Featuring a transparent partial roof, it is located on the waterfront in the Riverbend District of Harrison[7] across the Passaic River from Newark and approximately 7 miles (12 km) west of Lower Manhattan, New York City.

[9] The original plan to build a soccer specific stadium in the New York Metropolitan area was announced during the 2000 MLS season at ESPN Zone in Times Square by the President & GM of the MetroStars Nick Sakiewicz and owner Stuart Subotnick.

[10] Harrison was chosen for its mass transit and interstate connections, proximity to New York City and its long history and reputation as a soccer cultural hotbed.

[11][12][13] Negotiations between MLS and the state of New Jersey dragged on until an agreement was announced on August 5, 2005, for the MetroStars to build and complete construction of a new dedicated soccer facility for the 2007 season.

[14] Groundbreaking took place September 19, 2006, and construction was set for November 2007, that was delayed by one month when Red Bull GmbH bought the MetroStars from Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), changing the club's name in the process.

[17] Nick Sakiewicz moved on to create MLS' 16th franchise in Philadelphia and build a soccer specific stadium in that market which launched in 2010.

[20] In addition to purchasing the team, Red Bull bought out AEG's $100 million share of the stadium, an after-effect of lasting disagreements between the two corporations regarding their plans for the facility.

Red Bull opted out of AEG's plan to construct a stage in the stadium for performances, one that would have increased profit margins for the group.

[23][24] The low and enclosed roof design is known for providing superior acoustics by holding, amplifying and reflecting crowd noise back onto the field.

[25] Dual 800 sq ft (74 m2) light-emitting diode (LED) HD Panasonic video boards were suspended from the north and south ends of the roof.

[45] Construction commenced on Red Bull Park on January 3, 2008, on the site of a former Remco factory service building, including the first of 3,000 timber piles driven into the ground to support the new stadium.

[61] On July 14, 2016, the Red Bulls and town agreed to a revised settlement, in which the stadium and land will be turned over to the Hudson County Improvement Authority.

[67] The facility instead opened on March 20, 2010, as the Red Bulls played a friendly match against Brazilian club Santos FC winning before a sold-out crowd 3–1.

[6][68] The first official match, the MLS season opener against the Chicago Fire, took place March 27, 2010, with the Red Bulls winning 1–0 in front of a sold-out crowd.

[69] Red Bull Arena hosted its first-ever international soccer game in May 2010, when Turkey beat the Czech Republic in front of a crowd of 16,371.

[77] The 2012 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament was supposed to be held at Red Bull Arena but was moved to Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

On October 27, 2013, the New York Red Bulls won their first ever Supporters' Shield championship by beating the Chicago Fire 5–2 in front of a sold-out crowd of 25,219.

In late 2020, Red Bull Arena hosted home matches for the Montreal Impact (later known as CF Montréal) due to cross-border travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On July 28, 2023, Red Bull Arena hosted Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Newcastle United in the Premier League Summer Series where the Magpies won 2–1.

[109] On August 13, 2024, New York City FC played a 2024 Leagues Cup Round of 16 home match against Tigres UANL at Red Bull Arena.

[133] On October 10, 2016, Red Bull Arena announced plans to regularly host concerts and live entertainment events beginning in 2017.

[134][135] On September 24, 2017, as part of the festivities for the Danone Nations Cup World Final, DNCE closed out the tournament with a concert.

[156] In November 2018, Red Bull Arena and Director of Grounds, Dan Shemesh, were honored with the "Field of the Year" award by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) for the professional soccer division.

[157][158] In April 2021, Red Bull Arena received Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation ahead of the 2021 home opener.

GBAC STAR is recognized as the gold standard of safe venues and provides third-party validation to ensure the implementation of rigorous protocols in response to biorisk situations such as COVID-19.

[159] In November 2021, Red Bull Arena was named "2021 Professional Soccer Field of the Year" by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA).

A $256 million reconstruction and expansion, to accommodate the burgeoning economic growth and development in the area and the increasing number of fans taking the PATH on game days,[161][162] was completed on June 15, 2019.

The nearby Jackson Street Bridge crosses the Passaic River to the Ironbound neighborhood in Newark and is a popular pedestrian route to and from the stadium.

The mural, titled "Unity Goal", was painted by Newark artist Diegumberrto who said "Soccer is a sport that unifies people of all ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and languages.

The mural embodies the love of the game and adds a level of excitement as people gather to walk across the bridge to (Red Bull Arena).