Tottenham’s state-of-the-art stadium has become the go-to place for UK fans to watch NFL games in the flesh over the past few years.
American football has grown in popularity across Europe over the past two decades, with the first NFL regular season game played outside of North America taking place at Wembley Stadium in 2007.
That saw the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in London, where games have now been played for 18 years and will continue for at least the next five years.
Tottenham hosted their first NFL game just months after their 62,850-capacity stadium opened in 2019 when the Oakland Raiders secured a 24-21 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Now, there’s talk over whether the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be in line to host the Super Bowl in the next few years.
Could Tottenham host the Super Bowl?
The Denver Broncos beat the New York Jets 13-11 in the latest NFL matchup at Spurs’ stadium on 12 October.
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There has been plenty of debate over whether Tottenham are really in with a shout of hosting the Super Bowl.
Speaking to The Sun on 8 October, Sky Sports pundit Ndamukong Suh, who won the Super Bowl in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said: “There’s no doubt in my mind – it’s on the table. I’d bet it happens in the next five years.”
However, not everyone agrees with the former defensive tackle.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about whether the Super Bowl could be held at Tottenham’s stadium, Reach plc’s NFL reporter Charlie Wilson admitted there is little upside in hosting the event outside of the US.
“The next five years is highly unlikely,” said Wilson.
“I would say 98 per cent it’s not going to happen because this year it’s in San Francisco, they’ve already got Los Angeles in 2027, 2028 is in Atlanta, Dallas is being lined up for 2029, and I believe 2030 is one of the new stadiums being built.
“I mean, it’s possible in the future. The NFL UK really wants to do it. I’ve spoken to Henry Hodgson, who’s the general manager of NFL UK quite a few times, and he’s always told me that’s something they aspire to get, but the logistics of it almost make it impossible, I think it’s fair to say.
“The thing is with the Super Bowl is it’s basically a holiday in America. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving. It’s kind of like Halloween. It’s something the whole nation looks forward to, and having it in the UK, what time would it be on? Say it starts at 8pm, that’s 3pm in the East Coast and 12pm on the West Coast.
“Financially, you think about things like adverts. For example, companies pay about $7million (£5.2m) for a 30-second advert. Is that going to change because of the time it’s on? Probably. So, you’re talking about the NFL losing multi-millions to go abroad, which isn’t going to be celebrated by teams or players. It doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, I would say.”
The latest Super Bowl showdown in February drew in a crowd of more than 120 million television viewers in the US alone when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans.
How much could hosting the Super Bowl be worth to Tottenham?
While hosting the Super Bowl would bring many benetits for Tottenham, it could also deliver huge financial rewards for the city of London.
Forbes estimated Super Bowl LVIII generated an economic impact for Las Vegas of $1bn (£740m), with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in February 2024.
“It brings the said city an insane amount of money, not only that but for the team hosting it and the use of their facilities,” said Wilson.
“It’s such a money-maker for the cities, so why would they want to take it abroad? What’s the upside for the NFL to play a Super Bowl in London apart from the game, which they’re already doing at an insanely good rate anyway.
“You look at games in London this year. They’re at an all-time high attendance list. Is a Super Bowl really going to push it over the edge? The pros and the cons just don’t seem to make it likely for it to happen anytime soon, and I think the NFL UK acknowledge that. They know the NFL don’t want to take the Super Bowl abroad.”
Spurs’ existing contract, which runs until 2029-30, ensures a minimum of two NFL games are played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium each year.
However, it doesn’t appear as though the Super Bowl is likely to be coming to north London any time soon.
There is talk NFL owners could be interested in investing in Tottenham, so perhaps that avenue could improve the chances of a Super Bowl Sunday landing in the UK.