{"id":3305,"date":"2026-10-28T15:13:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ticketmaster.com\/?p=43077"},"modified":"2026-10-28T15:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:13:40","slug":"step-inside-capital-one-arena-home-of-the-wizards-capitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/step-inside-capital-one-arena-home-of-the-wizards-capitals\/","title":{"rendered":"Step Inside: Capital One Arena \u2013 Home of the Wizards, Capitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update (October 27):<\/strong> This article has been updated with the latest info about Capital One Arena.<\/p>\n

Home of the Washington Wizards & Washington Capitals<\/h2>\n

Capital One Arena<\/a> is home to the NBA\u2019s<\/a> Washington Wizards<\/a> and the Washington Capitals<\/a> of the NHL<\/a>. Located at 601 F Street NW, the arena is a vital centerpiece of Washington D.C.<\/a>\u2019s Penn Quarter neighborhood.<\/p>\n

The venue is also the arena used by Georgetown Hoyas men\u2019s basketball team<\/a>. Over the years, it\u2019s also been home to the WNBA\u2019s<\/a> Washington Mystics<\/a> (from 1998 to 2018), the now-defunct Washington Power of the National Lacrosse League (2001-2002) and the Arena Football League\u2019s Washington Valor (2017-2019).<\/p>\n

Below, take a step into Capital One Arena, including the stadium\u2019s history, parking and admission, and capacity and seating options, as well as food and beverage options inside the arena.<\/p>\n

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Capital One Arena History<\/h2>\n

Capital One Arena opened as the MCI Center on December 2, 1997. That day, the Washington Wizards played their first home game in the arena, beating the Seattle SuperSonics with then-President Bill Clinton in attendance.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals played their first game three days later, on December 5, 1997, against the Florida Panthers. When the Capitals reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1998, games three and four were hosted at the arena.<\/p>\n

Originally, the arena included several unique spaces: a 25,000-square-foot Discovery Channel Store, which was open from 1998 to 2001, the MCI National Sports Gallery and the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame. In 2004, Gallery Place also opened a 14-screen theater as part of the arena complex.<\/p>\n

As MCI Arena, the complex hosted the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. In January 2006, MCI was acquired by Verizon, with the arena being renamed Verizon Arena. Later that year, VIDA Fitness opened its first location in the arena, which remained open through the spring of 2024. In 2007, the arena\u2019s scoreboard was upgraded to an indoor, high-definition LED model.<\/p>\n

By the spring of 2015, Verizon opted not to renew its contract to keep its name on the arena. As such, in 2017, the naming rights were purchased by Capital One Financial Corporation and the venue was rechristened to its current name. During the 2017 season, the Wizards also won their first division title in nearly four decades.<\/p>\n

The arena once again hosted multiple games of the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 on the way to the Capitals taking home their first Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights in a five-game series. The victory marked the first major championship by a D.C.-area team in more than 25 years.<\/p>\n

From 2019 to 2020, Capital One Arena underwent a major renovation that included replacing seating in the arena, adding overhead video boards, a SkyRing video screen, making improvements to the concourse and changing many of the dining options available.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the first sportsbook to open inside a professional sports arena in the country was added to the venue by William Hill.<\/p>\n

Other major events that have taken place in the arena\u2019s history include multiple games of the NCAA March Madness tournament<\/a>, regular matchups between the Harlem Globetrotters<\/a> and Washington Generals, the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships, Mike Tyson\u2019s final non-exhibition professional boxing match against Kevin McBride in 2005, the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four, the 2016 Kellogg\u2019s Tour of Gymnastics Champions, more than two decades of the Washington International Horse Show through 2019, the 2024 Capital Hockey Classic, the indoor parade of Donald Trump\u2019s second presidential inauguration in 2025 and more.<\/p>\n

Capital One Arena is undergoing a 3-year transformation project that began in December 2024. The $800 million-plus transformation will include new locker rooms and training spaces, along with upgraded entrances, concourses, seating, premium areas, concessions, restrooms, and a new exterior design.<\/p>\n