Super Bowl being played in London highly unlikely despite NFL chief's claims

15 October 2023 , 18:21

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The NFL returns to Tottenham this weekend (Image: AP)

NFL chiefs have discussed the possibility of hosting the Super Bowl in London - despite the chances of it becoming a reality seeming unlikely.

Each season the league hosts a small group of regular season games in the English capital and following their success, Commissioner Roger Goodell has refused to rule out the possibility of the Super Bowl coming to town. Speaking this week, he said: "It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before."

But despite Goodell's comments, it is unlikely UK fans will get the chance to see the sport's biggest game played on British soil. It certainly would not happen in the near future anyway, as the venues for the next three Super Bowl events have already been decided. The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host the prestigious game in 2024.

Furthermore, the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans will host Super Bowl 2025 and the venue for the 2026 edition of the event is Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The league is keen to continue hosting the Super Bowl in cities that have an NFL franchise, a requirement that London does not meet.

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Furthermore, hosting the Super Bowl in England would provide the league with a set of logistical challenges, such as the time difference. The game would have to be played during the evening in London, at approximately 8.30 p.m. GMT. In the States, that would be 3:30 p.m. ET and 12:30 p.m. on the West Coast.

But it is very unlikely a game of that magnitude would commence so early on the West Coast, as the Super Bowl usually commences in the evening in the US. For example, the 2022 game began at 11.30 p.m. GMT, which is 6.30 p.m. ET and 4.30 p.m. on the west coast. Sports events and concerts in the UK traditionally end between 11 PM and midnight and having a game such as the Super Bowl commence that late to fit with the US time difference would be difficult to work around.

However, while the Super Bowl may never happen in the UK, the league does have the desire to keep growing the sport internationally and Sunday’s Tennessee Titans vs Baltimore Ravens game is the third game London has hosted in as many weeks, in addition to two games taking place in Germany in November. In September, it was announced the NFL had extended its deal with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to keep hosting games at its swanky North London venue until 2029.

"Growing the game globally is a major strategic priority for the league," Goodell said at the time. "Our commitment to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will allow us to continue to bring extraordinary NFL experiences to fans in London while creating a positive social and economic impact on the local community."

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tennessee Titans in London on Sunday (AP)

While hosting a Super Bowl in London seems logistically impossible, one league source told ESPN last week: "Absolutely, it would make sense" to have the game in the UK. But these types of decisions often depend on revenue, and the league wants revenue to continue reaching the cities that currently support NFL teams.

At the fan forum, Goodell added: "I think that is not out of the question. But at the end of the day, I think right now our formula will stay the same about playing [Super Bowls] in cities that have franchises.

"I think being able to play it in one of our cities -- it's at a huge economic boost to those cities. Our fans live in those cities also. I think that is important. Not that we do not have great fans here [in London]; we do. So as the international series develops, maybe that is a possibility as we play more games here."

Liam Llewellyn