In U.S. professional sports, there’s nothing quite like the Super Bowl. Rather than deciding a championship at a home stadium for one of the participating teams, the NFL brings its biggest game to a neutral site every year. The stadium itself is part of the spectacle.
That selection process usually takes into account things like weather, stadium age (new stadiums often get rewarded with a Super Bowl) and a city’s ability to host the craziness that comes with Super Bowl week. That basically cuts the options in half and leaves us with 15 current stadiums that have (or in Vegas’ case, will) hosted a Super Bowl.
Between the staff members at For The Win, we were able to offer first-hand experiences for all 15 existing NFL stadiums that have hosted Super Bowls and ranked them with the admittedly subjective criteria of general atmosphere, design, location, amenities, food, character and — of course — the stadium itself. They’re all key factors in the overall game-day experience. Each ranking will be marked with its respective author. You can find the full NFL stadium rankings here as well.
Super Bowl 58 is here. Let’s get ready.
15
EverBank Stadium
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Super Bowls hosted: 2005
FTW’s take: EverBank Stadium is a football stadium! So, there’s that. The location isn’t horrible, it has all the amenities you would want, including pizza, popcorn and hotdogs. Football! – Caroline Darney
14
Caesars Superdome
Location: New Orleans
Super Bowls hosted: 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2013
FTW’s take: The Superdome was an architectural marvel when it first opened, but that was almost 50 years ago. It’s a dump now and no amount of renovation can make it nice (though they are trying). On the other hand, it has one of the best game-day atmospheres in the league, and the walkable location in the French Quarter makes for a fun experience. But man, the stadium is so bad. I can’t emphasize that enough. It will host next year’s Super Bowl — the first time back since the power outage of 2013. – Andrew Joseph
13
Raymond James Stadium
Location: Tampa, Fla.
Super Bowls hosted: 2001, 2009, 2021
FTW’s take: Some venues go a little overboard with their decor, but seriously, why wouldn’t you want a pirate ship in the middle of your stadium? However, when you have that, the end zone seating options are a little limited, but it’s a fine stadium. The food is decent (especially when the Outback Bowl was in town, RIP), the outdoor weather is often lovely and the atmosphere is cool. – Michelle Martinelli
12
MetLife Stadium
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Super Bowl hosted: 2014
FTW’s take: It doesn’t have the prestige and history of the other top stadiums on this list. It’s a bit cookie-cutter in design (although thank goodness for bigger concourses than its predecessor!), and the food isn’t anything special. But it’s fairly new, and that means it’s got some modern amenities. And feral cats. – Charles Curtis
11
Levi’s Stadium
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Super Bowl hosted: 2016
FTW’s take: For what it was supposed to be — a $1.3 billion state-of-the-art facility — Levi’s Stadium is a bit of a dud. It could be mistaken for a parking structure, and whoever decided to build multiple levels of east-facing luxury suites (with windows!) must hate the fans seated behind the visiting bench. That glare is no joke on a sunny day. – Andrew Joseph
10
NRG Stadium
Location: Houston
Super Bowls hosted: 2004, 2017
FTW’s take: While the location isn’t ideal — surrounded by parking lots off a freeway with nothing to do nearby — NRG Stadium itself is a solid place to watch a football game. The retractable roof completely changes the atmosphere of the stadium when it’s open. The fans just haven’t had much to root for in recent years. – Andrew Joseph
9
State Farm Stadium
Location: Glendale, Ariz.
