The new Kansas City Current stadium officially has a name

The GIST: The Kansas City Current were already expecting a new home in 2024, but now have a name for it: CPKC Stadium. Its 10-year naming rights agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway (CPKC) will include a CPKC Plaza at the world’s first soccer stadium built solely for a pro women’s sports team. No hand-me-downs here.

The details: Kansas City is living up to its claim as the soccer capital of America, thanks to rapid (and Mahomes-backed) development of women’s soccer — first by re-establishing a KC–based NWSL team, then by announcing plans for a privately-funded, $120M stadium with a 11.5K seating capacity (expandable to 22K) that will open before next season.

The impact: Invested, women-led ownership pays dividends, demonstrated by the Current’s $75M valuation and record attendance this season. KC is becoming a world-class sports hub, and building it so they’ll come is a wake-up call for larger markets.

• Plus, the development will revitalize the city’s Berkley Riverfront district, making this a win-win for women’s soccer and the Kansas City community. According to local officials, they’re already fielding calls from other cities that want to do the same.

Zooming out: The Current continues to dispel myths about expansion teams and women’s sports in general, and a bright future lies ahead for other cities that want to take women’s soccer to the next level. And if the U.S. wins its WWC 2027 bid, expect CPKC to follow through with that stadium expansion.