First Carolina Panthers game with fans in the stands? For now, it will be a road game
The Panthers first game this season in front of fans could come Oct. 11 in Atlanta.
The Falcons announced Tuesday that Mercedes-Benz Stadium will begin hosting fans in a limited capacity, starting with the team’s Week 5 matchup with the Panthers. The team did not announce a specific number of fans that will be allowed in.
It is unclear at this time if single game tickets will be made available. The Falcons are planning to have about 500 friends, family and associates in attendance at this week’s game against the Bears in order to look at issues that may arise from the new protocols in place.
Most NFL teams have played the opening two weeks of the season in front of no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Panthers had hoped to host a limited number of fans at Bank of America for the team’s Week 1 match-up with the Raiders, but the North Carolina DHHS denied the team’s request to be an exception to the state’s limits on mass gatherings of 25 people indoors and 50 people outside. There were fewer than 50 corporate partners/associates of the Panthers at the Week 1 game in the new bunker suites, something that team got permission from the state for.
The team has targeted the second home game scheduled to take place Oct. 4 vs. the Cardinals as the first game to have fans at home, but no final decision has been reached. The Panthers will play at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this weekend, their third straight game without fans.
