Professional soccer club Oakland Roots SC announced Thursday that after two seasons at the Oakland Coliseum, it will not return to the stadium for the 2027 season.
In a news release, the club cited limitations around event control, matchday flexibility, fan experience, and operating costs as reasons behind its decision to move away from the hallowed stadium that was the former home of the Athletics baseball team and the Raiders football team.
“We have long stated that controlling our own venue is paramount to the long-term success of the Club and soccer here in Oakland,” said Roots President Lindsay Barenz in a statement. “While we have loved our time at the Coliseum over these two seasons, it is not a viable ongoing option for us as the relationship is currently structured.”
The Roots moved from their previous home at California State University East Bay in Hayward to the Coliseum for the 2025 season, after the former Oakland Athletics baseball team left the stadium for a new home in West Sacramento. In March 2025, the Coliseum even set a United Soccer League attendance record for a home opener when 26,000 fans showed up to watch the Roots take on San Antonio. The club has not secured an alternative venue for the 2027 season yet, but said that it is exploring short-term options like a pop-up venue in the Coliseum’s parking lot and transforming its training facility in Alameda into a match day venue.
Meanwhile, there is also uncertainty surrounding the long-term ownership of the Oakland Coliseum. As things stand, the Athletics baseball team owns a 50% share in the Coliseum property, while the city of Oakland owns the other half. In 2024, the city of Oakland approved a deal to sell its half to the Oakland Acquisition Company, an affiliate of the Oakland-based African American Sports and Entertainment Group, but the deal has not yet gone through. Last month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors agreed to a complicated term sheet that would see the county purchase the A’s half, on the condition that the Oakland Acquisition Company then buy it back from the county.
There is also the issue of a lawsuit brought by the environmental nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment, which alleged that the county violated the state Surplus Lands Act by selling its half-interest in the site to the A’s in 2019 without first giving public notice or trying to build affordable housing. The term sheet stipulates that the OAC will secure the dismissal of the lawsuit before the June 30 closing date for the deal. It is unclear when the sale of the city of Oakland’s half of the property will be completed.
The Roots SC news release said that the club is in talks with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group to “explore the long-term potential of building a permanent soccer stadium at the Coliseum site.” But it is certain that the club will not return to the iconic Oakland venue for the 2027 season.
As part of the ongoing 2026 season, the Coliseum will host seven more games between July 25 and Oct. 10. Tickets are available at https://seatgeek.com/oakland-roots-sc-tickets