Tottenham: New stadium to be used competitively in first week of April

Tottenham’s new stadium was scheduled to open in September 2018

Tottenham will play the first competitive fixture at their new stadium in the first week of April.

Spurs were scheduled to move to the new White Hart Lane stadium in September but construction has been delayed.

Who their first opponents are hinges on Brighton’s FA Cup campaign.

If Brighton beat Millwall in the FA Cup on 17 March, Crystal Palace will be Spurs’ visitors on 3 April, but if the Seagulls are knocked out, they will be the opposition on 6 or 7 April.

Tottenham said they have worked with the Premier League, Brighton and Palace to ensure the first competitive fixture at the stadium will be a league encounter.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has said he expects to play their Champions League quarter-final home leg at the venue on 9/10 or 16/17 April, following the draw on 15 March.

Prior to getting the green light for competitive matches, Spurs said in a statement that two test events “with increasing levels of attendance” must be staged “in order to achieve a formal safety certificate”.

An under-18s fixture with Southampton on 24 March will allow for a capacity of around 30,000, before a legends match on 30 March will see around 45,000 fans admitted to the venue.

Chairman Daniel Levy has previously apologised to fans for delays to the completion of the stadium, which has a capacity of 62,062 and is located on the site of their old White Hart Lane home.

The new stadium – which was expected to cost around £750m – will also stage NFL matches, with Levy stating it would “redefine sports and entertainment experiences”.

Spurs have played their 2018-19 fixtures at Wembley Stadium, amassing a record of nine wins and a draw from 14 home league matches.

If they do get the necessary safety certificate following the test events, they will not play another fixture at Wembley.