The 2026 World Series shifts its stage to the Florida Gulf Coast for Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers. It could be the last time baseball's brightest lights shine on one of its weirdest venues.
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg has long been a source of consternation among baseball players and fans, with the 36-year-old dome feeling more like the home of a nuclear fallout shelter than a big-league facility. The team's former ownership had been looking for a new home for years and had finally secured a spot down the road at the Historic Gas Plant District.
That's when the hurricane hit. On Oct. 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton not only tore the roof off the Trop, but it set the stage for the Rays' biggest organizational shift
since its 31-win turnaround that took them to their first World Series appearance in 2008.
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Suddenly their three-year plan to build a $1.3 billion stadium and shut down the old place was no longer viable. Rays brass fought with city and Pinellas County officials over costs to clean up and rebuild Tropicana Field, which also led to delays in the Gas District stadium construction. Eventually the plan was scrapped, and within a year, Stuart Sternberg sold his majority ownership stake.
Enter the new ownership group, headed by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zapulski and including several Tampa-area power players. They landed an even more expensive stadium planned across the bay in Tampa proper, one that would create a massive complex next door to the New York Yankees' spring training park (and the Rays' temporary home in 2025 after the hurricane) and across the street from the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The site gained its final approval from Tampa City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission in August, clearing the path for work to begin. Here's what to know about the project:
Where is the Rays new stadium?
The Rays got clearance to build their new stadium at the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College between Dale Mabry Highway and West Tampa Bay Boulevard.
The site is on the same block as Steinbrenner Field, where the AL East-rival Yankees have played their spring training games since 1996. It's also where the Rays played their home games in the 2025 season while Tropicana Field underwent repairs.
When will Rays new stadium open?
The Rays' lease on Tropicana Field expires at the end of the 2028 MLB season, and team officials have repeatedly stated the new ballpark will open in April 2029.
Rays CEO Ken Babby told The Tampa Bay Times earlier this month those plans remained on schedule, with work beginning on temporary housing for Hillsborough College students in coming weeks. However, team officials originally said groundbreaking would need to begin by September to open by Opening Day 2029, and that has yet to begin.
Tampa Bay Rays new stadium features
The Rays shared artist renderings of the planned new stadium in July. The plans include the following:
- 31,000 seats (about 6,000 more than Tropicana Field)
- A shopping, dining and entertainment district around the ballpark that includes public spaces
- A touch tank for live cownose rays, like the one at the Trop
How much will Rays new stadium cost?
The new stadium is projected to cost $2.3 billion. Of that figure, Hillsborough County agreed to spend $796 million toward that figure, with the City of Tampa taking out an $80 million loan to pay for it and another $30 million coming from federal disaster recovery funds. That means taxpayers would be on the hook for an amount worth roughly $1 billion.
However, while the Rays have said they would foot at least $1.3 billion of the bill plus any overruns, stadium-deal reporter Neil deMause has pointed out the public could be on the tab for as much as $2 billion on his Field of Schemes blog.
Will Rays move out of Tampa?
MLB officials have stood by the notion that the Rays should remain in the Tampa area, and the new stadium deal solidifies that. Team CEO Ken Babby said the team's lease on the new park will last for 35 years, keeping the Rays in town until at least 2064.
How to watch Rays vs Brewers in World Series Game 3
- Date: Monday, Oct. 26
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- TV channel: Fox
- Live streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Watch the World Series on Fubo (free trial)
Contributing: Curt Anderson, USA TODAY Network - Florida
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: As Trop preps for World Series, what's going on with Rays new stadium?
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