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Washington Commanders moving to DC: what you need to know about the RFK stadium deal

Yes. The Washington Commanders are officially moving back to Washington, D.C. The D.C. Council voted 11-2 in September 2025 to approve a $3.7 billion deal to build a new 65,000-seat domed stadium on the old RFK Stadium site at 2400 East Capitol Street SE. The target opening date is 2030.

Yes. The Washington Commanders are officially moving back to Washington, D.C. The D.C. Council voted 11-2 in September 2025 to approve a $3.7 billion deal to build a new 65,000-seat domed stadium on the old RFK Stadium site at 2400 East Capitol Street SE. The target opening date is 2030. The team will keep playing in Landover, Maryland until then.

How the deal came together

The return took years of groundwork. The process formally started in January 2025, when then-President Joe Biden signed legislation transferring control of the 180-acre RFK campus to the District. That federal land transfer was the key that unlocked everything. The Commanders franchise, purchased by Josh Harris in 2023 for a record $6.05 billion, had looked at sites in Maryland and Virginia before landing on the RFK site.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and Harris announced the deal in late April 2025, with the D.C. Council later renegotiating several terms before a first vote in August and the final 11-2 approval on September 17. At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie led talks alongside Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. McDuffie told WTOP, "I believe in the future of Washington, D.C., and I believe that this project is going to help transform an area of Washington, D.C., that's remained dormant for quite some time."

Who's building it and what it will look like

The Commanders named HKS as lead architect in November 2025. The Dallas-based firm designed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In March 2026, HKS released initial interior renderings of the new stadium's seating bowl.

The stadium will seat up to 70,000 fans and feature a translucent roof, making it a year-round venue for concerts and other events. The design takes cues from Pierre Charles L'Enfant's street plan and the city's neoclassical architecture. Mayor Bowser called it "a beautiful and unique waterfront stadium." The Anacostia River runs directly behind the site.

The stadium itself will occupy just 16 of the 180 acres. The broader development includes 5,000 to 6,000 new homes (1,500 to 1,900 of them affordable units), new retail, parks, youth sports facilities, and expanded riverfront access. Housing construction is expected to run into the late 2030s.

Who pays for it

The Commanders are contributing $2.7 billion in private funds. The District is investing roughly $1.1 billion over eight years, covering stadium infrastructure, housing, green space, and a sportsplex. The Washington Post reported the city's share includes upward of $1 billion in public funds and more than $1 billion in tax breaks for the club.

The construction clock

The old RFK Stadium is nearly gone. As of early 2026, demolition was nearly complete, with virtually all the steel removed from the site. Events DC reports that approximately 95% of demolition waste has been diverted from landfill and recycled, including over 81,000 tons of concrete reused on site. Demolition closeout is expected by October 2026.

Brian Hanlon, the mayor's lead on the RFK redevelopment project, told the D.C. Council in March 2026, "We're right on schedule, we're doing well." Stormwater relocation work and infrastructure design will continue through 2026. Vertical stadium construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the stadium targeting a December 2030 completion.

What happens in Landover

The Commanders have played at Northwest Stadium in Landover since 1997, when they left RFK for the suburbs. Their lease there runs through 2027, but they are not expected to depart until the new DC venue opens in 2030. Under a memorandum of understanding signed by Josh Harris and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, demolition of the Landover stadium must start no later than 90 days after the team plays its first game at the new DC venue. That Landover site, roughly 200 acres in Prince George's County, is then to be redeveloped into housing, retail, and other mixed uses.

Metro riders can reach the new stadium the same way they reached the old one: via the Blue and Silver lines to Stadium-Armory, right at the corner of East Capitol Street and 19th Street SE.

Sources

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