Denver logged a significant entry into American sports history on Saturday.
Summit FC set the U.S. attendance record for a women’s professional sporting event at Empower Field, with 63,004 fans on hand to witness the club’s inaugural home match against the Washington Spirit.
Saturday’s mark shattered the previous record set last year in a Spirit vs. Bay FC game on August 23 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, . The Summit FC record had been assured for a couple of months, as the club surpassed 40,000 tickets sold on Feb. 3 and broke 50,000 on March 11.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman called the turnout “nothing short of amazing” and cited Summit FC owner Rob Cohen’s “unrelenting focus on execution” that allowed the club to set the record about 14 months after being awarded a franchise.
“I don’t think anyone could’ve ever imagined that in 2026 that we would have 60,000-plus people in an expansion team’s inaugural match,” Berman said. “… Rob’s vision to bring a women’s professional team here had to happen, and we were just proud to be the ones to make that decision in service of that vision.”
Cohen said breaking the record was a goal the club set early on.
“We said if we want to be the best franchise in the NWSL, we needed to attract the best players, the best coaching staff, and the best front office, and part of that is creating a unique experience for the fans,” Cohen said. “From Day 1, we said we were going to play our first match at Empower Field at Mile High and break the all-time attendance record, and (some critics) laughed. We’ll see who’s laughing now.”
Denver now hopes to bottle the momentum from Saturday to the rest of the season, which will see Summit FC play at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as well as its temporary venue, Centennial Stadium.
“We’re hoping this kind of fan support and excitement and energy continues, and that people plan their schedules around it because it’s the kind of event they want to be at and enjoy,” Cohen said.
On Saturday, the bottom bowl of Empower Field and its second level were completely full, with the only empty seats visible in the third deck. It’s also the largest crowd for a soccer match in Empower Field history. The capacity of the Broncos’ stadium, which has hosted Rapids games (and will do so ) as well as international matches, is 76,125.
The overall American record for attendance at a women’s sporting event which had 92,003 fans come to a doubleheader in August 2023 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The world record for attendance at a women’s pro sports event is 91,648, set when the Barcelona women’s team hosted Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League semifinal in 2022.
