Commanders Stadium will have a seating capacity of 65,000 and a translucent roof allowing for climate control and sunlight. It will be among the most expensive stadiums ever built at a projected cost of US$3.7billion. It will be designed by the architectural firm HKS, owned by the District of Columbia, and operated by the Commanders, with future residential, retail, and hospitality development planned around it. The stadium is expected to open in 2030, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026.
The land surrounding RFK Stadium had been managed by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the Department of the Interior, since the District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957 (H.R. 1937). On July 27, 2023, the United States Congress introduced the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act (H.R. 4984), which proposed transferring control to the DC city government through a 99-year lease and permitting mixed-use development. The act was passed by the House of Representatives on February 28, 2024,[7] passed by the Senate on December 21,[8] and signed into law by president Joe Biden on January 6, 2025.[9] On April 28, 2025, DC mayor Muriel Bowser, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and Commanders owner Josh Harris held a press conference at the National Press Club announcing a new stadium to replace RFK at the site.[10][11] U.S. president Donald Trump proposed blocking the deal unless the Commanders returned to the Redskins branding; he later stated a desire for the stadium to be named after him.[12][13] The project was tentatively approved by the DC Council on August 1, 2025, with a second vote on September 17 passing it 11–2.[5] The stadium is expected to open in 2030—infrastructure groundbreaking is slated for 2026 with structural work beginning in early 2027.[14]
Financing
Commanders Stadium is projected to cost US$3.7billion, putting it among the most expensive stadiums globally.[14] The stadium will be financed through a public–private partnership, with it owned by the DC government and operated by the Commanders.[15][16] The Commanders are slated to contribute $2.7billion and any cost overrun, with DC spending $500million on infrastructure by way of the Sports Facilities Fee, $356million on two parking garages by way of bonds through Events DC, and $202million on public utilities by way of general taxes.[14][17] The Sports Facilities Fee will also be used for a $600million public transit fund to reduce traffic congestion and reliance on parking in the area, with DC planning for additional Metrobus stops, an expansion of Stadium–Armory station, and potentially a new station on Benning Road.[14][18] The stadium will make use of personal seat licenses (PSL).[19] Revenue from tickets and parking for stadium events will go to the Commanders, with DC anticipating over $5 billion in revenue over 30 years from sales taxes on stadium concessions and commercial property taxes on its campus.[14][20][21]
Commanders Stadium will anchor about 180 acres (0.73km2) of mixed-use development districts featuring housing, dining, retail, hotels, and offices.[14][17] The Commanders are to oversee the development of the Plaza and Riverfront districts.[14] The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will manage the Recreation district, adding a $89million indoor track and gymnasium to the existing Fields at RFK recreation center,[27] the Kingman Park district, which will expand upon the bordering Kingman Park residential neighborhood, and the Anacostia Commons, a protected riparian area containing the western portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail with plans to build an amphitheater, an environmental education center, and additional access points to Kingman and Heritage Island.[14] 6,000 residences are expected to be built across the Plaza, Riverfront, and Kingman Park districts, with 30% reserved as affordable.[28] A third of the stadium's campus will be dedicated to green space, with care for native heritage trees being undertaken during construction.[29] The majority of district construction will commence following the stadium's opening due to phased zoning approval, with the Commanders expecting the project's full completion by 2040.[14][28]
↑ O'Gorek, Elizabeth (February 14, 2025). "Mayor: NFL Stadium Fastest Route to RFK Development". Hill Rag. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025. The charge that we would give any architect that works with us is that this stadium will be on the monumental axis in the nation's capital that's built on the L'Enfant Plan
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