Which is the smallest city to host a Super Bowl? Revisiting NFL's 2005 decision for Patriots vs Eagles

The NFL will host the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the first time when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11. The all-important game will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.

However, as we draw toward the end of the postseason, fans have been curious to learn about the smallest city, in terms of market size, that has ever hosted a Super Bowl.

The 2005 Super Bowl at Jacksonville was the smallest market-size city to ever host a big game. In that game, the New England Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 at Alltel Stadium (now EverBank Stadium) in Jacksonville, which was the first time that the Super Bowl was held in the city.

Although Jacksonville's Super Bowl market was the smallest in league history, then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue spoke about the uniqueness of the event. While marketing the big game in 2005, he said that fans attending the contest would be living on cruise ships and others would be ferried to the stadium by river taxis.

All in all, the event was a success in terms of numbers, but many fans still believe that Jacksonville was one of the worst Super Bowl hosts in history.

Which cities will host the Super Bowl over the next 5 years?

The NFL has already decided on the next three host cities for the Super Bowl. In 2025, the big game will be held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The 2026 Super Bowl will take place at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the big game in 2027 will be hosted at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The locations for Super Bowls 2028 and 2029 are yet to be determined. However, there are suggestions that the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium might be in the hat to host the big game soon.

Which city has hosted the most Super Bowls?

As of 2024, the city of Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls, the most among any other city in the US. However, New Orleans will tie Miami for the top spot when it hosts the 2025 Super Bowl.

Which NFL stadiums have never hosted a Super Bowl?

Among the 30 current NFL stadiums, half of them have not hosted a Super Bowl yet. Here is the full of NFL teams and their stadiums.

1. MT&T Bank Stadium in Maryland, home of the Baltimore Ravens
2. Highmark Stadium in New York, home of the Buffalo Bills
3. Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, home of the Carolina Panthers
4. Soldier Field in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bears
5. Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, home of the Cincinnati Bengals
6. Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, home of the Cleveland Browns
7. Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, home of the Denver Broncos
8. Lambeau Field in Green Bay, home of the Green Bay Packers
9. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, home of the Kansas City Chiefs
10. Gillette Stadium in New England, home of the New England Patriots
11. Lincoln Stadium in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles
12. Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers
13. Lumen Field in Seattle, home of the Seattle Seahawks
14. Nissan Stadium in Tennessee, home of the Tennessee Titans
15. FedEx Field in Washington, home of the Washington Commanders