For the second time in just five years, Inglewood and the Los Angeles Rams will host the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
The NFL announced Wednesday, Dec. 13, that Super Bowl LXI would return to Inglewood in 2027, marking the ninth time the championship game has been played in Los Angeles County. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a statement announcing the news, praised Inglewood and SoFi Stadium for the making the Super Bowl a success in 2022.
“The city did an outstanding job hosting Super Bowl 56 in the incredible SoFi Stadium and we believe that Super Bowl 61 will be even more memorable,” Goodell stated. “The Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Host Committee and many other outstanding partners will help create an unforgettable week of events culminating in Super Bowl Sunday in 2027 that will celebrate the region as an epicenter of sports, entertainment and culture.”
Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said he is thrilled for the return of the Super Bowl, though not surprised. The contract with the NFL stipulated that SoFi would host two Super Bowls in a five-year period, he said in an email.
“Super Bowl LVI was an outstanding experience for the fans, the Rams and the residents of Inglewood, and we have no doubt that the experience in 2027 will equal or exceed that one,” Butts said.
The previous Super Bowl went off without any hiccups and is “considered by the NFL to be the smoothest running Bowl in modern history,” Butts said. The city will follow the same blueprint as last time and work closely with the NFL to ensure another smooth event, he said.
Inglewood and SoFi have handled bigger events, Butts said. In August and September, Taylor Swift performed at the stadium for six nights in a row to sold-out crowds, and then Beyonce followed with three more sold-out shows just a few weeks later. Together, they brought more than 700,000 people to the area in a 12-day period, Butts said.
“By comparison, the Super Bowl is a walk in the park,” he said.
In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked Butts for his efforts to bring back the Super Bowl and said she looks forward to “locking arms to make this a success.”
“The Los Angeles region continues to attract world-renowned events and we look forward to yet again hosting the Super Bowl,” Bass said. “I know our entire region looks forward to watching the Rams win the Super Bowl at home, again.”
Before 2022, Los Angeles County last hosted the Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in 1993. To say Inglewood has had a dramatic turnaround since then would be an understatement. The city lost both the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings by 1999 and was heading toward bankruptcy in 2011.
The $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium, opened in 2020, attracted a frenzy of new investment into the community. The stadium renewed Inglewood’s status as “City of Champions” by bringing two NFL teams — the Rams and the Chargers — to the region. The Rams, adding more support to the city’s nickname, defeated the Bengals during their Super Bowl showdown at the new stadium on Feb. 13, 2022.
The Los Angeles Clippers will add yet another major sports team to the city once the $2 billion Intuit Dome opens across the street from SoFi in 2024.
Stanley Kroenke, the owner of the Rams, expressed gratitude in a statement for the support of the NFL and the 31 other teams “for this opportunity to once again elevate our league’s biggest moment.”
“More so, we are honored that Super Bowl will return to Los Angeles and Inglewood for a second time in five years and excited to build upon the substantial impact to local businesses and community organizations that resulted from hosting Super Bowl LVI,” Kroenke stated.
Economic studies estimated the last Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium produced $234 million to $477.5 million in direct and indirect benefits to the region. Inglewood’s budget show its admissions tax, which is collected from each ticket sold at city venues, jumped up to $20.8 million the year of Super Bowl and has since settled around $16 million in the last two fiscal years, according to the city’s 2023-24 budget.
All told, the week of the Super Bowl is estimated to have brought in about $5 million in ticket, sales and parking taxes to Inglewood, according to Butts.
SoFi will host three massive events in a three year-span, starting with the World Cup in 2026, then the Super Bowl in 2027 and, finally, the Summer Olympics in 2028.
Inglewood is angling to have a nearly $2 billion transit system running between its venues in time for the Olympics. Once completed, the Inglewood Transit Connector will use automated trains to connect the Metro K line to the Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium and the Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
Though the project recently received a positive rating from the federal government and seems likely to receive the funding it needs, it’s “highly unlikely” it will be ready early enough for the Super Bowl, according to Butts.