‘There are conversations' – London ready to make NFL history and hold first Super Bowl outside of the US

The Sun

28-04-2025

LONDON is ready to host the first Super Bowl outside of the United States should the NFL plan to go global.
Since 2007, regular season American Football matches have been staged annually in London – at Wembley, Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – in front of sell-out crowds.
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And officials at the Mayor of London's Office are hoping to one day stage the biggest event on the US sporting calendar in Europe.
The Super Bowl host city is already decided for the next three years.
San Francisco will host in February 2026, Atlanta the year after and then Georgia in 2028.
But there is a gap from 2029 onwards and the five-hour time difference to the East Coast of the US should not be an insurmountable challenge.
Howard Dawber, London's Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, told SunSport: 'If they were ever going to host it outside the US, we're already the obvious place to do it.
'What I would say is the Mayor [ Sadiq Khan ] has made it clear that it's a long-term ambition. It's something we would like to do. And you know, there's conversations.
'With the NFL looking to promote itself globally, having a Super Bowl outside of the US, in a location that's more accessible to a lot of its core fanbase in western Europe, that makes a lot of sense for them as well.'
A report published today by Think Beyond claims NFL matches in London have generated an estimated spectator spend of more than £600million over 18 years.
There was also a cumulative USA viewership of more than 20million for the NFL London Games and Major League Baseball London Series in 2024.
And about 6,000 young Londoners have been supported by the NFL Foundation UK with bespoke programmes that help them to develop their skills and confidence.
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Dawber, 54, added: 'America is a very big country. Most fans going to the Super Bowl will have to get on a plane for hours to get to it.
'Most of the people watching will be on TV. It's a massive TV audience.
'If you're an LA fan and the Super Bowl is in Boston, it's further to get there than if you were flying from Boston to London.
'So, you're already dealing with people who are used to getting on a plane to see their team in that competition.
'The games here sell-out pretty much instantly. There's a huge market, not just London, but the UK, for American Football.
'We get the NFL games, we get Americans flying over. We have a home market and people flying in from all over Europe.
'London is a really easy place to get to and there's more than just the games to do when you're here. So we get people go to the game and then a long weekend, too.
'Look also at the global audience we got for the 2012 Olympics. Look at the global audience we get for Wimbledon and the FA Cup final."
Henry Hodgson, general manager of the NFL UK & Ireland, said: 'The NFL has a proud history in the UK, having played regular season games in London – a world-class sport and entertainment destination – since 2007.
'The UK remains a pioneer for the NFL's global growth ambitions and this season will see us play our 40th game in the capital city.'