New York City FC's third home is getting a new name: Red Bull Arena is now Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The 13-year contract to rename the 25,000-seat venue was for a reported nine-figure deal. That would make it among "the top three most expensive stadium naming rights deals in MLS," according to The Athletic.
To be clear, the stadium isn't named for Sports Illustrated, the storied sports publication, but rather for Sports Illustrated Tickets, a ticketing sales and distribution company established in 2021. SI Tickets is out to take on Ticketmaster, which dominates the country's ticketing sales, by charging lower fees. The company is making inroads into the lucrative market: Earlier this year, SI Tickets became an official partner of the National Football League.
It's no surprise, then, that "Sports Illustrated Tickets will take over as the 'Official Ticketing Partner' for all events at Sports Illustrated Stadium beginning in 2026," according to the press release issued by New York Red Bulls. Sports Illustrated Tickets will also serve as the "Official Fan Experience Partner" for the stadium, and "Club SI" will handle VIP hospitality.
The home of the New York Red Bulls is turning the page to a new era.
— Sports Illustrated Stadium (@Sl_Stadium) December 11, 2024
Welcome to Sports Illustrated Stadium. pic.twitter.com/WMNBgw0OeT
But that's not all. SI Tickets will seemingly bring a tech-bro edge to the venue formerly known as Red Bull Arena. We'll let the club's official statement speak for itself:
Starting with the 2026 season, Sports Illustrated Tickets’ primary blockchain event ticketing platform “Box Office” will power all events at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Box Office is a complete, end-to-end event management ticketing solution used by venues and events around the world. With its blockchain partner Ava Labs, Sports Illustrated Tickets will set a global precedent, making Sports Illustrated Stadium the first major venue where all events will be blockchain-based ticketing. This transformative technology will revolutionize the event experience, providing attendees with a secure, interactive and efficient ticketing solution. Beyond seamless access, the Avalanche blockchain will elevate fan engagement by transforming event tickets into dynamic digital assets, offering exclusive perks, personalized content and more, creating a truly next-generation event experience.
Did you follow all of that? No matter. At the very least, Sports Illustrated Stadium will offer the Sports Illustrated Fan Cover experience at all events, which means you can pose for a picture that will be photoshopped onto a Sports Illustrated cover that will be available for purchase.
Originally named Red Bull Park, the venue opened in March 2010 as Red Bull Arena. It was the world's third Red Bull Arena, after Red Bull Arena Salzburg (opened 2003, renamed 2010), and Red Bull Arena Leipzig (opened 2004, renamed 2010).
