Why Super Bowl city New Orleans has strange, and unfulfilled, soccer history

New York Times

06-02-2025

The first documented mention of a soccer game in Louisiana is from January 25, 1859. But it is not in a local newspaper and pre-dates the era of radio or television. Instead, it is filed in a police report.
Four men were arrested in New Orleans the day before. Their crime? The misdeed of 'playing football on a Sunday' during an era in which a law against public games existed in the city's Protestant parts, as well as 'for being complained of as a nuisance to the neighbourhood.'
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That is according to painstaking research conducted by the author Scott Crawford, as part of his book 'A History of Soccer in Louisiana.' As for the young men arrested, they made their case for the defense to a local judge, arguing that it was unfair for them to be rounded up and punished when in fact the whole neighbourhood got involved. The judge, Crawford says, took pity and dismissed the case.
This Sunday, a game in New Orleans will have no such issue when the NFL's Super Bowl sees the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles, and a global audience turns to the Big Easy. This will be a record-equalling 11th Super Bowl for New Orleans and its eighth outing in the 50-year history of the 76,000-seat Superdome.
The Superdome, now sponsored by Caesars, has also hosted five NCAA college football championships, as well as mega-events including Muhammad Ali's 1978 fight against Leon Spinks, a speech by Pope John Paul II in 1987 and three nights of Taylor Swift in concert last October.
New Orleans is also home to two major sports teams, the Saints in the NFL and the Pelicans in the NBA. Yet despite the city's deep roots in soccer — Crawford's book says traces of soccer in New Orleans were predated across the whole U.S. only by Boston, New Hampshire and New York City — it has never emerged as a destination of note for the sport.
One former executive from the United States Soccer Federation said New Orleans was never seriously considered to host games in any of the three World Cups held in the U.S., neither the men's tournament in 1994 nor the women's competition in 1999 and 2003. Equally, it was never considered by bid organizers to be a forerunner in bids to host the 2022 and 2026 men's World Cup, the latter of which was successful and will be shared next year with Canada and Mexico. New Orleans also was not included among the eleven proposed American host cities for the joint U.S.-Mexican bid for the 2027 women's tournament, which instead was awarded to Brazil.
On the surface, New Orleans appears to be among the more desirable locations for those wishing to host a large sporting event. The city's airport is only 15 miles from the Superdome and the stadium is a walkable distance from the tourist traps of the French Quarter and Bourbon Street.
Evan Holmes, the general manager of the Superdome, told The Athletic: 'Take the example of someone that stays at a hotel; they usually stay half a mile from the building, two blocks from world-class restaurants, and they can do everything within a walking perimeter. Whereas you go to some of these other markets — nothing against some of our friends — you go from your hotel to a shuttle bus to the hospitality for 30 minutes, and then you shuttle for another hour to the stadium and back. There's something unique about having a drink in New Orleans. You can carry it on the streets here, walk from place to place and enjoy yourself. It's an authentic rather than manufactured experience.'
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Jay Cicero, the President/CEO of the Superbowl Host Committee in New Orleans, adds that there are 26,000 hotel rooms within a two-mile triangle around the Superdome. This week, between 100,000 and 125,000 visitors are expected to land in town, some going to the game and others wishing to attend shoulder Super Bowl events; reveling in Cajun cuisine or Creole culture, or heading shot-first into party town temptations. Not only does New Orleans appear to possess the necessities for sporting events, but its unique melting pot of French, Spanish and Caribbean influences, as well as those from the American South, offers a different slant to those visiting America, beyond the headline sights of New York, Los Angeles or Miami.
So, why has a World Cup thus far eluded New Orleans? America has plenty of desirable destinations, so competition is always going to be fierce. One leading global soccer promoter says he has never taken an event or exhibition match to the city simply because he presumed American football 'is and always will be king' there.
New Orleans did make a long list of 41 cities before organizers whittled down their preferred options for the World Cup in 2026, while the Superdome also showed an interest ahead of the 1994 edition but missed out to Detroit's Silverdome, which instead became the first indoor venue to host a World Cup game.
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Inside the Silverdome, the first indoor World Cup stadium
Yet New Orleans has a particular challenge at the Superdome, largely because of its non-retractable roof. The size of the field also does not fit the dimensions soccer's world governing body FIFA requires for its elite competition, which is recommended to be between 115 yards in length and between 74 yards wide. An American football field, by contrast, is 120 yards long and 53.33 yards wide. Other 2026 stadiums, such as SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, will make minor adjustments to adapt the field size.
'We looked heavily at 2026,' said Cicero, who is also President of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. 'The biggest issue is our stadium is indoor and the size of the field would not be right for it. Our stadium does not have a translucent roof. They didn't allow indoor stadiums for the World Cup (for 2026). At the time when we were on the long list, that wasn't a prerequisite, but it ended up being one, from what I understand.
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'We have everything else except the facility, for the men's World Cup. It wouldn't make sense financially to do (the modifications to the stadium). You can't take the roof off the Superdome. It would cost hundreds and millions of dollars to take it off and put it back on. And then the Superdome is not built for it to be an outdoor stadium.'
