Northwest Stadium

Northwest Stadium
A Washington Commanders game at the stadium, 2023
Northwest Stadium is located in Maryland
Map credit
Northwest Stadium
Northwest Stadium
Location within Maryland
Northwest Stadium is located in the United States
Map credit
Northwest Stadium
Northwest Stadium
Location within the United States
Former names
  • Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (1997–1999)
  • Redskins Stadium (1999)
  • FedExField (1999–2024)
  • Commanders Field (2024)
Address1600 Ring Road
LocationLandover, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates38°54′28″N 76°51′52″W / 38.90778°N 76.86444°W / 38.90778; -76.86444
OwnerWashington Commanders (Josh Harris)
OperatorHarris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Capacity64,000

Former capacity:

List
    • 62,000 (2022–2024)
    • 58,000 (2021)
    • 67,617 (2015–2021)
    • 79,000 (2012–2015)
    • 83,000 (2011)
    • 91,704 (2009–2010)
    • 91,665 (2004–2008)
    • 86,484 (2001–2003)
    • 85,407 (2000)
    • 80,116 (1997–1999)
Executive suites
257
TypeMulti-purpose stadium
Events
SurfaceBermuda grass
Public transit
Construction
GroundbreakingMarch 13, 1996 (1996-03-13)
OpenedSeptember 14, 1997 (1997-09-14)
Expanded1998, 2000, 2005
Cost
  • US$251 million
  • ($503 million in 2025 dollars)
ArchitectHOK Sport
Structural engineers
Bliss & Nyitray, Inc
Services engineers
M-E Engineers, Inc.
General contractor
Clark Construction
Main contractor
Driggs Construction Co.
Tenant
Washington Redskins / Commanders (NFL) 1997–present
Website
northweststadium.com

Northwest Stadium is a stadium near Landover, Maryland, in the census-designated place of Summerfield 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Washington, D.C. It is the home venue of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium opened in 1997 as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium and was known as FedExField from 1999 until 2024.

Northwest Stadium had the NFL's largest capacity at 91,000 from 2004 until 2010 and currently seats 64,000. The stadium is owned and operated by the Commanders, with non-NFL events managed by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). The stadium is expected to be demolished following the Commanders moving to New Stadium at RFK Campus in Washington, D.C., upon its opening in 2030.

History

FedExField branding used from 1999 to 2023

By the early 1990s, Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke sought to replace RFK Stadium as the team's stadium. Cooke considered a site next to Laurel Park Racecourse along Whiskey Bottom and Brock Bridge roads, but lack of parking and public support prompted him to choose to build instead on Wilson Dairy Farm in Landover, Maryland, within the census-designated place of Summerfield. A special exit, Exit 16 (initially Arena Drive, later renamed Medical Center Drive), was built from Interstate 495, also known as the Capital Beltway. Cooke named the site Raljon after his sons Ralph and John, registering it with the United States Postal Service for the stadium's ZIP Code. Cooke died months before the opening of the new stadium, which his sons named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. It opened on September 14, 1997, hosting a game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Daniel Snyder bought the team and stadium from Cooke's estate in May 1999, briefly renaming it Redskins Stadium before selling naming rights to FedEx for 27 years at an average of $7.6 million per year. The stadium was renamed FedExField on November 21, 1999. The Raljon dateline requirements and placename were phased out by Snyder by the start of the 1999 season. From 2002 to 2010, the Redskins led the NFL in home attendance but demand declined thereafter. In the early 2010s, 14,000 seats were removed from the upper deck. Another 4,000 seats had been removed by 2015, with a capacity of 62,000 in 2022. 1,500 seats were re-added in 2025 for a total capacity of 64,000.

In July 2023, Snyder sold the team and stadium to a group headed by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion. The following year, Harris's company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) took over operating non-NFL events at the stadium. In February 2024, FedEx announced that it had opted out of its naming rights contract before its expiration in 2026. The stadium was temporarily renamed Commanders Field until a sponsorship with Northwest Federal Credit Union was announced to rename it Northwest Stadium on August 27, 2024. In 2025, the Commanders and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to build a New Stadium at RFK Campus to replace the former RFK Stadium in the city to house the team by 2030.

