If you're already looking past the current season and wondering where will the super bowl take place, you aren't alone. The NFL doesn't leave these things to chance. They plan years out. Honestly, the logistical nightmare of moving 100,000 people into one city for a week requires that kind of lead time. For 2026, the league is heading back to the West Coast.
The Big Answer: Super Bowl LX in 2026
Super Bowl LX—that’s the big 6-0—is officially scheduled for February 8, 2026. The game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
If that sounds familiar, it's because the Bay Area is a repeat customer. They hosted Super Bowl 50 back in 2016. You might remember Peyton Manning riding off into the sunset after the Broncos took down the Panthers. Well, ten years later, the circus is coming back to town.
Why Santa Clara?
The NFL loves Levi's Stadium. It’s high-tech. It’s environmentally conscious. Most importantly, it’s surrounded by the massive wealth and infrastructure of Silicon Valley. While the game happens in Santa Clara, the actual "experience" is spread across the entire region. You've got fan fests in San Francisco and corporate parties in San Jose.
- The Date: February 8, 2026
- The Venue: Levi’s Stadium
- The Network: NBC (with Bad Bunny already rumored for the halftime festivities)
It’s actually a massive year for the Bay Area. Not only do they have the Super Bowl in February, but Levi’s Stadium is also a host venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup later that summer. If you live in Northern California, expect traffic to be a nightmare for about six months straight.
Future Super Bowl Locations: 2027 and 2028
The NFL has already locked in the venues for the next couple of years after the Santa Clara trip. They seem to be sticking to a "Sun Belt and Southern California" rotation lately.
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2027: Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
Super Bowl LXI is heading back to the house that Stan Kroenke built. On February 14, 2027, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host the big game. It’s a Valentine’s Day kickoff.
SoFi is basically the gold standard for NFL stadiums right now. It cost roughly $5 billion to build. The league is obsessed with it. This will be the second time the Super Bowl has been held there since it opened in 2020.
2028: Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
In October 2024, the NFL owners gathered and officially awarded Super Bowl LXII to Atlanta. The game will go down in February 2028 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta is a great "event city." Everything is walkable downtown. You have the Georgia World Congress Center right next to the stadium for the Super Bowl Experience. Plus, the roof closes. The NFL learned its lesson after the "Ice Bowl" in Dallas years ago; they generally want a roof if there’s even a 1% chance of a snowflake.
What People Get Wrong About the Selection Process
A lot of fans think cities "bid" for the Super Bowl like it’s the Olympics. That’s actually old news.
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The NFL changed the rules back in 2018. Basically, the league now hand-picks a city they like and says, "Hey, we want to come to you. Put together a proposal that meets our demands." If the city says yes and the owners vote on it, the deal is done. It's much less of a public bake-off than it used to be.
The "Secret" Requirements
The list of things a city needs is kind of insane. It isn’t just about having a big stadium.
- Hotel Rooms: The NFL requires a certain number of high-end hotel rooms (usually around 35% of the stadium's capacity) within an hour's drive.
- The Weather Rule: If the average temperature is below 50 degrees, you must have a dome. Unless the NFL gives you a special waiver, like they did for New York/New Jersey in 2014.
- Practice Facilities: You need two separate, identical practice facilities for the teams. They have to be top-tier, usually at local universities or NFL team headquarters.
- The "Weird" Stuff: There are rumors—and some leaked documents from past years—that the NFL asks for free police escorts, free use of local golf courses, and even specific requirements for local bowling alleys to be available for league events.
Why Certain Cities Never Host
You might be wondering why places like Green Bay, Buffalo, or even Chicago don't show up on the list of where will the super bowl take place.
It’s mostly the weather and the hotels.
Green Bay is the heart of football, but they don't have enough hotel rooms to house the media, let alone the fans. Chicago has the hotels, but Soldier Field is too small and the wind off Lake Michigan in February is enough to freeze a kicker’s leg off.
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The New Stadium Trend
If a team builds a new stadium, the NFL almost always "rewards" them with a Super Bowl.
- Las Vegas got one (SB LVIII).
- Minnesota got one (SB LII).
- Indianapolis got one (SB XLVI).
Nashville is currently building a new enclosed stadium for the Titans. You can bet your bottom dollar that once that ribbon is cut, an announcement for a Nashville Super Bowl in 2029 or 2030 will follow shortly after.
What to Do if You’re Planning to Go
If you're actually planning to attend in Santa Clara or LA, start saving now. No, seriously.
Tickets are usually the "easy" part if you have the money—expect to pay at least $6,000 for a nosebleed on the secondary market. The real challenge is the lodging. During Super Bowl week, even a two-star motel in Santa Clara will easily go for $800 a night.
Pro Tip: Look for hotels along the Caltrain line. If you stay in a city like Palo Alto or Mountain View, you can take the train straight to the stadium area and avoid the $100+ Uber surge pricing that happens the second the clock hits zero.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Bookmark the Host Committee Websites: Each city has a dedicated "Host Committee" site (e.g., the Bay Area Host Committee for 2026). This is where they post volunteer opportunities. Volunteering is the only way to get close to the action for free.
- Check "On Location" Packages: This is the NFL’s official hospitality partner. It’s expensive, but it’s a guaranteed way to get a ticket without dealing with the stress of Ticketmaster or shady brokers.
- Watch the Nashville News: If you want to see a Super Bowl in a "new" city, keep an eye on the construction of the New Nissan Stadium in Tennessee. It’s the most likely candidate for the next unannounced slot.
The NFL landscape is always shifting, but for now, the path to the championship runs through California and the American South. Santa Clara is up next, followed by the glitz of Inglewood and the hospitality of Atlanta.