The challenge of natural grass, desired by FIFA for a World Cup, also becomes more difficult in a stadium with a roof given the need for sunlight. Cicero says: 'We'd have to have a whole new stadium to do it. That's the bottom line. We're suited for just about every other event. Just not that one.'
There is more hope when it comes to the rugby union World Cup, scheduled to take place in the U.S. in 2031, and Cicero says meetings have taken place with World Rugby to host games in a city that is also home to a Major League Rugby team, NOLA Gold. Similar challenges will be present as a rugby field is longer and wider than an NFL field, but Holmes, the GM at the Superdome, said it is possible.
He said: 'Anything made by man can be undone by man. So hey, we gotta take out a couple rows of seats, we gotta do some movement, it would be like anything: taking into account a cost benefit. What's the return on investment? That's the exercise we would always do.'
The limitations for soccer in New Orleans do, however, extend beyond any modifications to the Superdome. The market is unproven, although over 32,000 attended when the U.S. women's national team played an exhibition match against China in the Superdome in 2015. Yet it is not home to an MLS team or an NWSL team and ranks 50th in media market size across the U.S., which is considered among the key metrics when it comes to expansion teams. The closest MLS team by proximity is the Houston Dynamo FC in Texas, some 340 miles and over a five-hour drive away.
Leagues such as MLS consider the potential local fan base but also crucially, an owner offering up the financial wherewithal to pay an expansion fee ($500 million most recently for San Diego), while a soccer-specific venue would also need to be constructed. This could bring the overall cost beyond $1 billion just to get started.
As one MLS source, who wished to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, explains: 'It has never been under consideration. It's a wonderful place to visit if you like food, wine and culture, but if you look at expansion from a strategic standpoint, you must consider: 'How will it benefit MLS owners? How will it benefit soccer in North America? How will it attract corporate sponsors? Is it good for viewership?' It would be by far the smallest market in Major League Soccer.'
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There may, however, be a breakthrough of sorts. In 2022, the United Soccer League (USL) announced an agreement with the USL Nola group, announcing an intent to launch a men's expansion team by 2025, as well as a women's team in Greater New Orleans. The project was headed up by Warren Smith, who previously helped launch Sacramento Republic FC and San Diego Loyal SC, and Jamie Guin, who previously worked for LAFC and the Columbus Crew in MLS. Smith even invited local soccer fans to a bar in New Orleans to take notes on what they wanted from a local team, with the group discussing how the stadium should mark a goal for its team being scored, as well as the importance of local beer being made available to fans. Since then, however, the plan appears to have slowed down, and this week, Guin did not return phone calls or messages from The Athletic when asked for an update on the matter or to discuss the soccer landscape in New Orleans.
However, Justin Papadakis, USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer, said in a statement that the USL remains intent on bringing a team to the city, but pointed out that the location of a venue would be key. He told The Athletic: 'We believe in New Orleans as a premier market for professional soccer — one of the strongest in the country, with deep cultural pride, incredible diversity, and a city that already embraces the game in a significant way.'
As of yet, a site is still to be finalized, although in an email, Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (the economic development agency for southeast Louisiana) said there have been 'promising discussions and strong consideration' to a potential soccer stadium in the new River District of New Orleans.
During a previous phone call, Hecht said: 'My quiet expectation is that over time, we will land that USL deal because I think this market can support it in terms of popularity and youth participation. The popularity is also driven by the large Hispanic population and in New Orleans, for example, we have the second largest Honduran population in the world outside of Honduras.'
For now, the most significant soccer team in New Orleans remains the Jesters, who play in the National Premier Soccer League, effectively the fourth tier of the soccer pyramid. They play at a 4,500-seat location at City Park.
New Orleans may not have soccer, but its bond with the NFL and major U.S. sports events runs deep, as emphasized following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, when almost 1,400 people died and severe economic damage was inflicted on the city.
Cicero, President of the New Orleans Sports Foundation, says: 'We took an image hit after Katrina. A lot of people, even years later, thought we were still underwater or that it was dangerous to be here. After rebuilding our levees and water systems to keep New Orleans dry, we needed major events to be the focus of the return of our city. What sports do is bring our people together.
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'You look at what happened in the reopening of the Superdome in 2006. The famous kick that (Saints player) Steve Gleason blocked on 'Monday Night Football' is still one of the most iconic moments in sports history. We reached out to (the NCAA, the NFL and the NBA) after Katrina and said 'We need your help, we need you to bring your events to New Orleans.' Their response was 'We want to help as long as your hotels are in order, as long as the Superdome is in order, as long as we have the ability to host a successful event there.''
Cicero already has his eyes on the next one. 'We would love it. As of this week, it'll be our 11th. We're built to host the Super Bowl. We stack up there right along with, or even more so, than some of the largest and most populated cities across the United States.'