The 7-Minute Walk: 6 D.C. Weekends That Stack a Nationals Game and D.C. United
Nationals Park and Audi Field are 2,200 feet apart in D.C. Six 2026 weekends put both teams home. Here's which one to book.
Two pro stadiums in the same U.S. city, close enough to walk between, both with home games on the same weekend: that is not supposed to exist. It does in Washington D.C. in 2026, and unlike most "great sports city" pitches, this one is specific enough to actually book.
Nationals Park and Audi Field sit about 2,200 feet apart in Southwest D.C. A 7-minute walk. Six 2026 weekends put a Nationals home game and a D.C. United home match in the same Friday-to-Sunday window. Only Seattle, where the Mariners' and Sounders' stadiums sit side by side in SoDo, rivals that kind of MLB-MLS proximity; in most markets the two teams play miles apart.
The catch: one of the six pairs the most marquee Nationals game on the calendar with an international friendly, not an MLS league match. That distinction determines which weekend you should actually book.
Two stadiums, one walk: why this stack exists at all
Both venues sit in the Buzzard Point and Navy Yard corridor of Southwest D.C. Nationals Park is roughly 2,200 feet northeast of Audi Field. The Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro stop on the Green Line serves both. No transfer, no ride-share, no logistical puzzle.
That is the geographic fact that makes a walkable two-game weekend possible. In most MLB-MLS markets, getting from one team's stadium to the other means a cab or a cross-town transit ride. Here, it is a 7-minute walk.
The walk is the whole argument. Everything else is picking the right weekend.
The six weekends both teams are home
All six overlap windows run Friday through Sunday. D.C. United reserve and affiliate games are excluded; these are first-team fixtures only.
| Weekend of | Nationals Host | D.C. United Host | Match Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 4 | Los Angeles Dodgers | FC Dallas | MLS League |
| May 16 | Baltimore Orioles | St. Louis City SC | MLS League |
| July 11 | New York Yankees | Ethiopia National Team | International Friendly |
| July 25 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Toronto FC | MLS League |
| August 29 | Miami Marlins | LAFC | MLS League |
| September 12 | Los Angeles Angels | Atlanta United FC | MLS League |
Five of the six pair a Nationals game with a real MLS regular-season match. July 11 is the exception, and it matters.
Which weekend is worth booking, and which one has a catch
July 11 looks like the obvious pick: Nationals vs Yankees is the closest thing to a national-broadcast event the Nationals schedule offers in 2026. But D.C. United's home date that weekend is an international friendly against the Ethiopia National Team, not an MLS league match. Different atmosphere, different stakes. It is still live soccer in a compact stadium two blocks from the Potomac, but it is not the same product as a conference fixture.
If you want two-league value with no asterisks, the May 16 Beltway Series weekend is the sharper choice. The Nationals host the Orioles, a genuine rivalry game. D.C. United hosts St. Louis City SC in an MLS league match. Both games are full-stakes. Nothing to footnote.
Here is how the key weekends compare:
| Weekend | MLB Draw | MLS Draw | Catch? |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16 | Nationals vs Orioles (rivalry) | vs St. Louis City SC | None |
| July 11 | Nationals vs Yankees (marquee) | vs Ethiopia | Friendly, not a league match |
| August 29 | Nationals vs Marlins | vs LAFC | None |
| September 12 | Nationals vs Angels | vs Atlanta United | None |
| April 4 | Nationals vs Dodgers | vs FC Dallas | None |
| July 25 | Nationals vs Diamondbacks | vs Toronto FC | None |
April 4 is worth flagging for fans who want a high-profile MLB opponent and prefer an early-season trip; the Dodgers are the defending-dynasty visitor. August 29 pairs LAFC, one of the league's marquee clubs, with a late-summer Marlins visit that may carry playoff implications for the Nationals depending on where they sit in the standings. September 12 lands in the MLS playoff push window for Eastern Conference sides, which makes the Atlanta United match more competitive than a mid-table matchup.
July 25 (Diamondbacks, Toronto FC) is the least headlined of the five clean weekends. The two-game logic holds; it just lacks a marquee name to anchor the trip.
The pick for most travelers: May 16 first, July 11 second (if you prioritize the Yankees series and accept the friendly), then the rest by personal matchup preference.
Can you actually do both games in one day
Yes, with conditions. The 7-minute walk means the stadiums are not the constraint. Start times are.
A Nationals day game followed by a D.C. United evening kickoff is feasible. A D.C. United afternoon kickoff followed by a Nationals night game works in the other direction. The problem is when both games share the same time window or when start times are close enough that you would be leaving one game early to reach the other.
Before locking in a same-day plan, confirm the exact start times for your chosen weekend. The schedule confirms both teams are home; it does not guarantee the times cooperate.
If they do not, split the trip: one game Saturday, one game Sunday. The walk is still there. You are not giving up the geography; you are just spreading it across two days instead of one.
That flexibility is the other reason this stack works. Most sports weekends force you to commit to one game or make an unrealistic logistical bet. In Washington, you can decide at noon Saturday whether you are going for the double or saving your legs for Sunday.
The Washington D.C. destination page covers the full sports landscape if you want to add a third game or a third league to the weekend.
How we built this list
The six overlap weekends come from cross-referencing Nationals and D.C. United 2026 home schedules for Friday-to-Sunday windows where both clubs have a first-team home fixture. D.C. United reserve and USL affiliate appearances are excluded. The venue distance (approximately 2,200 feet) is sourced from venue transportation guides and confirmed against publicly available stadium locations. Schedules and fixture types are verified as of June 2026; individual game times should be confirmed closer to each date, as start times are subject to broadcast adjustments.
Don't just watch, Go.
Plan your Washington D.C. sports weekend
Two pro stadiums, one walk, six weekends to choose from
Open planner →