, offices and work areas. In addition, Panasonic provides security cameras, control room and other key components for
1638-554: Was BMO Field in Toronto , home to Toronto FC . This stadium was renovated to accommodate Canadian football for the 2016 and subsequent seasons. The distinction is less prominent in Canada, where MLS's attendance figures are comparable to those of the domestic Canadian Football League , and the CFL's wider field means fewer compromises must be made to accommodate both; Tim Hortons Field
1680-535: Was acquired by ESPN Events , but returned for two additional playings, in 2021 and 2022. Soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium , mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium which is for a variety of sports. A soccer-specific stadium may host other sporting events (such as lacrosse , American football and rugby ) and concerts, but
1722-450: Was built purposely to both soccer specifications and CFL regulations. Of the three Canadian cities that host both MLS and CFL teams, only one (Montreal) has separate stadiums for each. All USL Championship teams and USL League One teams will be required to play in self-owned, soccer-specific stadiums by the 2022 season. The following is a list of current USL stadiums that are soccer-specific stadiums: The term "football-specific stadium"
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1764-563: Was played on May 14 and 15. 22 games were played between the 19 Round 1 winners and 25 USL Championship teams. Each Round 1 pairing was matched to a Championship team, and the six remaining Championship teams were paired against each other. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on April 17. The Third round was played on May 28 and 29. 11 games were played between the winners of Round 2. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on May 14. The Fourth round took place on June 11 and 12. The Fourth Round consisted of 16 games between
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