The Orlando Pride were the 10th team added to the NWSL as an expansion squad in 2016, and Inter&Co Stadium has been the team’s home since 2017. The Pride have gone through a number of ups and downs, but mostly downs. That all changed in 2024.
Despite the team regularly having top-tier talent in the past like Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, and Marta, 2024 is the first season the Pride won a trophy, nabbing the NWSL shield for the best regular season record, then following it up by winning the 2024 championship for a rare, NWSL double-trophy year. It’s likely thanks to the coaching talent of Seb Hines, who has brought success to Orlando after a half-dozen previous coaches mostly kept them near the bottom of the rankings.
Orlando is one of America’s biggest vacation destinations and it’s a great place to catch a match, so let’s get into how you can enjoy a trip there.
Stadium information
Inter&Co Stadium is a 25,000-seat arena that’s home to both the Orlando Pride and the Orlando City MLS team. It’s located in the heart of downtown Orlando, features roofing on all four sides of the pitch, and was built entirely with private funds.
We’ve attended games here over the past few years, and given the Pride’s record-breaking number of wins in 2024, the 2024 season was the first time attending a match in Orlando felt crowded. We’ve been to this stadium multiple times with less than 5,000 people in attendance, but in 2024, the average was closer to 9,000 people per match, and it was great to see growth in the fanbase.
Where to sit
While this may change in future seasons, currently the Orlando Pride only sell tickets in the lower tier of the stadium, in sections 1 to 37. If you look at any stadium photos we took for this chapter, you’ll see the upper section is completely vacant for that reason. This configuration puts fans close to the action, but because it’s a relatively shallow stadium, you will generally have not-so-great visibility to the other side of the pitch from most seats.
We’d suggest opting for tickets in the highest rows of the lower section if you’d like to see play formations develop.
The roof coverage mostly only extends over the upper tiered seating sections not sold at Pride matches, so if it rains you’re likely to get wet.
For sun coverage, grab a seat in sections 10 through 20 at any daytime match to get the most shade across the western side of the pitch. To date, we’ve only attended night matches at this stadium so sun wasn’t an issue, but Florida is hot and humid nearly year-round, with night temperatures not offering much relief.
Much like Houston’s stadium, you might want to pay extra for seats that come with club access to give you a break in an air-conditioned space before the game starts and at the half (in addition to the free food and drinks from the club). A quick glance at upcoming Orlando Pride matches shows that while the cheapest general admission tickets start in the $20 range, club access tickets are $70 each. Considering the costs of flights and hotels to attend a NWSL game on the road, bumping up your ticket price for a more comfortable day doesn’t seem like too big of a stretch.
- Aim for the highest rows of the lower tier to see play formation develop — the shallow bowl makes it hard to read the far side of the pitch from lower rows
- Sections 10–20 on the west side stay shaded during daytime kickoffs
- Roof coverage mostly extends over the unused upper tier — if rain is in the forecast, lower-tier seats will likely get wet
- Club access tickets run about $70 vs. $20 general admission — the air-conditioned lounge with food and drinks is worth considering given Florida's heat/humidity
- Accessible seating at the tops of most lower-tier sections offers wheelchair and companion spots with good sightlines
What to eat and drink
We found food and drink options at Inter&Co stadium to be pretty forgettable overall. There weren’t a ton of local cuisine options, which was a shame because the region is known for a wide variety of seafood and Cuban dishes you can usually only get in Florida. We tried some pork tacos and some pizza and both were solidly “meh,” leaving nothing to write home about. There were tons of alcohol options from the stadium bars and lots of quick service options if you wanted water or soda. Strangely, a friend who joined us for the game at Inter&Co really wanted a cup of coffee at halftime to wake himself up. We learned that there was literally no way to get coffee at any concession stand in the stadium. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Team merchandise, accessibility, restrooms, and pre-game activities
There’s a big brick-and-mortar store called The Den that sells jerseys and gear for both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City teams. There are also several temporary pop-up stands selling team gear around the stadium, so it’s pretty easy to pick up one of those really cool citrus-themed Orlando Pride jerseys at several spots.
Accessible seating is available at most of the top of the lower tier sections, providing ample options for wheelchair users and their companions, giving a good view of the match.
Restrooms were adequate, though we did spot lines at halftime for the women’s bathrooms. Crowd attendance at our 2024 match was about double the attendance of previous matches at the stadium, which could account for some of the backup, but the stadium likely still needs more women’s restrooms overall.
Before the game began, we walked through a sizable fan zone outside of security and ticketing where kids could kick soccer balls into goals, you could sample a variety of food trucks, and there was a DJ spinning dance music. It was a fun vibe and good to see.
Pre-game, in-game, and post-game vibes
Pre-game vibes were good; as previously mentioned, the large fan zone outside of the stadium had lots of food and things to do along with plenty of sponsor tents to check out. Overall, the crowd was hyped as the game we attended was between two squads with record-setting win streaks.
