2021 Super Bowl Venue Moved from Los Angeles to Tampa Bay

The NFL unanimously voted at the spring meeting in Chicago to move Super Bowl LV, which will take place in February 2021, from Los Angeles to Tampa, Florida.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times reported the news Tuesday.    

Last May, the league announced L.A. would host the 2021 Super Bowl. According to Farmer, it will now do so in 2022.   

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated the news:

Farmer added Tampa and Los Angeles still have work ahead to complete the process:

The NFL's original plan was to have Super Bowl LV housed in the new stadium being built in Inglewood, California, for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

However, the Rams and Chargers announced construction delays have pushed the opening of the venue from 2019 to 2020.

That time frame would've meant putting the Super Bowl in a stadium that isn't even a year old. According to the Orange County Register's Rich Hammond, NFL rules stipulate a stadium must be open for two full regular seasons to be considered for Super Bowl hosting duties.

Opting for Tampa as a replacement host in 2021 makes sense. The city bid for the Super Bowl in 2020, losing out to Miami Gardens, Florida. Tampa is also familiar with the infrastructure needs of a Super Bowl, having hosted the event in 1984, 1991, 2001 and 2009.