Could London ever host a Super Bowl?

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The 2023 Super Bowl is set to take place on the 12th of February 2023. It will play out in the state of Arizona, more precisely at the State Farm Stadium in the city of Glendale.

The Super Bowl is an important sports event in American culture with millions of people watching the game on their television.

Many individuals also like to place some bets before the game. They will usually place their bets after reading experts’ Super Bowl odds 2023.

The Super Bowl is also an occasion for many people to meet up with their family and their friends. Gatherings and parties are usually organized for the occasion.

In other words, the Super Bowl does not go unnoticed in the U.S. It is a highly celebrated, popular and anticipated sports event.

But could this important event ever be hosted in London?

How are Super Bowl locations selected?

Until quite recently, cities would have to place a bid in order to be considered by the National Football League (NFL). During the final stage of the selection process, each city had to pitch their bid within fifteen minutes.

When pitching their bid, each city had to explain to the panel why it would be the ideal Super Bowl host. The 32 owners on the board of the NFL would then decide which city would get to host the famous sports event.

However, according to a CNN article, this model has now changed. The NFL now contacts cities directly instead of asking them to bid beforehand.

When considering cities to host the impressive sports event, the NFL takes many factors into account including weatherconditions, the type of stadium available, the reputation of the city, and more.

Once a city is contacted by the NFL, it can begin to negotiate with the League. The difficult part then begins as organizing and hosting the Super Bowl takes months of intense preparation.

Why would London be an ideal Super Bowl host?

There are several reasons why London could be a great place to host a future Super Bowl game, such as the 2026 Super Bowl. Here are some of them:

1. London is one of the world’s most famous cities  

London is one of the most famous and well-known cities in the world. It is known for being a multicultural and international city.

Events organized in London gain widespread and global attention because of the city’s status and notoriety. London is also a very accessible city, located only an hour away by plane from other world-famous cities such as Paris and Berlin.

In addition to that, London is an English-speaking city which means that hosting the Super Bowl there would be a pretty smooth transition for the NFL. American organizers will not struggle with any important language barriers if they choose to organize an overseas event in the United Kingdom.

American fans will also find it easy to travel to another English-speaking country to attend the game.

2. Bringing the Super Bowl to Europe

Considering that the Super Bowl is a very famous sports event in the US but not very well-known in Europe, it could be a strategic move for organizers to plan a future Super Bowl in the region.

Planning a Super Bowl in Europe could bring more attention to the event and help Europeans discover American football. It could help boost the event and the sport’s popularity by opening it up to new markets.

As mentioned before, London is a particularly good entry point into Europe due to its popularity and accessibility. Although London is technically no longer part of Europe, there are still many links between the U.K. and other European countries.

Agreements have been made between European countries and the U.K. to maintain strong ties. On top of that, traveling from a European country to London is still easy and accessible.

As mentioned before, the fact that London is an English-speaking city is also an important factor that will ensure a smooth transition from the U.S to Europe.

3. The right stadium and facilities

London has all it takes to host the Super Bowl event. For example, one of the stadiums that could host the famous game is the Tottenham Hotspur.

This stadium is pretty recent, having only opened in 2019. It is located in north London and has an impressive seating capacity of 62,850.

Because of this, it is considered to be the third-largest stadium in England.

It is being said that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is already looking to host the 2026 Super Bowl game. This stadium is already hosting two NFL regular-season games each year, so letting them host the Super Bowl might not be such a big leap of faith for the NFL.

The stadium has already proven that it can successfully host games and generate revenues for this U.S-based National Football League.

The NFL seems to be interested and is currently considering the city as a potential Super Bowl host.

But will London be selected? Are American fans willing to travel to watch this major sports event?

Only time will tell whether the NFL is ready to export the Super Bowl closer to Europe and whether American audiences are ready to see this important game played out on another continent.