Taylor Swift to star in SoFi Stadium’s grand opening next July

Two days after SoFi Stadium, the future home of the Rams and Chargers, announced a naming rights deal, the $5-billion Inglewood venue revealed its first event.

The most expensive NFL stadium ever built will open July 25 and 26, 2020, with back-to-back Taylor Swift concerts.

Tickets will go on sale Oct. 17.

Swift, who has sold more than 50 million albums and 150 million singles, has a banner up at Staples Center after selling out five consecutive shows there in 2015 and holding the record for most sold-out performances by any artist at the 20-year-old home of the Lakers, Clippers and Kings.

Kevin Demoff, Rams chief operating officer, told the Los Angeles Times in July that he didn’t envision a Rams or Chargers preseason game serving as the grand opening of the stadium next summer.

“This is not only going to be a sports venue but a great entertainment venue,” he said. “We’re thinking about a summer concert series, international soccer matches and other events. Our hope is that fans of entertainment and sports will get to come and sample this building before we play a game.”

It’s common for many stadiums and arenas to open with a concert or show before hosting a game by one of its primary tenants. Staples Center, for example, opened Oct. 17, 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen concert. Swift is the first female performer to open an NFL stadium.

The 70,000-seat stadium, which can be expanded to seat 100,000, will be the centerpiece of the 298-acre entertainment district being built on the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack. It is more than 70% complete and set to open in July ahead of the grand opening concert.

The stadium is scheduled to host Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the college football national championship in 2023 and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Summer Olympics.