Discussions are taking place for Allegiant Stadium to host a soccer match featuring Barcelona and Real Madrid as its first event, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report.
Set to open this year as the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium is currently under construction and is expected to be completed this summer. While the stadium will host both the Raiders and UNLV football on a full-time basis, its first event might not be a football game, as discussions are reportedly underway about staging an International Champions Cup match at the venue.
Those plans have not been finalized but, if everything falls into place, it is expected that the match would take place in early August, featuring Barcelona and Real Madrid. More from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Sources have confirmed that Allegiant is under consideration to be the host venue for the International Champions Cup, an annual summer soccer tour involving some of the most popular teams throughout Europe.
If a deal can be finalized, a match between soccer giants Barcelona and Real Madrid could be the first sporting event at Allegiant Stadium in early August.
The $1.9 billion venue, which is slated to open next summer, is one of two new venues under consideration as host stadiums. The other — SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles — is also scheduled to open next summer as the new home for the Rams and Chargers.
It is not unusual for NFL stadiums to host events outside of football for their first official event. Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 with a match between AC Milan and Chelsea, while SoFi Stadium is slated to open in late July with a Taylor Swift concert.
Renderings courtesy MANICA Architecture.
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