HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium is expected to be announced as the site of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024 at the NFL owners meetings in Dallas on Wednesday, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Both the NFL and the Las Vegas Raiders declined comment. The selection of Las Vegas as a host site, which is pending final approval from league owners, was first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Raiders moved to southern Nevada from Oakland in 2020 to play in the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium, with the expectation that the 65,000-seat venue could host future Super Bowls.
While Super Bowl venues are supposed to boast a minimum of 70,000 seats, it is possible that more seats and/or standing room-only placement could be added to the landing area under the Al Davis Torch, as well as in the Wynn Field Club on the other side of the north end zone.
The Raiders play their games on a grass field, brought in on a sliding tray. But UNLV plays on an artificial turf field that effectively lowers the playing surface, which could provide for the addition of a lower seating arena. It’s also possible the NFL could alter the rule requiring 70,000 seats for the Super Bowl.
The next two Super Bowls are scheduled to be played in Inglewood, California, at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, and in Glendale, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023, before coming to Las Vegas, giving the championship game three straight western locations.
Super Bowl LVIII was initially headed to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans before a scheduling conflict necessitated that plan being pushed back a year, to 2025.
It is a big turn of events for the gambling mecca, which in years past could not have commercials advertising the city as a tourist destination aired during the Super Bowl broadcast. That policy has since been relaxed with the league’s changing view of legalized gambling and with the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas, a move that took three years to complete.
Las Vegas will also host the Pro Bowl on Feb. 6, 2022, and the NFL draft from April 28-30. The draft was originally to be held at Allegiant Stadium in 2020 before the pandemic made it a virtual affair.