Design

Exterior view, 2024

The stadium has five levels: the Lower Level, the Club Level, the Upper Level, and the Lower and Upper Suite Levels. The Lower Level is named after Bobby Mitchell, a running back and executive with the team from 1962 to 2002. The Club Level is named after Joe Gibbs, the team's head coach from 1981 to 1992 and from 2004 to 2007. The Upper Level is named after former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. The stadium had 257 suites as of 2023.

Other events

College football

Northwest Stadium hosts the annual Prince George's Classic college football game, which is a game usually between two historically black universities. It has hosted several other college football games, including a 1998 game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen, a 2004 game between the USC Trojans and Virginia Tech Hokies, and the Army–Navy Game in 2011 and 2024.

Soccer

The stadium hosting a 2023 Premier League Summer Series game

The stadium has been used for several international soccer matches. It hosted six matches of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, including the United States' 3–2 quarterfinal victory over Germany. On March 28, 2015, Argentina defeated El Salvador before a crowd of 53,978.

The stadium has also hosted club soccer exhibition matches. During the 2005 World Series of Soccer, D.C. United hosted Chelsea F.C.; the game drew 31,473 spectators, D.C. United's third-highest ever home attendance. On August 9, 2009, D.C. United hosted Real Madrid for another international friendly. On July 30, 2011, Manchester United ended its 2011 summer tour with a 2–1 win over F.C. Barcelona in front of 81,807 fans. On July 29, 2014, Manchester United played Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup. On July 26, 2017, F.C. Barcelona played Manchester United again as part of the International Champions Cup, drawing 80,162 fans and winning 1–0 on Neymar's last goal for F.C. Barcelona. On August 4, 2018, Real Madrid beat Juventus 3-1 during the 2018 International Champions Cup. On July 23, 2019, Real Madrid defeated Arsenal on penalty kicks. Northwest Stadium's bid as a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue was rejected by FIFA in 2021.

DateCompetitionTeamTeamRes
1999 FIFA Women's World Cup matches
June 23, 1999 Group C  Norway  Canada 7–1
Group D  Australia  Sweden 1–3
June 27, 1999 Group A  Nigeria  Denmark 2–0
Group B  Germany  Brazil 3–3
July 1, 1999 Quarterfinals  United States  Germany 3–2
Quarterfinals  Brazil  Nigeria 4–3 (a.e.t/g.g)

Rugby union

On October 23, 2021, the stadium hosted a rugby union match between New Zealand and the USA Eagles that drew 39,720 people.

Concerts

Beyoncé performing at the stadium as part of the Cowboy Carter Tour, 2025

The stadium has hosted several musical events and concerts.

List of notable musical events held at the stadium
Date Event Performer(s) Opening act(s) Ref.
May 28, 2000 HFStival Various N/A
October 4, 2002 Licks Tour The Rolling Stones The Strokes [citation needed]
July 18, 2003 Summer Sanitarium Tour Metallica Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Deftones, Mudvayne [citation needed]
September 13, 2003 The Rising Tour Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band N/A [citation needed]
September 29, 2009 U2 360° Tour U2 Muse [citation needed]
June 4, 2011 Goin' Coastal Tour Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band Uncle Kracker, Billy Currington [citation needed]
August 12, 2012 Brothers of the Sun Tour Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Jake Owen [citation needed]
June 26, 2016 Not in This Lifetime... Tour Guns N' Roses Alice in Chains [citation needed]
June 20, 2017 The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 U2 The Lumineers [citation needed]
August 6, 2017 A Head Full of Dreams Tour Coldplay AlunaGeorge and Izzy Bizu [citation needed]
July 10, 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour Taylor Swift Camila Cabello, Charli XCX
July 11, 2018
July 27, 2018 On the Run II Tour Beyoncé, Jay-Z Chloe x Halle, DJ Khaled
July 11, 2018
April 26, 2019 Broccoli City Festival Childish Gambino, Lil Wayne, Ella Mai, Teyana Taylor, City Girls, Trippie Redd, Lil Baby N/A
April 27, 2019
July 3, 2019 No Filter Tour The Rolling Stones Ghost Hounds [citation needed]
June 1, 2022 Music of the Spheres World Tour Coldplay H.E.R., Drama [citation needed]
July 30, 2022 After Hours til Dawn Tour The Weeknd Mike Dean, Kaytranada
June 24, 2023 +-=÷x Tour Ed Sheeran Rosa Linn [citation needed]
August 5, 2023 Renaissance World Tour Beyoncé N/A
August 6, 2023
May 12, 2025 Power Up Tour AC/DC The Pretty Reckless [citation needed]
May 28, 2025 M72 World Tour Metallica Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies [citation needed]
June 2, 2025 Big Ass Stadium Tour Post Malone Jelly Roll [citation needed]
June 18, 2025 Grand National Tour Kendrick Lamar and SZA Mustard
July 4, 2025 Cowboy Carter Tour Beyoncé N/A
July 7, 2025
August 2, 2025 After Hours til Dawn Tour The Weeknd Playboi Carti, Mike Dean [citation needed]
May 2, 2026 The Romantic Tour Bruno Mars Anderson .Paak, Leon Thomas
May 3, 2026
July 10, 2026 The R&B Tour Usher, Chris Brown [citation needed]
July 11, 2026
August 2, 2026 Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour Karol G [citation needed]

