Las Vegas Raiders are set to move in July 31, 2020
993 days after ground was broken on what was then a 62-acre lot of dirt, the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium now holds its own on the Las Vegas skyline.
Friday has been the target date for completion since ground was broken in November 2017 for the 65,000-seat domed stadium just off the Las Vegas Strip.
“We still have to finish the job,” Raiders team owner Mark Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He referred to a “punch list” of items still to be done.
Finishing touches in coming weeks wouldn’t have prevented the stadium from hosting events, but officials acknowledge the coronavirus pandemic is affecting schedule.
The first planned stadium event, a sold-out Garth Brooks concert, was rescheduled from Aug. 22 to Feb. 27 in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Obviously Cancelled.
The first Raiders regular-season game after moving from Oakland, California, is a scheduled Monday night matchup Sept. 21 against the New Orleans Saints.
The stadium also will host UNLV football, instead of aging Sam Boyd Stadium across town. The first Rebels game at Allegiant Stadium is scheduled Oct. 10 against Wyoming, although the school is trying to arrange an Aug. 29 game against TCU.
The Pac-12 Conference announced Friday that its football championship game scheduled Dec. 4 will not be played at Allegiant Stadium. The league said a two-year contract to play the title game at the venue will instead start in 2021.
Clark County officials last week issued a temporary occupancy certificate valid until Aug. 22.
“I am pleased to see the stadium reach the substantial completion date, a major milestone in any construction project,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak, who as chairman of the Clark County Commission in 2016 played a key role in the stadium approval process.