Welcome to Las Vegas — the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The 2020 season marked a historic new chapter for the franchise, becoming the third city the Raiders have called home.
For years, the team pursued plans for a football-only stadium in Oakland, where they shared the Oakland Coliseum with MLB’s Oakland Athletics. Opened in 1966, the Coliseum had become one of the NFL’s oldest venues and lacked many of the premium amenities and revenue-generating features found in modern stadiums. Despite extensive discussions with local officials, efforts to secure a new stadium agreement in Oakland were unsuccessful. The Raiders explored multiple relocation options — including San Antonio and Los Angeles — before serious momentum developed in Las Vegas.
In 2016, Las Vegas developers unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art stadium designed to attract an NFL franchise. That spring, owner Mark Davis visited the city and expressed strong interest in relocation. On March 31, 2017, the National Football League officially approved the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas. A $1.9 billion domed stadium was subsequently constructed to host both the Raiders and the UNLV Rebels football. The project was financed through a public-private partnership, including $750 million generated by hotel tax revenue, with the remainder funded by the Raiders and the NFL. In August 2019, naming rights were secured by Allegiant Air, giving the venue its name: Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders played their first game at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020, against the New Orleans Saints. Situated just west of the famed Las Vegas Strip, the stadium’s sleek silver-and-black exterior reflects the team’s iconic colors. Its translucent roof allows natural light to illuminate the interior, while an 80-by-215-foot operable opening in the north end zone — featuring massive lanai doors — creates an open-air atmosphere during favorable weather.
A defining architectural centerpiece is the Al Davis Memorial Torch, honoring legendary owner Al Davis. Standing 93 feet tall, the torch is constructed from carbon fiber and aluminum and utilizes advanced lighting effects — rather than a traditional flame — along with a 1,000-gallon water feature. Encircling the torch is a 55,000-square-foot peristyle club, one of the stadium’s premier gathering spaces. Allegiant Stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 65,000, including roughly 6,000 club seats and a wide array of premium hospitality offerings. Its natural grass playing surface is housed on a retractable 9,500-ton tray that is rolled outside the stadium on non-game days to receive direct sunlight — an innovative feature that preserves optimal field conditions.
Beyond serving as the home of the Raiders, Allegiant Stadium also hosts UNLV football, the Las Vegas Bowl, major neutral-site college matchups, and marquee NFL events, including Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, further solidifying its role as a premier sports and entertainment destination.
