London Stadium bid for baseball

London Stadium owners are once again bidding to host Major League Baseball at the former Olympic Stadium.

Last week  the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)  board said that following the second stage of bidding for the MLB European Series of events running from 2023-2026, the city consortium led by the GLA has been progressed as a candidate for 2023, 2024 and 2026.

Final negotiations and contracting are underway with a decision by August 2021 and final confirmation in the New Year. The consortium is continuing to seek to add the 2025 event.

Last year Major League Baseball decided to cancel MLB London Series after the pandemic struck. St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to host the Chicago Cubs in a National League Central Match-Up in June last year before the cancellation.

London Stadium hosted a two-game MLB series between the Red Sox and Yankees in June 2019 which saw sell-out crowds but the cost of the London Stadium transformation was claimed to be massive with the taxpayer subsidy.

London Stadium owners LLDC admitted that seat move costs increased by £2m to £6m for the baseball transformation but argued the event was good for London local economy bringing in extra millions.