Amid multiple reports the Oakland Raiders are finding a new home next season, it seems they’ll be playing at least one regular season game away from O.co Coliseum.
According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Raiders will play one game in Mexico City in 2016. The club will play a home game in Mexico’s capital versus the Houston Texans.
The move makes sense, as Oakland’s home situation is currently up in the air. The Chronicle reports Texans owner Bob McNair and president Jamey Rootes have lobbied to the league to participate in an international matchup in Mexico City, without giving up a home game.
“We’ve always expressed that we have an interest in participating internationally as a road team, we’ve made it clear that we were most interested in doing that in Mexico,” Rootes said. “It’s an amazing opportunity for teams and the league. Mexico City is a logical choice for a team like the Texans. We’d be a great ambassador for the league.”
The last matchup in Mexico City was in 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca, in a regular season matchup in front of more than 100,000 spectators.
Estadio Azteca was renovated in 2013. As ProFootballTalk notes, officials reportedly visited Mexico City to see if it was ready to host another game.
[Houston Chronicle/ProFootballTalk]
