What City Has Hosted the Most Super Bowls?
The Super Bowl began as a simple championship game between the winners of the AFC and NFC (originally AFL and NFL). In the 50-plus years since then, it has grown into a weeklong spectacle that brings tens of thousands of football fans to the host city, with millions of dollars in revenue made at local businesses during that week. Given that fact, there are a lot of cities that want to host the Super Bowl each year.
Only one city can be selected each year, and the NFL has certain requirements that must be met to be chosen. So what city has been chosen most often and hosted the most Super Bowls? Let’s find out.
Super Bowl LIV broke a tie
Prior to Super Bowl LIV, there was a tie between two cities as the game’s most frequent host. New Orleans and South Florida — the official name the league uses for Miami — had each hosted 10 Super Bowls prior to this season.
When the Chiefs played the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, however, the tie was broken. The game was played at the stadium that is currently known as Hard Rock Stadium, giving Miami its 11th Super Bowl as the host city. That represents 20% of the championship games that have been played since the first one in 1967.
It was the sixth Super Bowl for the stadium, with Miami’s first five Super Bowls having been played at the Orange Bowl, which was demolished in 2008.
The Chiefs and 49ers traveled far for Super Bowl LIV
One drawback to having a Super Bowl in Florida is that it is a long trip to make for teams that aren’t located on the East Coast. Both teams that played in the game had to travel at least halfway across the country, with the 49ers making the trip all the way from the West Coast.
That meant a lot of frequent flyer miles for both teams’ players and staff. Kansas City is more than 1,200 miles away from Miami, while San Francisco is more than double the distance, nearly 2,600 miles from Miami. The 49ers are located just about as far from Miami as you can get within the contiguous United States, with the Seahawks being the only team located farther away.
Could the long travel have hurt the 49ers in the game and be partially responsible for the loss? It is unlikely since the teams fly in about a week before the actual game, so both teams would have been over any jet lag by the time the game kicked off Sunday evening.
What cities are up next?
The NFL picks Super Bowl host cities years in advance, so the municipalities can start planning and preparing for all the events that take place in the week leading up to the championship game. Super Bowl LV will remain in Florida, taking place across the state in Tampa.
The game hits the West Coast the following season, with Super Bowl LVI slated for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which is on track to open in time for the start of the upcoming season.
Super Bowl LVII is set to be played in Glendale Ariz., at State Farm Stadium, the Super Bowl LVIII will be at a familiar location — the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. With the Superdome hosting that game, it will again tie New Orleans with South Florida for the most Super Bowls hosted by one city, with it being the Crescent City’s 11th time hosting the game.
Like Miami, New Orleans’ Super Bowls have been split between two stadiums; the first three were held at now-demolished Tulane Stadium.
