Soccer in Columbus

 

"The spiritual home of U.S. Soccer" and home to three-time MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, this city knows its way around the pitch.

Fast Facts | Local Teams | Notable People | Venues | Timeline | Blogs

Major Events Hosted

Upcoming Events

MLS All-Star

Columbus has hosted the MLS All-Star Game three times - 2024, 2005 and 2000

SheBelieves Cup

Lower.com Field hosted the final and third place game in 2024; Historic Crew Stadium hosted preliminary rounds in 2018

MLS Cup

The Crew won its third MLS championship on home turf in 2023, Columbus also hosted in 2020, 2015 and 2001

USMNT & USWNT

The U.S. men's & women's national teams have combined for nearly 30 matches in Columbus.

Fast Facts

 

  • Columbus hosted the MLS All-Star Game for the third time in 2024, setting an attendance record for Lower.com Field with 20,931 fans.
  • Ohio Stadium has welcomed European giants Manchester City and Chelsea in 2024 and Real Madrid and PSG in 2016. 
  • The USWNT won the SheBelieves Cup in April 2024 at Lower.com Field. The Americans are 10-1-1 in Columbus since Mia Hamm led them to their first win in the city at Westerville South High School in 1993.
  • Historic Crew Stadium became the first soccer-specific stadium in the MLS in 1999. More than twenty years later, Lower.com Field made Columbus the first city in the country with two.
  • Crew 2, the city's MLS Next Pro team, won the league title in their first season, 2022.
  • In 1995, the Columbus Crew joined Major League Soccer as the first team in the league. Pro soccer has been in Ohio’s capital since 1979, starting with the Columbus Magic of the American Soccer League.
  • Historic Crew Stadium hosts the annual Ohio High School Athletic Association boys and girls state championships.
  • The USMNT has a 10-1-3 record in Columbus, which is the best record for any city that's hosted at least 10 matches. That includes nine World Cup qualifier wins in Columbus, the most of any city. 

Local Teams

The Crew have won three MLS Cups, three Supporters’ Shields, the U.S. Open Cup, the Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup. Off the field, supporters helped Save the Crew from relocation in 2018. In 2022, Crew 2 debuted in MLS NEXT Pro and won the league's first title.

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Fans stretch their love of the sport to futsal courts. Played indoors, the game has some of the same aspects of soccer. Columbus Futsal features youth, men’s and women’s teams. They’ve been a staple of the futsal community since 2006.

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The Columbus Eagles play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, the longest-running women’s soccer league in the United States. The Eagles have been here since 2014.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes, Ohio Dominican Panthers, Capital Comets and Otterbein Cardinals represent all divisions of NCAA soccer.

1953
1953

Ohio State men’s team plays its first match

1979
1979

The Columbus Magic debut in the American Soccer League

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Wilfried Nancy

Guided the Columbus Crew to its third MLS Cup in his first season at the helm.

Lamar Hunt

He helped found MLS and was integral in getting Historic Crew Stadium built. His statute sits inside the gates there today.

Brian McBride

The MLS Inaugural Draft No. 1 pick scored the first goal in Crew history and has a place in the club’s Circle of Honor.

Nichelle Prince

Prince tallied 27 goals and 20 assists at Ohio State before moving on to the NWSL. She has represented team Canada since 2013.

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