Audi Field is a soccer-specific stadium located in Buzzard Point in Washington, D.C. Previously, D.C. United had explored sites in the Washington metropolitan area. Following the failure of an initial stadium proposal in 2006, D.C. United made two additional stadium proposals that also failed to be built. In January 2011, the club explored using previously unused land at Buzzard Point to build a stadium; this was confirmed in July 2013, when Buzzard Point was announced as the stadium location. The ground-breaking ceremony occurred in February 2017, with construction completed in July 2018. The construction cost was estimated to be between $400 million and $500 million.
Audi Field is a soccer-specific stadium located in Buzzard Point in Washington, D.C. It is the home stadium for both of Washington, D.C.’s professional soccer teams, D.C. United in Major League Soccer and Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League. The stadium officially opened its doors on July 14th, 2018 and has a seating capacity of 20,000.
How to Get to Washington DC
Washington DC is served by Dulles International Airport (IAD) which is located 26 miles west of Downtown Washington DC. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and United Airlines all fly direct from the UK. If your already in the US and looking to travel to/from Washington DC then you have the choice of most US domestic airlines including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Washington DC is also served by Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), which provides internal flights by Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, Southwest and United Airlines Washington DC is also well served by AMTRAK Train connecting East Coast cities.
Public Transport
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is the principal public transport operator in Washington DC and immediate area. The Silver Line runs from Dulles International Airport and takes about 50 mins to get to downtown Washington DC. Click Here for the WMATA Website.
Finding a Metro Station
At the airport, the Metro station is well signposted once you get through Customs.
Once in Washington DC, Tall brown columns with a large M identify the station entrance. Colour stripes on the column show the lines that serve the station.
Paying the Fare
Fares are based on length of trip and entry time, and are subject to change during special events. Due to these caveats, I would recommend buying a 3-day ($28.00) or 7-day ($58.00) pass, depending on the length of visit.
You can also just add $ value to the card and app, and as you have to tap in and tap out of stations, it works out your fare and reduces your credit accordingly.
You will need to load the pass or $ value on a SmarTrip card, which can be purchased from a farecard machine at any Metro Station or downloading the SmarTrip app to your phone and purchasing via the app. I downloaded the app prior to getting to Washington and purchased a pass and it activated on first scan.
One other reason to use a SmarTrip card or app, which also covers busses in Washington DC, is if you transfer from Bus to Metro or vice versa, is that you get free or discounted fares for 2 hours after you start your journey.
Staying in Washington DC
There are plenty of choices of places to stay in Washington DC depending on your preferences and budget. As the Metro system covers a lot of Washington DC, so getting to the ballpark is quite easy from anywhere, you can balance budget and location accordingly.
First time visitors to Washington DC, I would suggest staying somewhere near the National Mall, because it is home to most of the main attractions in Washington DC such as iconic monuments, federal buildings and Smithsonian museums, which you will glad to know are all free to visit.
As with most major cities, you have the choice of all the usual accommodations, from Airbnb and Sonder to Premium hotels, either booked directly or via one of the hotel reservation booking sites.
D.C. United Tickets
The D.C. United sell their tickets via Ticketmaster.
The official ticketing partner for the MLS is Ticketmaster.
Here are links to the main ticket resale sites. Click on the link, which will open up a new window, and you can compare the prices on the different ticket resell sites, bearing in mind that the prices shown are before the selling platform fees are added, so take time to have a read of my tips to Buying Tickets in North America.
- SeatGeek
- SportsEvents365 (Click on the Search Button)
- StubHub International
- StubHub US
- Ticketmaster US
- TicketNetwork
- Viagogo
- Vivid Seats
I recommend downloading the team’s Mobile App to your phone as it contains much Gameday information for the stadium.