Austin, Texas – Q2 Stadium, the state-of-the-art, 20,500-seat home of Austin FC, announced today that it will host the reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) in an exhibition match against Nigeria on Wednesday, June 16, at 8:00pm CDT, as part of the 2021 WNT Summer Series. The USWNT match versus Nigeria will be the first-ever match to be played at Q2 Stadium, the $260 million, privately-financed soccer stadium in Austin. The match, which will be nationally televised on ESPN2, marks the debut of U.S. Soccer’s senior team in the capital city as neither the USWNT nor U.S. Men’s National Team have previously staged a match in Austin.
“We are both thrilled and honored that the first-ever match at Q2 Stadium will feature the four-time FIFA World Champions,” commented Austin FC President, Andy Loughnane. “Hosting the USWNT at Q2 Stadium speaks to the world-class nature of our city, our facilities, and the popularity of the sport in our region.”
“We are extremely excited for U.S. Women’s National Team to play the first soccer match at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium,” commented U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach, Vlatko Andonovski. “The development of Austin FC has been impressive and fun to watch, and the way the community has embraced the Club is inspiring. We can’t wait to play there and feel that energy.”
The USWNT Summer Series will also feature matches against Portugal and Jamaica on June 10 and 13, respectively, followed by the match at Q2 Stadium against Nigeria on June 16 (ESPN2). Three (3) nights later Saturday, June 19, Austin FC will play its historic MLS home opener against the San Jose Earthquakes at 8:00pm CDT.
The June 16 match against Nigeria at Q2 Stadium will be the final USWNT international game before U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Andonovski names the 18-player Olympic Team roster. The USA will also play two (2) Olympic Send-Off Matches in early July before leaving for Japan. At the Olympic Final Draw on April 21, the USA was placed into Group G where it will face Sweden (July 21 in Tokyo), New Zealand (July 24 in Saitama) and Australia (July 27 in Kashima) during group play.
The match against Nigeria at Q2 Stadium will also mark the first time the USA has ever faced the Super Falcons outside of a world championship. It will be just the third-ever exhibition match against an African country, with the previous two (2) coming against South Africa.
Ticket information for the June 16 match at Q2 Stadium will be released by U.S. Soccer in the coming weeks.
