The NFL has announced the first two American football teams set to play in Tottenham Hotspur’s world-class new home on Sunday, 14 October.

The Oakland Raiders prepare to play host to the Seattle Seahawks in the purpose-built stadium which is able to accommodate multiple sports through the use of a sliding pitch. The stadium design by Populous means that the natural grass surface for football can be switched for synthetic turf when hosting American Football games.

In addition, Tottenham are reported to be in talks with Overwatch eSports team, London Spitfire to see if there is potential for the two brands to work together, a deal which could see the Premier League team host a state-of-the-art eSports competition.

Tottenham Hotspur Chairman, Daniel Levy, said: “This is a milestone year for the club as we look ahead to the opening of our new stadium and all that it will bring. The announcement of the first game of the NFL’s 2018 London Games to take place at our new home heralds the commencement of our 10-year partnership. This is one of the cornerstones of our vision for creating a world-class sports and leisure destination.”

The first stadium of its kind in the UK will no doubt continue to excite sports fans as the completion date draws closer. Levy added: “The NFL will bring a whole new audience to the local area, showcase Tottenham and bring further economic and social benefits with truly global coverage and attraction.”

Spurs’ world-class new home is a huge step forwards in terms of multi-sport venues, high-tech Premier League stadiums and the continuing development of the NFL in the UK. Keen to make this transition a success, the NFL will be playing one game in their first season at the new venue, learning as they go in relation to fans’ preferences, ticketing, logistics, transportation and infrastructure. From this, they will develop ongoing plans to create seamless game day experiences for fans, while increasing the number of games as each year goes on.

Mark Waller, NFL Executive Vice-President of Events and International, said: “This is another important year as we develop our plans for London and the UK. We are very excited about playing our first game at Tottenham’s magnificent new stadium and will follow our usual pattern of playing one game in our first season as a new venue, as we did at Wembley and Twickenham in previous years.”