Criticisms

The stadium is regarded as one of the worst in the NFL. Former team owner Daniel Snyder had been in discussions about building a new stadium as early as 2007. In 2005, eight years after the stadium opened, 1,488 premium "dream seats" in three rows were added in front of what was the first row when the stadium was built. The stadium is about one mile (1.6 km) away from the Morgan Boulevard station, the nearest Washington Metro station to the stadium. Meanwhile, federal regulations prohibit publicly paid shuttle service from public transit agencies when a private service is available.

In 2021, three water leaks occurred near two fans. In 2022, as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was walking down the away team tunnel, a barrier separating seated fans from the away team tunnel gave way and caused several people to fall near him. According to several witnesses, team staff did not show care for or call for medical attention for the fans who fell, but yelled "Get the f*** off the field!". The team released a statement responding to the criticisms, claiming the team did provide medical evaluations on site, but one fan denied that they did claiming that Hurts was the only one who asked if they were okay. Hurts later wrote an open letter about the incident to the NFL, asking that action be taken to prevent an incident like this from recurring.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us". NorthwestStadium.com. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ Hruby, Patrick (May 17, 2023). "Josh Harris Expects the Commanders Will Make a Lot More Money Simply Because He's Not Dan Snyder". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Washington fans didn't show up at FedEx Field. What will it take to lure them back?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ "FedExField" (PDF). 2015 Washington Redskins Media Guide. Washington Redskins. August 28, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Jones, Mike (April 2, 2012). "Redskins to Remove Another 4,000 Seats From FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Steinberg, Dan; Jones, Mike (July 14, 2011). "Redskins Say They Were Unable to Sell Season Tickets for Seats Removed from FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  7. ↑ Richman, Mike. "March 13, 1996: Construction Begins on JKC Stadium". Redskin Historian. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  8. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ Illuminating Engineering Society (1998). Lighting design & application: LD & A. Vol. 28. Illuminating Engineering Society. p. 39. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  10. ↑ "FedEx Field". Clark Construction Co. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Where a Stadium Soon Will Grow". The Washington Times. March 23, 1996. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  12. ↑ Richards, Katherine (August 11, 1994). "Clergymen protest stadium: Traffic would hurt churches, they say". The Baltimore Sun. ProQuest 2289246850. Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke is seeking a special exception that would allow a $160 million National Football League stadium in an industrial zone east of Laurel in Anne Arundel County. The Redskins are also hoping for variances from county codes on matters such as parking and landscaping for the 78,600-seat stadium.
  13. ↑ "Summerfield CDP, Maryland". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  14. ↑ Vick, Karl; Heath, Thomas (September 15, 1997). "After Bumpy Beginning, a Can't-Be-Beat Ending". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Heath, Thomas (November 22, 1999). "Absolutely, Positively It's Now FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Goodbye to Raljon, and good riddance". The Baltimore Sun. August 20, 1999. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ "2008 NFL Attendance Data". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ Biggs, Brad (July 15, 2011). "FedEx Field official: Redskins removed seats they couldn't sell". National Football Post. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020.
  19. ↑ Steinberg, Dan; Allen, Scott (June 1, 2015). "For Third Time in Six Years, Redskins Remove Seats From FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  20. ↑ Paras, Matthew (September 22, 2022). "Commanders reduce FedEx Field capacity again". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  21. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki (September 5, 2025). "The Commanders' turnaround has brought back fans — and dollar signs". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  22. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki. "Josh Harris preaches patience, discusses plans for Commanders". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ Muret, Don (February 5, 2024). "HBSE takes over booking FedEx Field events". VenuesNow.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  24. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki; Maske, Mark (February 28, 2024). "FedEx ends naming-rights deal for Commanders' stadium two years early". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Washington Commanders and Northwest Federal Credit Union Announce Stadium Naming-Rights Deal". Washington Commanders. August 27, 2024. