LAS VEGAS — The groundbreaking is set for Monday on a baseball stadium that will forever alter the skyline of the Las Vegas Strip. The arrival of Las Vegas’ newest professional sports franchise is quickly becoming a reality, with major construction soon to be underway in the resort corridor.
The groundbreaking will become the latest development in a yearslong process that will see the former Oakland Athletics find a new home in Las Vegas. Expected to open for the 2028 season, the new ballpark, located on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, will occupy the former footprint of the Tropicana Las Vegas resort.
Earning its place as the third-oldest casino on the Strip, the Tropicana—a classic resort that had stood for more than 67 years—closed its doors in April. The resort, with its rich history and iconic status, was imploded on Oct. 9 at 2:37 a.m. to make way for the new $1.5 billion baseball stadium that will become home to the newly dubbed Las Vegas Athletics baseball club.
In June 2023, the Nevada Legislature approved the new stadium with $380 million in public funding promised, signaling the end of the Athletics franchise’s struggle to find a new home in Northern California, as locations like Fremont, San Jose and even a waterfront Oakland ballpark had all failed to gain traction.
In March 2024, Las Vegas locals got their first glimpse of what the newest addition to the Las Vegas Strip would look like, as renderings of the stadium’s tiered design and fixed roof were unveiled. The ballpark, which is said to hold 33,000 people, features upper and lower seating bowls and views of the Strip. The design is said to limit direct sunlight in an effort to avoid heat and make Las Vegas a comfortable place to play ball.
Since breaking with Oakland, the Athletics opened MLB play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Home of the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the Sacramento River Cats, the ballpark has capacity for 14,014 fans and an agreement to be the temporary home of the Athletics through the 2027 season.
For his part, in February, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he expects the new Las Vegas ballpark to meet its timing expectations and open its doors for the Athletics’ home opener in 2028.
“I don’t think the timeline has changed,” Manfred said. “I believe we’re going to be on time to go in 2028.”
As Las Vegas prepares to host its first MLB franchise, the project enters a new phase—moving from legislative approvals and conceptual renderings to the realities of construction and deadlines. If the current timeline holds, the Las Vegas Athletics will take the field in 2028, further cementing the city’s reputation as the sports and entertainment capital of the world.
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