Standing on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue in December 2025, you can see the future taking shape. Where the Tropicana hotel-casino once stood, construction crews are pouring concrete foundations for what will become Major League Baseball’s newest stadium. Over 1,000 pilings have been driven into the ground. The lower concourse is beginning to take form. By summer 2026, steel will rise for the roof structure, making the Athletics’ new home increasingly visible from the Strip.
“We’re on schedule and that’s a good sign,” Athletics chairman Sandy Dean told reporters during a media tour of the construction site. For a project that has faced years of controversy, political battles, and public skepticism, staying on schedule counts as a significant achievement.
The Athletics’ relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas represents one of the most consequential franchise moves in modern American sports. It also presents a case study in public-private partnerships, stadium financing, and the risks and rewards of building major sports infrastructure in one of America’s most unique markets.
From Oakland to the Desert
The Athletics’ decision to leave Oakland, their home since 1968, stemmed from years of failed stadium negotiations. The team sought a modern ballpark to replace the aging Oakland Coliseum, which the Athletics shared with the NFL Raiders until that team’s 2020 departure to Las Vegas. Multiple proposed sites and financing plans collapsed over disputes about public funding, development rights, and community benefits.
Las Vegas emerged as an alternative in 2021 as the Athletics explored options beyond Oakland. Initial discussions focused on various potential sites before settling on the Tropicana location in 2023. The Strip location offered unmatched visibility and access, though it came with premium land costs and complex logistics.
In June 2023, the Nevada Legislature approved Senate Bill 1, authorizing up to $380 million in public financing for the project through transferable tax credits. Governor Joe Lombardo signed the bill into law, clearing the final major political hurdle. MLB owners unanimously approved the relocation in November 2023, making Las Vegas the Athletics’ fourth home after Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland.
The financing structure involves approximately $2 billion in total project costs. The Athletics are responsible for private funding, while Clark County provides up to $380 million through tax credits. Critics argued that public funding could better serve education and other needs. Supporters countered that economic impact and job creation justified the investment.
Schools Over Stadiums, a grassroots group, attempted to force a public referendum on the funding package. In May 2024, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected their effort, effectively ending organized opposition to public financing. With legal challenges resolved, construction could proceed.
The Construction Timeline
Mortenson-McCarthy, the same joint venture that built Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders, serves as the general contractor. This choice provided continuity and leveraged expertise from a similar project in the same market. The firms broke ground in May 2025, with a ceremonial groundbreaking following in June.
The construction timeline targets completion by January 2028, allowing the stadium to open for the 2028 season. Steel placement for the roof structure is scheduled to begin in early 2026, with vertical construction becoming visible by late summer or early fall.
“The current schedule is for a lot of work to occur on the seating stands between now and early summer of 2026,” Dean explained. “I think the next really significant thing that we’ll see will be steel going up for the roof structure. Essentially they’ll build some supports inside the stadium to support the arches, so the arches can be completed and support themselves.”
The stadium will feature a retractable roof, critical for managing Las Vegas’s extreme summer heat. With temperatures regularly exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit during baseball season, an open-air stadium would be practically unusable for day games and uncomfortable even at night. The roof allows climate control while maintaining the flexibility for open-air games during more temperate months.
Seating capacity is set at 33,000, smaller than many MLB stadiums but appropriate for the Athletics’ expected market size. The intimate capacity creates scarcity that supports premium pricing while ensuring the stadium appears full even if attendance doesn’t match larger-market teams.
The design incorporates views of the Strip and potentially the Sphere, the massive spherical entertainment venue visible from much of the southern Strip. These sight lines integrate the stadium into Las Vegas’s visual landscape rather than isolating it behind walls like traditional ballparks.
The Interim Strategy
While their new stadium rises on the Strip, the Athletics face the challenge of where to play from 2025 through 2027. The team relocated to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, home of the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. This arrangement, while functional, places the Athletics in a minor league facility in another team’s market.
To maintain Las Vegas connections during this interim period, the Athletics scheduled six regular-season games at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin for June 2026. The team will host the Milwaukee Brewers (June 8-10) and Colorado Rockies (June 12-14) at the 10,000-seat stadium that normally serves the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
“We get an opportunity to take this ballclub to our future home to showcase a regular-season game,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said of the Las Vegas homestand. The games serve multiple purposes: maintaining visibility in the Las Vegas market, testing operational logistics for eventually hosting MLB baseball, and building early fan engagement.
