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 EventsMLS 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
2023 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament
The Big Ten crowned its champion at Lower.com Field for the second straight year.
2003 Women's World Cup
The USWNT won a group stage with Sweden, North Korea and Nigeria.
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.
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.
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.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, Ohio Dominican Panthers, Capital Comets and Otterbein Cardinals represent all divisions of NCAA soccer.

Ohio State men’s team plays its first match
The Columbus Magic debut in the American Soccer League
Columbus Crew plays its first MLS match at Ohio Stadium
Historic Crew Stadium opens as the first soccer-specific MLS stadium in the U.S.
The first of four Dos a Cero World Cup Qualifiers takes place
Historic Crew Stadium hosts three FIFA Women’s World Cup matches
Columbus Crew win its first MLS Cup
Columbus Eagles begin play in the WPSL
Lower.com Field opens as the third stadium in the Arena District
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.
Soccer Stories on our Blog
May 2025 Columbus Sports Preview
- 1 min read
April 2025 Columbus Sports Preview
- 1 min read
March 2025 Columbus Sports Preview
- 1 min read
Columbus Crew 2025 Season Preview
- 1 min read