NFL team’s dream of hosting 2031 Super Bowl in new $2.1bn stadium facing obstacle from rival city

The Titans won’t have to wait long to see the $2.1 billion spent on New Nissan Stadium pay off.

Nashville has been confirmed as a Super Bowl host in 2030 with a host of new stadiums lining up to be next.

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Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will have been casting envious glances at Music City and no doubt have designs on bringing the biggest game in football to Ohio.

Nissan Stadium is opening for the 2027 season, with the Browns’ $2.6 billion project near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport set to follow two years later.

2031 is next the next available slot, but the Haslams may be forced to wait as New Orleans is likely to find itself ahead in the pecking order – with it’s location and stadium seen as a favourite among fans and media.

Cleveland missed a September deadline to confirm interest while the Saints were locked in discussion with Caesars Superdome over extending the lease.

A deal was struck in November and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell let the bid go through after talks with owner Gayle Benson and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry in New York, per the Times-Picayune’s Jeff Duncan.

The Saints’ lease runs through 2035, althought it could be extended all the way to 2055 in five-year increments.

Mardi Gras and convention schedules are set to rule the Superdome out of contention from 2032 and 2037.

The city has hosted 11 Super Bowls, with the Superdome hosting a record big games and 2031 could be a last hurrah as the Saints have considered building a new stadium.

A poetic finale seems to have persuaded Goodell to relax the rules with suggestions 2031 may already be off the books.

Cleveland would be a contender in 2032, offering a state-of-the-art dome conveniently located right by the airport that ticks some boxes.

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HKS

The Hunt family are determined to bring the Super Bowl to Kansas City and fulfil Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt‘s vision having already landed games for the summer World Cup.

But with a projected opening just in time for the 2031 season, the $4 billion project may be cutting it a bit fine and the Browns are ahead having already broken ground.

The Jaguars will also boast a Super Bowl ready arena when a $1.4 billion renovation of EverBank Arena is completed in 2028.

Jacksonville’s downfall may be a lack of hotels in the surrounding area, although the city did host XXXIX thanks to a fleet of cruise ships.

Cleveland suffers the same issue, as suggested by Goodell at the groundbreaking at Brook Park in April.

“The stadium is clearly going to be suitable for a Super Bowl,” he said. “I think the real challenge is going to be how transformational this is here.

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“The airport is important for us. Hotels are important for us. All of the facilities are the biggest challenge for hosting a Super Bowl now.

“We have probably close to 200,000 people coming in for a Super Bowl. It’s great for economic impact, but it’s hard for cities to be able to meet some of those requirements on the facilities. So that’s the biggest challenge.”

According to the Cleveland Sports Commission, there are 15,000-20,000 hotel rooms within a one-hour driving radius — that is some way off.

There are currently tentative plans for two hotels as part of the stadium project, but Jimmy Haslam has admitted that others will need to step up and bridge the gap.

It can be done. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Nashville Metro Area has 62,000 hotel rooms in it, which will rise to 80,000 in time for the big game.

The problem is that Cleveland isn’t a cultural hub in the same way as Nashville, meaning there aren’t too many people with enough skin in the game to to invest.

If the Browns cannot bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Cleveland as Super Bowl host, the only hope is to win it on the field.

With Myles Garrett gone and a massive Deshaun Watson cap hit looming, Ohio sports fan better not hold their breath.

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