This isn’t the first time the Athletics have temporarily played in Las Vegas. In 1996, the team played its first six home games at Cashman Field while the Oakland Coliseum underwent renovations. The return represents historical symmetry as well as practical necessity.
Aviators president Don Logan receives credit for making the 2026 games happen. His organization will need to manage the operational complexity of hosting MLB games at a facility designed for Triple-A baseball, including potential artificial turf installation to handle the additional usage.
Economic Projections and Public Debate
Proponents project significant economic benefits from the new stadium. Beyond construction employment, the facility will create permanent jobs in stadium operations, concessions, retail, and related hospitality services. Game-day spending by visiting fans will circulate through the local economy. The Athletics’ presence enhances Las Vegas’s sports destination status, potentially attracting additional events and investment.
Athletics president Marc Badain, who helped lead the Raiders’ relocation and Allegiant Stadium construction, expressed confidence in the economic model. “It’s a great team of people, it’s a great workforce, its the same crew that built Allegiant,” Badain said. “It’s certainly not surprising and its nice to see it and I’m enjoying it a little more this time.”
Skeptics question whether baseball can succeed in Las Vegas’s unique market. The city’s population, while growing, remains smaller than traditional MLB markets. The tourism economy means many potential attendees are short-term visitors rather than season ticket-holding locals. Summer heat makes baseball less appealing than winter/spring sports like football and hockey.
The Athletics’ recent competitive struggles add another layer of uncertainty. The team has deliberately maintained low payrolls in recent years, fielding non-competitive rosters that alienated Oakland fans. Whether the team will invest in talent once the new stadium opens remains unclear. Without competitive baseball, even the Strip location might not generate sufficient attendance.
The $380 million in public funding remains controversial despite legal resolution. Critics argue these funds could build schools, improve infrastructure, or provide social services. The argument that economic impact justifies public investment depends on projections that may or may not materialize.
Stadium Authority chairman Steve Hill noted the Athletics haven’t yet requested public funding and won’t until they have a guaranteed maximum price contract with Mortenson-McCarthy. “At this point, the A’s have not asked for public funding,” Hill said in late 2025. “It will probably be sometime next year when they ask for the public funding.”
This phased approach to public financing provides some protection. If construction costs escalate beyond projections or if the Athletics fail to secure necessary private funding, public exposure could be limited. However, once construction reaches certain milestones, pulling out becomes increasingly difficult regardless of circumstances.
The Formula 1 Connection
The stadium’s location on the Strip, near the Formula 1 circuit, creates potential synergies between the two sports properties. Athletics owner John Fisher attended the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix and expressed enthusiasm about potential partnerships.
“A’s owner excited about Las Vegas home, looks to partner with F1, resorts,” one headline noted after Fisher’s Grand Prix appearance. The specifics of such partnerships remain undefined, but the proximity and complementary event calendars create obvious opportunities.
Baseball season runs from late March through September (or October for playoff teams), while Formula 1’s Las Vegas race occurs in November. The stadium could host Formula 1-related events during race week. Formula 1 could provide programming for baseball game entertainment. Both organizations could cross-promote to their respective audiences.
More broadly, the Athletics stadium contributes to the southern Strip’s evolution into a sports and entertainment district. Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena, the Formula 1 circuit, and the new baseball stadium create a concentration of sports venues unmatched in American cities. This clustering generates network effects that benefit all properties.
Design and Development Details
The stadium design continues evolving even as construction proceeds. Early renderings showed one aesthetic approach, but the Athletics worked with either Gensler or the HNTB-Bjarke Ingels Group joint bid to develop more refined plans. HNTB participated in Allegiant Stadium’s design, providing Vegas-specific expertise.
The project includes more than just the ballpark. Plans call for approximately four acres of plaza space similar to the area surrounding T-Mobile Arena. This public gathering space can host events, provide game-day programming, and serve as a destination independent of baseball games.
Bally’s Corporation, which owned the Tropicana, structured the land deal to provide 3 to 4 additional acres beyond the original site plans. This extra space gives the Athletics flexibility for enhanced amenities or future expansion. Bally’s also retained options to develop casino and entertainment facilities adjacent to the stadium, creating potential for integrated development.
The stadium will include modern amenities expected in contemporary sports venues: club seating, luxury suites, diverse food and beverage options, and technology integration for enhanced fan experience. Aramark signed a 20-year food-and-beverage contract in May 2025, including financial investment in the team and stadium. Such long-term contracts provide revenue certainty and allow sophisticated planning for culinary programming.
