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Talia Lakritz
- The Chiefs and 49ers will face off at Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- The domed stadium opened in 2020 and cost $2 billion to build.
- It can hold 65,000 people for typical games and 72,000 for the Super Bowl.
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On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will compete for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVIII.
Up to 72,000 fans are expected to attend the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the average Super Bowl ticket cost nearly $11,000 two weeks before the game.
Take a look inside the state-of-the-art arena.
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Completed in 2020 as the home of the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium spans 1.8 million square feet.
The New York Times reported that the stadium cost $2 billion to construct, $750 million of which came from public funds via an increased hotel tax.
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Raiders owner Mark Davis nicknamed Allegiant Stadium "the Death Star" because of its futuristic, imposing shape.
Davis coined the "Death Star" nickname during the Raiders' first practice at the new stadium in August 2020, describing it as the place "where our opponent's dreams come to die," USA TODAY reported. The nickname stuck.
"Looking at the stadium, it does kind of remind me of something where Darth Vader is going to come out of a door or something like that," Darren Waller, then a Raiders tight end, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in September 2020.
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The arena's regular capacity is 65,000. For special events like the Super Bowl, it can host thousands more.
With additional Super Bowl seating, Allegiant Stadium can host up to 72,000 people, Sports Illustrated reported.
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The domed stadium features a motorized tray that can slide the grass field in and out of the building.
Since the stadium has a roof, the grass field was designed to be moved out into the sun on a moving tray on days when the Raiders aren't playing.
The tray is powered by 72 motors and weighs 19 million pounds — almost as heavy as the Eiffel Tower, according to Allegiant Stadium's official website.
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Allegiant Stadium also features a 92-foot-tall torch built in memory of former Raiders owner Al Davis, who died in 2011.
Inspired by Davis' quote that "the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders organization is the will to win," the torch is lit before every game, according to the official Raiders website.
Behind the torch, lanai doors provide views of the Las Vegas Strip.
Some concession stands pay tribute to local attractions, like the alien-themed Area 41 bar inspired by Area 51.
Area 51, a classified Air Force base in southern Nevada, has long been linked to conspiracy theories surrounding UFOs and extraterrestrial life. The mysterious area has inspired numerous alien-themed tourist attractions across the state, such as the Extraterrestrial Highway.
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The locker rooms function as a green room for press events.
Each cubby contains hangers, shelves, a locker, and a cushioned bench.
When it's game time, Allegiant Stadium puts on a show with dramatic lighting.
With 75,000 square feet of video boards and over 2,300 TV screens throughout the arena, per the stadium's official website, fans seated in the top rows can follow the action.
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