Features

WrestleMania 37 heads to Tampa, SoFi Stadium to host in 2023

SoFi Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers NFL teams, will now host WWE’s WrestleMania event in 2023, with Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium to stage this year’s edition.

Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will host the event from April 10-11. WWE also announced that AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, will host the extravaganza in 2022 before it heads to SoFi Stadium the following year.

WWE will announce ticket availability and safety protocols for this year’s event in the coming weeks. WrestleMania has been moved away from Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium as the state of California is not currently allowing fans to attend sporting fixtures.

SoFi Stadium was awarded hosting rights to WrestleMania in February last year. The 70,000-seat stadium opened at the start of the NFL season but so far no fans have been able to attend due to COVID-19.

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said: “The City of Inglewood looks forward to the opportunity to host WrestleMania in 2023 and celebrates the deferral of this year’s event to Tampa Bay so they can have their rightful WrestleMania moment. Our time will come.”

Last year’s WrestleMania was originally due to be held at Raymond James Stadium but was relocated to Orlando’s WWE Performance Center in Orlando. No fans were allowed due to COVID-19.

The 2019 event was held at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, and broke the record for the venue’s highest-grossing entertainment event. Raymond James Stadium has never staged WrestleMania before, while AT&T Stadium has hosted the event once, in 2016.

Raymond James Stadium has been hosting Buccaneers games with some fans in attendance but it remains to be seen how many spectators will be allowed for April’s WrestleMania event.

Image: SoFi Stadium