MLS: Orlando City will open its new stadium on 05/03/2017, the opening matchday of the 2017 season

The first official game of the MLS franchise Orlando City SC in its new stadium, Orlando City Stadium (25,500 capacity,) will be against New York City FC (Matchday 1 of the 2017 MLS season), on Sunday 05/03/2017. A pre-season game against St. Louis FC (USL, North American third division) was held in the new stadium in front of one hundred invited guests on 26/02/2017.

The American city of Orlando (Florida) voted for a grant of $20m (€18.87m) to contribute toward building a "soccer-specific-stadium" on 07/10/2013, and the Orlando city council approved the Orlando City Stadium construction project, for an enclosure of 19,000 seats, on 31/03/2014. Orlando City SC later decided to turn down the public contribution, and instead to fully finance the construction of the stadium with private investors, and thus be the sole owner and operator of the enclosure. The capacity of the stadium project was increased to 25,500 seats on 29/05/2015.

Originally planned at $84m (€91m), including the public grant contribution, the final cost of building the stadium was $155m (€146m) and fully paid by…