Tottenham Announce 1st Match in New Stadium Will Be Played in Early April

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the club will play their first official match at their new stadium in early April, with their first Premier League opponent set to be either Crystal Palace or Brighton & Hove Albion. 

In a statement on their official website on Friday, Spurs said there will be two test matches played at the new venue before the first team have their debut outing. The specifics of their first game is dependent on other results, though:

"If Brighton win their FA Cup quarter-final match on Sunday, March 17 we shall play Crystal Palace on Wednesday, April 3 and Brighton on April 23/24.

"If Brighton lose their FA Cup quarter-final match on Sunday, March 17 we shall play Brighton on April 6/7 (subject to UEFA Champions League scheduling) and Crystal Palace on April 23/24."

As noted by Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard, the decision means Spurs will play the home leg of their upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the new venue:

Tottenham added that the test games will see the club's under-18s go up against Southampton on March 24. A Tottenham Legends side will then play on Saturday, March 30, with the capacity for that encounter set to be around 45,000.

These events will be held with a view to the north London club achieving a formal safety certificate.

The Spurs supporters will be delighted that a move into their new home is imminent after a series of delays.

Tottenham left White Hart Lane at the end of the 2016-17 season, and it was anticipated they would spend one season playing regularly at Wembley. However, they have used the national stadium as home for much of this campaign and have already played 14 Premier League matches there.