Aston Villa's owners are looking increasingly bold towards a large investment in the United States. Will soccer come to Sin City before the 2026 World Cup?

The MLS, America's top soccer league, has recently opened talks with Aston Villa bosses about securing rights to bring a new franchise into the league structures in the near future. It has been rumoured for a long time that Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris are to invest in a new club that would appear on the United States soccer map in just a few years.

The important cut-off date is 2026, when the USA, along with Mexico and Canada, will host the World Cup. The previous World Cup, held in the USA in 1994, left a great mark on the popularity of this sport in the country, which is why the authorities are prioritising this deadline. The choice fell on Las Vegas, which may have a USL Championship team, but it is definitely not a nationally recognised brand that two investors want to develop further.

It is still unclear what the Las Vegas-based team will be called. So far, the name Las Vegas Villains, which the owners of Aston Villa reserved seven months ago, may have seemed definitive. However, in a recent interview, Wes Edens was silent on this matter. While waiting for the official name to be announced, fans can visit the best betting sites for football so they don't miss the odds for the new MLS season starting in less than a month.

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The owners' plans for the club's new stadium are looking slightly more optimistic. For now, Las Vegas is home to one of the world's most expensive stadiums, the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium with a budget of $2.03 billion, commissioned in 2020. The bosses do not plan to spend such a gigantic amount of money on the construction of a soccer stadium, and the most realistic course of events is the creation of a 25,000-30,000-seat arena.

Aston Villa is also expected to play an important role in the whole project. Investors do not forget about their home club as it would also benefit from such an arrangement. The club's strategy is becoming more global, and by joining forces with a market such as the United States, the English club could recruit talented players from the USA to England.

Stadium plans for the Birmingham-based club are also very promising for the future. The owners want to increase Villa Park's capacity to 50,000 and possibly even 60,000 seats. The plans are still being drawn up before being submitted to Birmingham City Council. With successful investments, a good and long-lasting run in the Premier League and opening up to new markets, the powerful plans of the club's bosses do not seem to be completely off the table.

© Chris Homer