Historically, potential host cities had to put together time-consuming and extensive bids to become home of the next Super Bowl game, with the NFL team owners voting on which bid they liked best.
In recent years, however, it’s less formal: The NFL gets a sense of which NFL team owners want to host the Super Bowl in question (the host city must have an NFL team), then comes to a consensus with all the owners about who the host will be. Factors include stadium size and amenities, the ability to host ancillary Super Bowl events, the number of hotel rooms in the host city, how long it’s been since a city hosted the Super Bowl, and local partnerships and community support.
Another big factor is the weather in February (sorry, Buffalo and Minnesota), which is a big reason why cities like Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Tampa have hosted more than you’d normally expect.
Where was the last Super Bowl held?
Super Bowl LVII took place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12, 2023, and saw the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38 to 35. Fox’s broadcast of the game was the most-watched television program in American history, peaking at over 118 million viewers for Rihanna’s halftime show. Worldwide, only the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landings scored higher viewership.
Where will future Super Bowls be held?
The NFL has already announced the sites of the next three Super Bowls. Here’s what we know so far:
Super Bowl LIX will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 9, 2025. The New Orleans Saints call the Caesars Superdome home.
Super Bowl LX will be in Santa Clara, California, at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026. That’s the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers.
Super Bowl LXI will be in Inglewood, California, at SoFi Stadium on Valentine’s Day—February 14, 2027. It’s the home stadium for both the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s also where college football’s NCAA Division I LA Bowl is held every year.
Who’s performing the halftime show?
Photo: Getty Images
R&B singer Usher will be performing the Super Bowl halftime show, which, for some people, has become a bigger draw than the game itself.
It’s not his first Super Bowl performance, though—Usher made a two-minute appearance to sing “OMG” for the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV in 2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 to 25.) The Black Eyed Peas were the headliners for that show.
This will be Usher’s first time as the headliner of a Super Bowl halftime show. He’s widely expected to released a new album, Coming Home, that day as well.
Why does everyone keep calling the Super Bowl “the big game”?
Well, it is a very big game, as you can tell by 2023’s viewing numbers alone. But the real reason so many non-NFL companies keep referring to the Super Bowl as the big game in advertisements for buffalo wing deliveries, big-screen TVs, or what have you, is that the NFL is notoriously protective of its trademark for the name Super Bowl. By calling the Super Bowl the big game in their commercials and other commerce-related communications, those companies are avoiding get slapped with a trademark-infringement lawsuit from the NFL.
Will Taylor Swift be at Super Bowl LVIII?
Photo: Jason Hanna/Getty Images
It’s unlikely, but still possible. Even if the Kansas City Chiefs (for whom Taylor Swift’s beau, Travis Kelce, plays tight end) made it to the big game, she’ll have just wrapped up a Tokyo performance of her Eras Tour the previous night.
