Nashville, Tennessee, will host its first Super Bowl in 2030, NFL officials announced during Tuesday’s league meeting in Orlando, Florida.
The league also announced plans to hold the 2028 draft in Minneapolis.
Both cities hosted marquee league events in the past, with the 2018 Super Bowl at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium and the 2019 draft in Nashville.
The NFL agreed to bring the 2030 Super Bowl to Nashville, home of the Tennessee Titans, in large part because of the city’s planned stadium. The new Nissan Stadium, costing $2.1 billion to build, is scheduled to open ahead of the 2027 NFL season.
“The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville was one of the greatest fan events in our history,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Super Bowl LXIV at the new stadium is the next step in this remarkable football journey. The vision of [Titans owner] Amy Adams Strunk and the Tennessee Titans helped make this moment possible.”
The NFL has established a precedent the past 10 years. Cities that build new NFL stadiums with roofs are often rewarded with a championship game. Atlanta, Las Vegas and Los Angeles followed Minneapolis after debuting glitzy new arenas.
“This is an exciting moment for our city and our entire state,” Ms. Adams Strunk said. “We cannot wait for our community to experience an event of this magnitude and for the world to see the energy, hospitality and culture that make our city so special on a global stage.”
Nashville’s Super Bowl bodes well for the District’s bid to host the Super Bowl. City officials cited the lure of a potential NFL championship game when they approved a new home for the Washington Commanders last year.
The new arena will be built on the site of the old RFK Stadium. It’s expected to open in time for the 2030 NFL season, so Washington could aim to host the 2031 Super Bowl.
The league’s owners approved the Commanders’ planned lease at the new stadium during Tuesday’s meetings.
The nation’s capital is already set to host the NFL draft in 2027, a year before Minneapolis.
“For three days, Minnesota will become the center of the football world,” Vikings owner Mark Wilf said in a statement. “The 2028 NFL Draft will give us an opportunity to showcase not just U.S. Bank Stadium, but the energy, hospitality and pride that define Minneapolis-St. Paul and the entire state and region. We have no doubt the community will deliver a world-class event that is unique to Minnesota.”
The NFL draft spent 49 straight years in New York City before hitting the road in 2015. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of fans to a new host city each spring. Pittsburgh set a league record at last month’s draft, welcoming 805,000 across the three-day spectacle.
“Minnesota knows how to show up for big moments, and we’ve experienced it firsthand,” Mr. Goodell said. “Working with the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events, we look forward to bringing the 2028 NFL Draft to this great community, driving positive economic impact throughout the region, and hosting an incredible event for fans and the next generation of the NFL.”
NFL owners also approved a plan to support the league’s ever-growing international expansion. The league will host 10 games overseas in 2027, the maximum amount allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement with players.
The NFL is already slated to host nine international games in 2026. Mr. Goodell has previously outlined a future with 16 international games in a season, featuring each of the league’s 32 teams.
“Our strategy is not one and done, so our goal is to go back to those markets that we’re establishing,” NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said. “There are parts of the world that we are looking at for future years, maybe not ’27, beyond. Asia would be an example of that. Japan would be a good example within Asia of a market that has complexity.”
An international Super Bowl could be in the cards “on a far-off horizon,” according to Mr. O’Reilly.
“There’s some feasibility, obviously a lot of other factors, inclusive of the fact there’s tremendous demand, as we saw today from Nashville, from the U.S. cities in hosting this major event and the massive economic impact that comes with it,” he said. “But we’re learning every day to increase the feasibility.”
This article is based in part on wire service reports.a
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