AUSTIN, Texas — Austin FC and City officials announced Monday that Q2 Stadium will host games at 100% capacity, starting with its home opener in mid-June.
Austin Public Health's (APH) attendance guidelines for Q2 Stadium, the 20,500-plus seat outdoor venue, also allows it to operate at near full-capacity for the recently announced U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) friendly vs. Nigeria.
“Austin has been looking forward to the opening of Q2 Stadium since Austin FC launched in 2019. Today’s announcement is representative of a remarkable community-wide commitment to public health, which will now allow supporters the opportunity to safely participate in a series of historic Q2 Stadium events across the month of June and beyond,” said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. “This is a milestone announcement for our community, our staff and our players, all of whom will work tirelessly to create a world-class experience at Q2 Stadium.”
The announcement comes after Austin and Travis County moved into Stage 2 of Austin Public Health’s COVID-19 risk-based guidelines, which includes looser restrictions for large gatherings of people. Here is a breakdown of what the Stage 2 guidelines mean for the City.
Q2 Stadium will host its first-ever match on June 16, when USWNT faces Nigeria as part of the 2021 WNT Summer Series. Three days later, Austin FC is scheduled to hold its Major League Soccer (MLS) home opener against the San Jose Earthquakes.
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“We are both thrilled and honored that the first-ever match at Q2 Stadium will feature the four-time FIFA World Champions,” Loughnane said earlier this month. “Hosting the USWNT at Q2 Stadium speaks to the world-class nature of our city, our facilities and the popularity of the sport in our region.”
Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and interim public health authority Dr. Mark Escott joined Loughnane to announce the attendance guidelines for the matches.
"The efforts by our community over the past 15 months have led us to a stage where we can once again safely host large events in Austin,” said Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott. “We still have a final push to reach the imminent goal of herd immunity and ask everyone to get vaccinated before school lets out in June. We want to thank Q2 Stadium for their efforts in promoting the importance of getting fully-vaccinated.”
“I’m so excited that Austin FC will play in front of a full capacity crowd for its historic first-ever MLS match,” added Austin Mayor Steve Adler. “We will soon celebrate major league sports, a new stadium, and how well our community is doing with vaccinations all at the same time. If you are unvaccinated, take your shot and get vaccinated at one of the many available opportunities to lower your risk of contracting COVID.”
Austin FC Season Ticket Members will receive a series of communications related to properly accessing tickets for the 2021 MLS regular season matches played at Q2 Stadium, the club said in a press release. Austin FC Oak Collective Waitlist Members will also be informed about their opportunity to purchase single-match tickets.
General ticket purchasers will be able to find out more details about the opportunity to purchase tickets to Austin FC’s MLS matches by going to AustinFC.com. Tickets for the USWNT friendly match vs. Nigeria on June 16 go on sale starting May 29, according to the team's Twitter page.
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