Like every other venue around the country, the calendar of events at SoFi Stadium has been altered dramatically this year. The coronavirus pandemic has caused cancelations of concerts and other events everywhere, including a two-night Taylor Swift show that was supposed to open SoFi Stadium.
After that (and other concerts) were postponed, the Rams were supposed to be the first event at the stadium on Aug. 14 in a preseason game against the Saints. That will now be canceled thanks to the NFL trimming the preseason to only two weeks, pushing back the official opening of SoFi Stadium.
The Rams will still be the first team to play at the $5 billion venue, but they’ll do so as the road team, strangely enough. Unless the NFL tweaks the preseason schedule further, the Rams and Chargers will play the first game at SoFi Stadium, with the Chargers technically being the home team.
That game is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. PT, though it’s unlikely fans will be able to attend.
It’s almost fitting that the two teams sharing the stadium would be the first two teams to play there, but it’s interesting that the Rams will be the road team. They’ll still get to use their own locker room, of course, and nothing will truly make them feel like they’re playing a road game.
The official regular-season opening of SoFi Stadium will take place less than a month later when the Rams host the Cowboys on Sept. 13 – a Sunday night matchup in Week 1. So even though they’ll technically open the stadium on the road against the Chargers, they will be the first home team to play a game there during the regular season.
