Sacramento will host NCAA soccer championship events at new Republic FC stadium

The new Railyards Stadium that will be home to Sacramento Republic FC when they make the jump to Major League Soccer in 2023 has already landed its first major event.

The NCAA on Wednesday morning announced the sites for future NCAA championships. The new Railyard Stadium will host the Men’s College Cup in 2024 and Women’s College Cup in 2025.

“This has always been about building a better Sacramento through the beautiful game.” Sacramento Republic FC President and COO Ben Gumpert said in a release. “We’re excited to welcome the NCAA, student-athletes and their families, and soccer fans from around the country to our indomitable city. Today’s announcement is just the beginning of our vision to create an active and open stadium for the entire region to enjoy.”

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg added, “The Railyards Stadium and community investment by Republic FC is already beginning to create returns for Sacramento. Hosting the College Cup will showcase our wonderful city to new audiences and create new economic activity. “

Recent cities that have hosted the College Cup include Santa Barbara, Cary, N.C., Chester, Pa., Houston, Kansas City, Kan., and Hoover, Ala. This season’s College Cup was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The College Cup, just like the Final Four in NCAA men’s and women’s basketball, features four teams at a neutral site. The record for the highest attendance at a College Cup game was 22,512 in 1980. That year, Busch Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals hosted. The capacity for the new Railyard Stadium is planned to be about 21,000. The last men’s championship, in Cary, had an attendance of 8,413.

Sacramento State will be the college that hosts both cups.

The school was slated to host the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Golden 1 Center in March but the games were canceled by the pandemic. The school will instead host the first two rounds of the tournament in 2023.

In 2026, the school and Golden 1 Center will host the third and fourth rounds of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The winner will go to the Final Four.

Sacramento State will also host preliminary rounds of the track and field meet in 2023 and 2026.

“Sacramento has a long history of supporting NCAA championships and we are excited to play a part in bringing these events to the region,” Sacramento State Athletics Director Mark Orr said. “Through our partnerships with the Visit Sacramento Sports Commission, the Sacramento Kings and the Republic FC we are able to showcase the city on a national level and allow fans to watch some of the best student-athletes in the country.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 10:34 AM.