Super Bowls hosted: 2004, 2015, 2023
FTW’s take: On the outside, it’s one of the more outlandishly designed stadiums in the league. But once you walk inside, it’s almost a bit underwhelming how generic and stripped down the concourses are. You won’t find many fans who enjoy the long trips to Glendale, but they can put up with it for eight or nine days a year. The stadium is better known for hosting classic Super Bowls and college games than it is for anything related to the Cardinals. It’s a fine stadium, but there’s room for improvement with last season’s Super Bowl venue and its disastrous playing surface. – Andrew Joseph
8
Hard Rock Stadium
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Super Bowls hosted: 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2020
FTW’s take: Hard Rock Stadium feels a little underrated. The location is a little brutal as it sits kind of in the middle of nowhere, but the actual stadium experience isn’t bad. The club level upgrades are really nice, so if you can find a way up there, do it. If you’re hungry, you can grab a Shula Burger, which is branded “SHULA” across the bun. – Caroline Darney
7
Ford Field
Location: Detroit
Super Bowl hosted: 2006
FTW’s take: By far, Ford Field’s biggest asset is its roof because while some fan bases relish the idea of freezing in the winter during games at their outdoor venues, it’s so much better to watch the home team (finally not losing) without battling frigid temperatures and sideways snowing. Beyond that, the food, particularly Slows Bar BQ, is fantastic, and the Bloody Marys are good and spicy. Plus, even when the Lions are rolling toward a three-win season, the ultra-dedicated fans inside remain consistently rowdy, and when a Detroit touchdown is scored, the energy inside feels like it could blow that precious roof off. – Michelle Martinelli
6
AT&T Stadium
Location: Arlington, Texas
Super Bowl hosted: 2011
FTW’s take: Few arenas have ever made me feel as small as AT&T Stadium and that’s a compliment. Jerry Jones set out to build a modern coliseum and there’s no doubt he accomplished that goal. AT&T Stadium is one of the few NFL homes that will almost always inspire more awe than the teams playing in it, which is almost distracting. – Blake Schuster
5
U.S. Bank Stadium
Location: Minneapolis
Super Bowl hosted: 2018
FTW’s take: There’s no describing just how much of an upgrade U.S. Bank Stadium is over the 1970s shuttered airport aesthetic of the Metrodome. The glass ceiling makes the scope of the stadium appear truly enormous, but you never feel separated from the field itself. Plus, they have Grain Belt on tap – which is either a feature or a bug, depending on how you view the local lager. – Christian D’Andrea
4
Lucas Oil Stadium
Location: Indianapolis
Super Bowl hosted: 2012
FTW’s take: Simply put: It’s perfect. From a design that plays on the rich history of small town basketball gyms across Indiana, to an interior that found a way to to ensure every seat has an exceptional sightline, Lucas Oil Stadium is easily one of the best football stadiums you will find anywhere in the world. It’s no surprise why Indianapolis will remain in the running to host every Super Bowl and Final Four from now until they build a new home for the Indianapolis Colts. – Blake Schuster
3
Allegiant Stadium
Location: Las Vegas
Super Bowl hosted: 2024
FTW’s take: This stadium is so nice, it’s almost silly. Sure, the Raiders don’t have much of an established fanbase in Las Vegas, and the games are a combination of tourist attraction, sporting event and social outing with $20 beers at the Wynn Field Club. But the nearly $2 billion stadium feels like a $2 billion stadium. Between the expansive concourses with marble floors, premium clubs around every corner and ridiculously comfortable seats, you can’t help but laugh about this team previously playing at Oakland Coliseum. This year’s Super Bowl should be some spectacle. Allegiant is a phenomenal stadium. – Andrew Joseph
2
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location: Atlanta
Super Bowl hosted: 2019
FTW’s take: The Falcons found themselves in the strange position of building a stadium that is almost *too* nice. MBS is a great stadium. It’s unique, everything is new, the concession prices are fan friendly. But when it comes to amenities, there are so many great options that fans tend to spend time enjoying the stadium away from their seats (can you blame them? It’s the Falcons!). I know I wanted to walk around until I saw it all. That being said, the stadium is a world-class venue for both football and soccer. There’s a good reason major events are regularly held there. – Andrew Joseph
1
SoFi Stadium
Location: Inglewood, Calif.
Super Bowl hosted: 2022
FTW’s take: SoFi Stadium is the exact kind of behemoth you’d expect from a $5.5 billion price tag, and it’s very nearly perfect. The sight lines are incredible, and there’s likely not a bad seat in the house. Plus, when it’s packed with 70,000-plus fans, it feels like you’re in this shiny football bubble where, briefly, nothing else exists. – Michelle Martinelli
