The Bears and Raiders will christen Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with its first-ever American football game on Oct. 6, the NFL announced Wednesday.
The teams will play in the new stadium, which will hold 62,062 fans, at noon central time in Week 5 of the upcoming season. The Bears figure to take Week 6 off — the rest of the NFL schedule will be released Wednesday night.
The Bears figure to make their trip to London a short one, sometime after they practice at Halas Hall on that Wednesday and practicing overseas on Friday. Coach Matt Nagy wants the team to view it as a business trip.
“It’s great culture for the guys to see and be a part of, and some guys have never been over there,” Nagy said last month. “That’s a part of life. If you can balance it and make sure you do it the right way, I’m good with that.”
The Bears are participating in the NFL’s international initiative for the second time in the regular season; they beat the Buccaneers in London in 2011.
“It’s another opportunity to be on the world stage,” chairman George McCaskey said last month.
This year’s game has a fascinating subplot — Khalil Mack playing against the team that traded him to the Bears last September.
The Raiders acquired multiple draft picks from the Bears for the star outside linebacker, including first-rounders in the next two drafts. Mack didn’t disappoint in his Bears debut, finishing with the most sacks in franchise history for anyone not named Richard Dent.
