Las Vegas is to host the NCAA Final Four for the first time, with the city’s Allegiant Stadium to stage the college basketball event in 2028.
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has selected each of the hosts for the 2027-2030 Men’s Final Fours, with Detroit, Arlington and Indianapolis also selected.
Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020, is the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and college football’s UNLV Rebels. The $2bn, 65,000-seat venue has also staged major concerts, including Guns N Roses and The Rolling Stones, WWE wrestling, and soccer matches featuring the US national team and European giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“The Raiders are thrilled to welcome the NCAA and college basketball fans from around the world to Las Vegas and our home at Allegiant Stadium,” said Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of the Las Vegas Raiders and Las Vegas NCAA Final Four bid team. “Our facility is a state-of-the-art, ideal venue for world-class sporting events.”
Las Vegas – so long ostracised by major sport in the US due to its historic links to the gambling industry – has this year hosted the NFL Draft and the NFL Pro Bowl. The Nevada city will also host the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023 and Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
In October 2020, the NCAA announced Las Vegas as a first-time March Madness site when it awarded the city the 2023 West Regional. In addition, Las Vegas is currently scheduled to host nine other NCAA championships before 2026.
“We are excited to bring the NCAA’s premier championship to Las Vegas, a city that for a number of years has hosted numerous championships from several member conferences,” said Chris Reynolds, chair of the NCAA basketball committee. “The feedback from leagues, the fans of their teams and the media covering the events staged there has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident we’ll get the same reviews when the Men’s Final Four is played at Allegiant Stadium.”
The committee announced that the 2027 event will take place at Detroit’s Ford Field, with 2030 at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium will stage the 2029 event having previously been confirmed as the 2026 host.
The 2023 Final Four will be held in Houston, with 2024 and 2025 in Phoenix and San Antonio respectively.
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