Bay FC host Washington Spirit at Oracle Park as NWSL takes aim at another attendance record

The National Women's Soccer League is gearing up for a landmark event when the regular season collides with Major League Baseball. San Fransico's Oracle Park will trade in its diamond and bases for a soccer pitch as Bay FC host the Washington Spirit at the Giants' MLB stadium on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, CBS and Paramount+). It will be the first time in the ballpark's 25-year history that a women's professional soccer match will take center stage, and an opportunity to set an attendance record is in reach.

Appropriately dubbed "The Show at Oracle Park," tickets sold for the special fixture have already surpassed the previous NWSL attendance record (35,000) set a year ago during a marquee match between Bay FC and Chicago Stars FC at iconic Wrigley Field. Oracle Park has a capacity of 40,260 and with tickets already at 35,000, Saturday's match has the chance to surge past the original record and break the record for attendance across all U.S. women's professional league sports.

How to watch Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 21 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Oracle Park -- San Francisco, Ca.
• TV: CBS
• Stream: Paramount+
• Odds: BAY -125; Draw +250; WAS +340

"This is a landmark moment not just for Bay FC or the NWSL, but for the future of women's professional sports in the United States," said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement. "Breaking the league's single-match attendance record at a venue as iconic as Oracle Park is a testament to the growing demand, passion, and momentum behind our league. This match is only the beginning of our celebration of women's soccer in the Bay Area, as we gear up to return in November to host the 2025 NWSL Championship, and the energy and enthusiasm we're seeing now sets the stage for an unforgettable finish to the season."

The previous attendance record, set at, Wrigley Field was a celebrated moment, and felt like just the beginning of more special one-off events across the NWSL. And that event means Oracle will be the second baseball stadium match for Bay FC in their short franchise history. An inaugural side in 2024, Bay FC won the "Wrigley Field takeover" 2-1, on the road. This time, they get to play host as they try to stay in the playoff hunt and chase another attendance record. For Bay FC players, there's more to gain than just three points as well.

"For us to bring it back, to be in my hometown, my city ... I grew up going to that ballpark. It's a very special place for me, my family, and my friends. So, just to go back there and make history, there is just a dream come true," Bay FC defender Joelle Anderson told Attacking Third.

Anderson has played a huge role for the club, playing across positional lines at times, but mostly functions on the backline for the squad. When she found out about the Oracle Park game, her initial reaction was joy and surprise as the group just played at Wrigley a year ago. But being a "hometown kid," playing at the stadium has a different significance, especially now that there's a WNBA team in the Valkyries and an NWSL team to support. The defender noted the growth in support since being a young girl in the area.

"The Bay Area is such a big place for women's sports, and so for me to be able to come back here and finally be that role model for little girls growing up in the Bay Area, just such a huge opportunity for me. And it's just a big blessing. I'm just so excited to be back home, in front of fans and friends and family. So yeah, it's just been a really cool experience for me," Anderson said about playing back at home.

Bay FC met Washington Spirit in March, and previously in the 2024 NWSL quarterfinals, and lost both matches. The group is just three points shy of the playoff line, but has three additional teams ahead of them in the standings. A win at Oracle Park against a playoff-bound team could be a huge boost to their postseason hopes. The unique match will require some game planning in anticipation of the crowd.

Anderson believes communication across and between the lines will need to be elevated.

"Just taking that up just to the next level, because it's just going to be an insane atmosphere. You're not even going to probably hear yourself [or] be able to think honestly. So, yeah, I think just being super loud, just making sure everyone's on the same page, know that you're probably not going to be able to hear anyone. Just staying locked in and just on the same page with your teammates. Know what the game plan is and then just go out and execute it."