With the announcement of Minneapolis being named host of Super Bowl LII, it’s never too early to think about the cities that lost and whether or not they will be involved next year in the process for selecting where Super Bowl LIII will be held in February 2019. Here are likely five destinations that could make a serious run at the game.
- Atlanta. If NFL owners want to continue giving the game to the newest possible stadium, this is going to be the choice next year. Ground was broken this week on the Falcons’ new stadium which is scheduled to open in 2017. It would allow the NFL to put the Super Bowl there in 2019. Atlanta hasn’t hosted a Super Bowl since 2000 when the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV. That is a nearly 20-year wait and the NFL would love to get back down there to the Southeast for a game. The last game in that area was Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Here is a piece of the groundbreaking ceremony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8j9rutuPM
- North Texas. Everything is bigger in Texas and Jerry Jones would love to get a second chance at having the Super Bowl after the issues that were had for Super Bowl XLV just three years ago with seating and the weather. The stadium wasn’t on the short list this season but when the capacity is over 100,000, the NFL will be paying very close attention to whether or not the Dallas area wants the game. There is zero doubt that Jones loves having the attention of the sports world on his team and his stadium and having another Super Bowl there would definitely do that.
- Miami. The host of 10 Super Bowls would love to get another chance at one but has been denied in recent years because of improvements that need to be made to Sun Life Stadium. Those improvements are now scheduled to be made which should put Miami back into the Super Bowl conversation. The last game in Miami was Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 when the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. However until those improvements are made, Miami isn’t going to get another game. It is still an inviting destination however for the NFL to consider.
- New Orleans. The Superdome may have missed out on Super Bowl LII but they will be right back at it for the following year’s game probably. New Orleans has hosted ten Super Bowl and seven at the Superdome. The power problems from a year ago appear to be fixed but they finished runner-up to Minneapolis for the 2018 game. The NFL still loves New Orleans and will want to bring the game back there as soon as they can. The competition though is very steep considering all the new stadiums that have been built or are being built in recent years.
- Seattle. This is the wild card. If the Super Bowl can be held in cold weather cities and locations like New York/New Jersey, why can’t it be played in the Pacific Northwest? CenturyLink Field is just big enough for the NFL’s requirement of 70,000 seats and there are enough hotel rooms in the Seattle area to handle everyone coming in. It isn’t the warmest location out there and the possibility of some rain is always in the picture but if the NFL really wants to spread the game around, Seattle is a very inviting possibility.
There are plenty of other sites that could be considered along the way but those are the five who should get the most consideration at this time next year when the location of Super Bowl LIII is announced.