Big news for cricket in the USA: According to sources, Major League Cricket is finalizing a lease deal to use Oakland Coliseum as a home site for San Francisco Unicorns, with an official announcement expected to be made before the end of the month. 

Oakland Coliseum used to be the home of both the Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders. But the Oakland Athletics played their final season at the venue in 2024 before agreeing to move the baseball franchise to Las Vegas, where the NFL's Raiders also moved after the 2019 season. At the moment, Oakland Coliseum's remaining tenants are a pair of USL/UWSL soccer franchises - Oakland Soul and Oakland Roots. 

The plan for MLC/cricket at Oakland Coliseum would involve transporting some of the drop-in pitches that were used at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and sending them across the country to Oakland Coliseum. The venue has a variable capacity from 35,000 to 56,000 seats depending on the configuration for each sport. 

Plans for the proposed use of
Oakland Coliseum by MLC were first reported by local Bay Area media outlets in October 2024, but it appears that it may now be a reality for MLC 2025. Oakland Coliseum would become the second genuine home venue used by MLC for a local franchise after Grand Prairie Stadium, home of the Texas Super Kings.