Featured image credit: Harold Litwiller/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED/Edited for size
Las Vegas’ new Sphere venue officially opened as U2 kicked off a 25-show residency at the 18,600-capacity arena.
The Populous-designed facility, which has been praised for its stunning visuals, was built at a cost of $2.3bn (£1.8bn/€2.1bn). “What a fancy pad” was the verdict from U2 frontman Bono.
The Sphere later had a prime position on the circuit for Formula 1’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. The arena itself will host its first sporting event next summer when it stages the NHL Draft.
October was also a big month for event news, as FIFA announced that the 2030 World Cup will take place in six countries spanning three continents, and UEFA awarded hosting rights for the 2028 and 2032 European Championships.
The bulk of games at the 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to host “celebratory” matches during the tournament. Saudi Arabia is also poised to host the 2034 edition after Football Australia opted against a bid.
Euro 2028 will be staged by England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, while Euro 2032 will be co-hosted by Italy and Turkey.
Elsewhere, Serie A club Inter Milan offered a glimpse of life after the San Siro by revealing initial concept images of a new 70,000-capacity stadium that it hopes will open ahead of the 2028-29 season.
TheStadiumBusiness.com reported at the time that Inter was working with Populous on the project in the Rozzano commune. The Populous-designed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be one of the inspirations for the venue.
In other news, Manchester City received the final green light for its Etihad Stadium expansion project, while the Co-op Live scheme marked another key milestone in its development.
On the sponsorship front, Kansas City Current announced that railroad company CPKC will be the naming-rights sponsor of the first venue purpose-built for a National Women’s Soccer League franchise.
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