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Why hasn’t Philly ever hosted a Super Bowl? Could it?

Why hasn’t the city hosted the game? Let’s explore the reasons.

The Eagles have everything you'd need to host a Super Bowl ... except for one thing.
The Eagles have everything you'd need to host a Super Bowl ... except for one thing.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Could Philadelphia host a Super Bowl?

It’s the question in the back of every Philly sports fan’s mind as the team sets out on a journey to bring back a Lombardi Trophy — that, and of course, will Brandon Graham return in time for Super Bowl LIX?

Although we can’t answer the latter at the moment, we can give a little bit of insight into the first question.

The Super Bowl draws the attention of not only diehard fans but casual fans from all over the country. Hosting the event would be a huge honor for any city — and it would come with a lot of economic benefits with fans traveling in for the big game.

For more than five decades, the NFL has announced the host cities for each Super Bowl. One of the cities that has never been named: Philadelphia. So why hasn’t Lincoln Financial Field ever hosted a Super Bowl? Let’s get into it.

» READ MORE: The Eagles are Super Bowl underdogs, but don’t expect any dog masks this year

Past Super Bowl locations

The Super Bowl has been played the most in three major areas: Miami, New Orleans, and the Los Angeles area. Before this year, Miami held the record for hosting the most Super Bowls. Now Miami and New Orleans are tied, having hosted the event 11 times each.

Los Angeles (eight); Tampa, Fla. (five); Phoenix (four), Atlanta (three); San Diego (three); Houston (three); Detroit (two); San Francisco (two); Minneapolis (two); Jacksonville, Fla. (one); Dallas (one); Indianapolis (one); and New York/New Jersey (one) have been the other host locations.

So what do all of these areas have in common with Philly? An active NFL franchise: check. Enough hotel availability for those traveling into the city: check. A stadium that can expand to hold 70,000 people: check. Warm weather or a dome: not so much, although New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium has hosted a Super Bowl.

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Super Bowl weather

Most Super Bowls have been played in stadiums that have domes or in cities with warm weather year-round. Of course, there’s one exception: Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It was the only Super Bowl hosted in the open air in the Northeast and it happened to be the third-coldest Super Bowl in history, although 49 degrees isn’t so bad for February in Jersey.

At 39 degrees, Super Bowl VI, when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Miami Dolphins at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, was the coldest. Super Bowl IX, which also was at Tulane Stadium, was 46 degrees, and was the second-coldest.

So, sure, Philadelphia may not have the perfect Miami weather for a Super Bowl, but if MetLife Stadium can host it in 49-degree conditions, then so can Philadelphia. However, the early forecast for this Super Bowl Sunday in Philadelphia is for temperatures in the low 40s and rain, so maybe not this year.

Has Philly ever come close to hosting a Super Bowl?

Surprisingly, yes. Philadelphia came close to hosting a Super Bowl nearly 40 years ago. In 1984, Mayor W. Wilson Goode made a bid on Super Bowl XXI, which was scheduled for Jan. 25, 1987. However, Philly fell short. After 13 ballots, Pasadena, Calif., won, while Philadelphia came in second.

In 2018, columnist Mike Sielski wrote about the idea of a Super Bowl in Philly, but noted that even Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and team president Don Smolenski were realistic about the NFL’s desire to hold the games in warmer cities or ones at least with domed stadiums, and adding a roof to the Linc was not cost effective.

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Future Super Bowl locations

Philadelphia could host a Super Bowl in the future, but the fact that it hasn’t happened yet at the Linc should be a good indication that it won’t be happening anytime soon. The NFL has already planned its Super Bowl locations for the next three years.

Next year’s game will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. In 2027, it returns to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. And in 2028, Atlanta gets the Super Bowl back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

With the Sixers now staying in South Philly and building a new arena with the Flyers, maybe Lurie will be tempted to build a new stadium, one with a roof that could vault the Eagles back into the conversation to host the Super Bowl and more major events.