The Chicago Stars FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will officially relocate its home territory to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for the 2026 season, as the club and Northwestern Athletics announced today at Wednesday’s press conference in Ryan Fieldhouse.
Currently, the Stars host their home games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, where the team’s lease to the stadium will expire at the end of the year. SeatGeek Stadium has a capacity of 28,000, but the Stars averaged
just 7,156 in attendance last season — ranked second-to-last in the league.
Stars president Karen Leetzow believes the move is what her team needed, considering Martin Stadium’s size, which can provide 12,000 seats, and its accessible location through CTA lines.
“We’re really excited to make this move,” Leetzow said. “We believe we found it in this beautiful, scenic, intimate location that is truly accessible to our fans.”
Leetzow said the club began searching for a new home two years ago, conducting a “robust analysis” of venues across the Chicago area. That process included a showcase match at Wrigley Field to gauge fan interest. When Northwestern announced plans to expand Martin Stadium for the 2024 and 2025 football seasons, it quickly caught her attention.
“We were watching with a little bit of surprise and excitement to see what Northwestern was doing here with the stadium, and we initiated conversations,” Leetzow said. “Luckily, Jesse (Marks) was welcoming and open to the idea.”
Jesse Marks, Northwestern Athletics’ Chief Revenue Officer, welcomed the Stars and called the partnership a win-win, highlighting Martin Stadium’s lakeshore setting and fan-friendly facilities as major benefits for the Stars, while noting the national visibility it brings to the university.
“Northwestern athletics is probably the strongest platform for women’s collegiate athletics in the country, ” Marks said. “We’re excited to showcase the highest level of women’s professional soccer here in this beautiful, wonderful and scenic facility.”
Martin Stadium is the temporary venue for Northwestern football until 2026. It also hosts the university’s men’s and women’s soccer teams and lacrosse team. The NWSL season begins in March and runs until November, meaning that Stars games will overlap with both the NCAA soccer and lacrosse seasons, as well as the 2025 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Final Four in late May.
The Stars, currently ranked 13th out of 14 NWSL teams, will get their first test run at the venue on Sept. 7 when they face the Orlando Pride at 2 p.m. CT in the “Lakefront Faceoff,” first announced in May. Leetzow noted the team will continue training at SeatGeek Stadium for now, with long-term home venue plans beyond 2026 still to be determined.