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  26. ↑ Gathright, Jenny; Flynn, Meagan (September 18, 2025). "The Washington Commanders stadium is coming to D.C. Here's what to expect". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Washington Redskins To Retire The Late Bobby Mitchell's Jersey". Washington Football Team. June 20, 2020. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  28. ↑ Fortier, Sam (June 24, 2020). "Redskins to remove George Preston Marshall's name from all team material". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  29. ↑ Chavkin, Daniel (December 14, 2024). "Army vs. Navy game location 2024: Why historic rivalry is being played at Northwest Stadium". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  30. ↑ "No Messi, but Argentina is still too much for El Salvador". March 29, 2015. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015..
  31. ↑ "Man United defeats Inter in Shootout". ICC.com. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  32. ↑ "Barcelona 1 - 0 Manchester United". July 26, 2017. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017.
  33. ↑ Keating, Steve (November 23, 2021). "FIFA wraps up inspection of potential 2026 World Cup venues". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  34. ↑ "USA Eagles confirm match at FedEx Field". July 26, 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  35. ↑ Lourim, Jake (October 23, 2021). "All Blacks give U.S. rugby fans a thrill — and U.S. rugby a boost — in 1874 Cup". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  36. ↑ Beaujon, Andrew (August 15, 2024). "Come Out and Play: An Oral History of the HFStival". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on March 1, 2026. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  37. ↑ Johnson, Trent (July 12, 2018). "Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour is DC's Pop Concert of the Year". District Fray. Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  38. ↑ Richards, Chris (July 28, 2018). "Beyoncé and Jay-Z's summer tour makes couples therapy feel like karaoke night". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  39. ↑ Hodge, Domenica (April 26, 2019). "D.C.'s Broccoli City Festival Returns With Fresh Talent For 2019". BET. Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  40. ↑ Alim, Teta (July 31, 2022). "In concert, the Weeknd dazzles with a well-tuned sense of the theatrical". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  41. ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (August 7, 2023). "Beyoncé in D.C.: FedEx Field Issues Shelter-in-Place Order Due to Severe Weather". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  42. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (December 3, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar and SZA Set for 'Grand National Tour' in 2025". Variety. Archived from the original on January 7, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  43. ↑ McClay, Caché (July 2, 2025). "Beyoncé heads to Washington, D.C.: Parking, bag policy, tailgating at Northwest Stadium". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on July 4, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Bruno Mars 'The Romantic Tour' opens in one month; find tickets to both Detroit concerts". mlive.com. March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  45. ↑ Melton, Brittney (August 27, 2022). "FedEx Field ranked as worst NFL stadium". WUSA (TV). Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  46. ↑ Manning, Bryan (April 16, 2023). "Fan-driven stadium guide considers FedEx Field the worst in almost everything". Commanders Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  47. ↑ Hand, Mark (August 24, 2022). "FedEx Field, Home Of The Priciest Beer, Ranked Worst Stadium In NFL". Patch. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via MSN Sports.
  48. ↑ Nobles, Ryan (August 27, 2014). "McAuliffe and Snyder have met to discuss Redskins stadium". Decision Virginia. WWBT. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  49. ↑ Fisher, Marc (January 11, 2008). "Next 2 D.C. Stadium Deals Might Smell a Bit Sweeter". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  50. ↑ Heath, Thomas (August 20, 2005). "Redskins' Revenue Reaches $300 Million". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  51. ↑ Weiss, Eric M. (August 6, 2008). "Metro Shuttle To FedEx Field Is Scuttled". The Washington Post.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  52. ↑ Gastelum, Andrew (September 12, 2021). "Water Falls From Stands at FedEx Field, Washington Football Team Fans Claim 'Sewage'". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  53. ↑ Hermann, Adam (January 2, 2022). "WATCH: Stands collapse near Hurts after Eagles-WFT game". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  54. ↑ McManus, Tim (January 3, 2022). "Fans deny being offered on-site medical evaluation by Washington Football Team after railing collapse at FedEx Field". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  55. ↑ Owens, Jason (January 4, 2022). "Jalen Hurts wants answers from WFT, NFL over 'near-tragic' railing collapse at FedEx Field". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.