New sports venues are going to mean new events for Las Vegas. The Pac-12 Conference and Minor League Baseball announced earlier this month that their biggest games will be played in Las Vegas next year.
The 2020 and 2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Games will be played at the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL's Raiders and UNLV football under construction near the Las Vegas Strip.
"Our Pac-12 universities and entire conference are thrilled to have our 2020 and 2021 football championship event take place in one of the most anticipated new venues in sports," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said. "Highlighting and showcasing our programs on one of the biggest stages in a major destination market is a tremendous opportunity. We are excited to work with our new partners in the Raiders, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and MGM Resorts International for these events."
The Pac-12 Football Championship Game has been played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., in late November or early December for the past five years.
Allegiant Stadium will also host the 2020 Las Vegas Bowl, featuring a Pac-12 squad against a foe from either the Big Ten or Southeastern conference; a date for that game, at the conclusion of the 2020 college football season, has not yet been announced.
Las Vegas will also host the 2020 Pac-12 Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments at T-Mobile Arena and Mandalay Bay Events Center, respectively.
"We have had a long-standing partnership with the Pac-12 that includes hosting the Men's and Women's Basketball Championships," said George Kliavkoff, president of entertainment and sports for MGM Resorts International. "Pac-12 fans are some of the best in collegiate sports, and we are proud to extend our relationship with the conference and its fans to the football championship games in 2020 and 2021."
The new Las Vegas Ballpark and the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) will host the Triple-A National Championship Game on Sept. 22, 2020. The 15th annual one-game playoff pits the champions of the PCL and International League, the two leagues that comprise the highest level of Minor League Baseball.
The 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark opened earlier this year about 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The facility has drawn almost 600,000 fans through the Aviators' first 63 home games.
"This is one of our jewel events in all of Minor League Baseball," Minor League Baseball President Pat O'Conner said at a press conference announcing the location. "It's our last game every year, and we're very excited to bring it to Las Vegas Ballpark next season."