The in-game vibes were upbeat, and the crowd was supportive of Orlando and Portland as well. We were wearing Portland jerseys and ran into half a dozen other fans who had recently moved away from Portland or were in town visiting family and taking in a match, and everyone was fun to talk to.
This venue sent ushers to shoo everyone out of the stadium just a few minutes after the game was over. Not great.
Post-game left something to be desired. We got up and moved toward the player benches, where we were told we couldn’t go down to where the players and crowds were exchanging autographs unless we held a ticket for that section. It wasn’t exactly welcoming and we were out of the stadium less than 10 minutes after the match was completed. Hopefully in the future, the stadium relaxes its policies because it gives off a weird unwelcome vibe when they push fans out as fast as they can.
- The pre-game fan zone outside security is genuinely fun — food trucks, a DJ, sponsor tents, and a kids' soccer area
- Crowds at recent matches have been supportive of both teams — visiting fans in opposing jerseys have a friendly time here
- Post-game is the weak spot: ushers move people out within minutes of the final whistle and block access to the autograph areas unless you hold a ticket in that section
Getting there
Flying in
Orlando is one of America’s biggest vacation destinations so finding nonstop flights from virtually any airport is fairly easy. You’ll likely find deals and discounts as well to entice people to take long amusement park trips there, so keep your eyes peeled for Orlando flash sales whenever you plan to take a trip.
Renting a car or going car-free
We’ve done trips to Orlando both with and without a car and even though there’s a new high-speed rail line running between Orlando and Miami, generally in Florida we’ve found public transit is a poor option. With so many things to see spread out among the urban sprawl, we almost always rent a car when we’re in Florida.
Driving in
Driving on Florida freeways is quite an adventure any time we’ve done it, but it’s fairly easy to make your way to the stadium from anywhere else in Florida. While there are a couple parking lots next to the stadium, most of the paid parking is offsite with one garage a block away (about $25/match to park) and another cheaper option ($15/match) about four blocks away at the Kia Center, where the NBA’s Orlando Magic play.
Taking public transit
Public transit in Florida isn’t great as far as we can tell. We’ve stayed at various downtown hotels over the years in Orlando and sometimes we were less than a mile away from the stadium so we just walked. On our last trip, we were two miles from the stadium, but the closest bus or train stop was over a mile away. We ended up renting electric scooters to get us to the stadium, and those were fine if a bit dangerous. Thankfully there was a nice bike path to follow once we made it to the light-rail lines downtown.
Where to stay
Orlando is a big vacation city and it’s also a prime location for large conferences in many industries. As a result, there are tens of thousands of hotel rooms in and around Orlando so finding good cheap hotels is usually pretty easy. We tend to stay near downtown just to make the trip to the stadium easier, but it’s generally easy to find nice affordable hotels anywhere in and around Orlando.
What to do in Orlando (besides watch soccer)
The Orlando area of central Florida is famous for its theme parks and if you’re traveling here with family, that’s an obvious option for things to do in the area. Keep in mind though — the theme parks are mostly outside the city. Universal Studios is about a 20- to 30-minute drive away and the Disneyworld area takes up to an hour to get to from downtown Orlando. It’s also worth mentioning that once you go into those parks, it’s not that easy to get out and back into Orlando for a quick visit, as they really are worlds unto themselves.
Our favorite neighborhood to visit is on the northside of Orlando in Winter Park. It’s got a famous tree-lined shopping district along Park Avenue with great restaurants like The Ravenous Pig (which has an outside beer garden) and Prato (modern Italian/wood-fired pizzas). The Alfond Inn is a great new boutique hotel in the area as well.
Orlando is smack dab in the center of Florida, so if you want to see the coast, either side of the coastline takes about an hour to get to by car. On the Gulf Coast side, you’ll find it easy to drive to Tampa, and if you’re headed east, you’ll wind up at the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center are about an hour east of Orlando, right on the Atlantic coast, and can make for a good day trip to see where most of America’s biggest space launches have taken place. A side trip to Miami is also worth considering, though since it’s a four hour drive, you’ll likely want to spend the night there to fully experience the city.
- Winter Park on the north side of Orlando is the best neighborhood to explore — the tree-lined Park Avenue shopping district has great restaurants and an easy afternoon feel
- Universal Studios is 20–30 minutes away and Disney World is about an hour — budget a full day for either, since they're hard to pop in and out of
- Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral is an hour east on the Atlantic coast — a great day trip to see America's main space launch site
- Both coasts are about an hour away — head west for Tampa and the Gulf, or east for Atlantic beaches
- Miami is a four-hour drive and worth an overnight if you can fit it in
Thanks to Orlando’s strong tourism industry, taking a trip out to Florida to catch an Orlando Pride game is relatively easy. There are direct flights from almost any other airport, it’s a city with tons of hotel options, and there are plenty of things to see and do. The Orlando Pride have really turned their organization around in the past year, going from nearly last place for the past several years to the very top, winning their first shield. They’re now a formidable opponent and if you come out to see them play your favorite home team, you’re certain to have a good time.
