Super Bowl LV will bring an end to the Big Guava's longest Super Bowl drought. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Los Angeles for the first time since 1993, but building difficulties at the new stadium forced the owners to relocate it to Tampa. Instead, SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl next year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were awarded the game on December 6, 2010.
The NFL announced in August 2014 that the 2015 Super Bowl would be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game was moved from Houston due to damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. This is the second time the Cardinals have hosted the Super Bowl; they also hosted in 2008 when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 at Sun Devil Stadium.
University of Phoenix Stadium has been praised for its design and amenities. It has a grass field, three levels of seating with room for 100,000 people, and hundreds of private rooms and suites where fans can stay before or after the game. It is the only Super Bowl venue built completely within city limits and is located less than two miles from the Arizona State University campus.
Tampa's mayor, Bob Buckhorn, said the city is "thrilled" that its will be hosting Super Bowl LVIII. Tampa has had success in recent years hosting major events such as the NBA All-Star Game and the World Baseball Classic.
Super Bowl 55 will be held in Tampa Bay for the first time in 2021, bringing the NFL's marquee event back to the Sunshine State. Because of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' NFC Championship, Tampa Bay will be remembered as the first Super Bowl in which a club played in its home stadium. The game will be held at Raymond James Stadium on February 5, 2021.
The Tampa Bay area has seen its share of football greatness over the years. From George Halas and his Chicago Bears playing their first game at what would become known as "Dome" (now known as Tampa Bay Times Forum) to Tony Dorsett and the Dallas Cowboys winning their first title there, the list of great players and teams that have called Tampa Bay home is incredibly long. Super Bowl participants from 2000-2009 played at what was then known as Florida International University's FIU Stadium, now known as Raymond James Stadium.
Tampa Bay has also been the setting of some major sports events that didn't result in any championships. In 1996, Alfredo Simon of the Bucs was awarded the MVP award after leading his team to victory over Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIV. Two years later, Tampa Bay hosted another championship game when Peyton Manning led Indianapolis to victory over Seattle in Super Bowl 48. Both games were won by the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2009, Tampa Bay hosted the NFC Championship Game between the Saints and Eagles. The winner would go on to play Denver in Super Bowl XLI.
Aside from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two other NFL teams have reached the Super Bowl hosted in their home region: the San Francisco 49ers, who played (and won) Super Bowl XIX in Stanford Stadium rather than Candlestick Park, and the Los Angeles Rams, who played in the Rose Bowl rather than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV.
The Tampa Bay area has hosted several major events besides football games. The Super Bowl XLIII game was held at Raymond James Stadium in East Tampa while the NFC Championship Game was played at Raymond James Stadium and the Divisional Round at Raymond James Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. All three stadiums are part of the so-called "New Tampa" development project.
In fact, all four of Florida's professional sports teams are based in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay Rays play in Tropicana Field, which is owned by the city of St. Petersburg. The Tampa Bay Bucs play in Raymond James Stadium, which is shared with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. The Orlando Magic of the NBA and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL are both based in Orlandotown.
The Tampa Bay area has also hosted many international sporting events including the 1995 World Cup Final between Italy and Brazil at Florida International University's Miami Orange Bowl.
San Diego, California The game, which took place on January 26, 2003, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, was the sixth to be scheduled a week after the conference championship games (including XVII, XXV, XXVIII, XXXIV, and XXXVI). It was also the first Super Bowl held in a Southern United States city other than New Orleans. The host city had been awarded the game during International Broadcasting Union meetings in December 2001.
It was the second time that San Diego has hosted the event, having previously done so in 1976. The original plan called for Miami to host the next three Super Bowls, but when Miami declined the offer, San Diego took its place.
The National Football League's Carolina Panthers defeated the Tennessee Titans 28-24 to win their first Super Bowl title. Quarterback Cam Newton became the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to victory in the Super Bowl.
Newton's performance drew praise from all corners of the football world.
The Super Bowl will be held in Florida for the second consecutive year. No state has hosted more Super Bowls than Miami, which hosted last year's Super Bowl LIV, with 11: 5 games at the Orange Bowl and 6 games at what is now known as Hard Rock Stadium.
Florida has a long history of hosting major events, including the World's Fair in 1939 and '64, and the Olympics in 1928 and '48. The state also hosted the 1994 World Cup Finals in Miami, and is currently preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Orlando.
The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium opened in 2016 and is owned by an entity that includes former NFL players Ronnie Lott and Jerry Jones. It is located about 15 minutes from downtown Miami.
Hard Rock Stadium has a number of features designed to enhance the fan experience, such as the Rock Wall, which consists of over 700,000 square feet of rock music-related art that was donated by various artists. There are also food trucks on site, along with retail shops and a brewery. Tickets for the game go on sale online on August 16 at 10 a.m. ET.