Maryland’s mini Sphere at National Harbor may open before 2030, company CEO James Dolan said Thursday.

The company behind the Las Vegas immersive entertainment venue — the world’s largest spherical structure — announced in January that it would build a site at National Harbor in Prince George’s County.

Until the Sphere Entertainment Co.’s earnings call Thursday, company officials hadn’t disclosed when the new, smaller Sphere might open. It will seat 6,000 for concerts and shows, compared to the roughly 18,000 capacity of the Vegas Sphere.

Sphere’s stock rose in morning trading, with the news that the company had exceeded analysts’ fourth-quarter expectations.

Dolan, who as the chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. also owns the New York Knicks basketball team and New York Rangers hockey team, also revealed that he selected National Harbor after considering competing proposals from Maryland and Virginia.

“We got a very good offer on a really great location, and we took it,” Dolan said. “That one even surprised us, because of the dynamics involved with it.”

To help defray the anticipated $1 billion cost for the National Harbor Sphere, Prince George’s County officials are providing $170 million, the bulk of which includes a deal in which the county will take out bonds and repay them with future property tax revenue.

The state has committed $13.5 million, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Wes Moore.

And Peterson Companies, which owns National Harbor, has offered a discounted ground lease, valued at $15 million.

Dolan didn’t mention how Virginia’s offer compared to Maryland’s, nor did he say what other locations he was considering. He has previously talked about his desire to build a network of smaller Spheres; the company also has plans for a second, full-sized venue in Abu Dhabi.

Spokespeople for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Spheres haven’t been welcome everywhere.

The company in 2024 withdrew plans for a venue in London after the city’s mayor blocked their proposal, contending that the LED light-covered orb would have burdened nearby residents with excess light pollution, according to The New York Times.

But competition for future Spheres may already be playing out.

On the earnings call, Dolan said he has prepared his company to operate “quite a few” additional venues.

Sphere, he said, is in active discussions with several domestic and international markets about plans for large and small-scale Spheres.

“Over the next few years, I don’t think you should be surprised by five or six projects going on at once,” he said.