The 30-year, rent-free lease agreement between the Athletics and the stadium authority raises questions about long-term financial sustainability. The Athletics will eventually have the option to purchase the stadium, though specific terms remain undisclosed. This structure shifts financial burden to the public sector during early years while giving the team potential long-term equity.
Challenges and Risks
The project faces multiple challenges beyond the obvious construction and financing hurdles. Water management in the desert requires careful planning, particularly for a facility with significant landscape and cooling demands. The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop has already encountered water issues “despite Southern Nevada being known for its dry climate,” suggesting that groundwater and drainage present more challenges than surface conditions suggest.
Traffic and access management present another complexity. The Strip already experiences heavy congestion, particularly during peak tourism periods. Adding 33,000 baseball fans to existing traffic will strain infrastructure. The Vegas Loop may provide some solution, but the system’s capacity limitations mean many attendees will arrive by car, requiring substantial parking infrastructure or shuttle systems.
The Athletics’ trademark applications for “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics” were denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in January 2026, which cited the generic nature of the terms. While not fatal to the team’s branding efforts, this complicates merchandise sales and intellectual property protection. The team may need to develop alternative branding that satisfies trademark requirements while maintaining desired identity.
Perhaps the biggest risk is whether Las Vegas can support MLB baseball. The city has succeeded with NHL hockey (Golden Knights), NFL football (Raiders), and WNBA basketball (Aces). But baseball requires 81 home games rather than 8-17 for football or 41 for hockey and basketball. Filling a 33,000-seat stadium dozens of times per year represents a different challenge than selling out Allegiant Stadium eight times.
The Athletics’ poor reputation following their Oakland exit compounds this challenge. Bay Area fans, including Las Vegas natives like Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, and Paul Sewald, have argued that owner John Fisher deliberately sabotaged the Oakland franchise to justify relocation. Whether Las Vegas fans will embrace a team with this baggage remains uncertain.
Key Takeaways
- Construction began in May 2025 on a $2 billion baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip
- The 33,000-seat facility with retractable roof is scheduled to open in 2028
- Clark County will provide up to $380 million in public financing through transferable tax credits
- Mortenson-McCarthy, the same contractor that built Allegiant Stadium, is managing construction
- The Athletics will play six regular-season games at Las Vegas Ballpark in June 2026 as a preview
- Over 1,000 foundation pilings have been driven, with steel placement scheduled for early 2026
- The stadium contributes to the southern Strip’s evolution into a sports and entertainment district
Important Insights
The Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas represents a test case for whether MLB can succeed in a market fundamentally different from traditional baseball cities. Las Vegas’s tourism-dependent economy, smaller local population, and extreme summer heat create challenges no existing MLB market faces. Success will require the Athletics to draw from both tourists and locals, maintaining attendance across the long baseball season.
The public financing controversy highlights tensions between economic development arguments and direct public service spending. Proponents view sports facilities as infrastructure that generates tax revenue and economic activity justifying public investment. Opponents see corporate welfare that diverts resources from education and social services. These debates will intensify as more cities face similar decisions.
The tight construction timeline (30 months from groundbreaking to opening) reflects lessons learned from Allegiant Stadium and other recent projects. Using the same contractor provides continuity and institutional knowledge. However, any delays could push back the opening, forcing the Athletics to extend their Sacramento interim period at significant cost to market positioning.
The Strip location differentiates this stadium from typical suburban ballparks surrounded by parking lots. Integration into Las Vegas’s pedestrian-oriented entertainment corridor creates different dynamics for attendance, spending, and fan experience. Whether this proves advantage or liability depends on execution and how effectively the team captures tourist traffic.
The Athletics’ decision to schedule six games at Las Vegas Ballpark in 2026 demonstrates understanding that maintaining market presence during the interim period matters. Three years in Sacramento without Vegas presence would allow the Las Vegas market to forget about the team. The 2026 games keep the Athletics visible and begin building fan relationships before the new stadium opens.
The potential for synergy with Formula 1 and other southern Strip attractions could prove crucial to the stadium’s success. Baseball alone might struggle to justify the investment. Baseball as part of an integrated sports and entertainment district creates different value propositions. The clustering effect may ultimately determine whether the Athletics thrive or merely survive.
For construction updates and additional information, visit the Athletics Ballpark Experience and track progress through the official construction camera.
