Historically speaking, Miami has been one of the NFL’s favorite Super Bowl cities, and for good reason. The warm winter climate makes it an ideal destination for a February championship game, while the tourism infrastructure, hotels, beaches, and nightlife only add to its appeal. Hard Rock Stadium, too, has undergone multiple renovations over the years to stay competitive as a host venue. The city has hosted 11 Super Bowls in total, most recently in 2020, when the Kansas City Chiefs began their dynastic run by defeating the San Francisco 49ers. Yet six years later, the Big Game still hasn’t returned to Miami.
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The reality is that hosting a Super Bowl today requires far more than favorable weather and a capable stadium. While Miami comfortably met those standards in the past, expectations around hosting have continued to evolve. As things stand, the city is no longer in the immediate rotation, and according to Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, that could remain the case for the next decade.
“The one thing that suffered is Miami hasn’t gotten a Super Bowl here, and we normally have one every five years,” Ross said, per South Florida Business Journal. “Miami is not really in line for one. It’s always exciting to have the Super Bowl, but that was before we had all the other events. Miami has by far the best weather. It’s in their best interest to have one here, but at this point, they don’t believe we meet all the requirements and the demands.”
At a conference in Brickell yesterday, Steve Ross said the NFL says the Dolphins no longer meet the requirements and demands of hosting a Super bowl
Miami will go at least 10 years without a Super Bowl. bizjournals.com/southflorida/n…
Across the NFL’s 105-year history, the Magic City has been home to 11 Super Bowls, across the Orange Bowl, Joe Robbie Stadium, and Miami Gardens, tied for the most with New Orleans. The first Big Game was hosted in 1968, where the Green Bay Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders. Since then, Miami has hosted the Super Bowl at regular intervals, with the last one in 2020. However, the league’s host-selection approach has shifted in recent years, with newer stadium markets often receiving priority in upcoming rotations once future sites are awarded several years in advance.
However, over the next six years, the coveted Hard Rock Stadium has grown into a global sporting venue and shifted its focus towards hosting Formula 1 and the Miami Open. In 2022, the Miami Grand Prix made its way onto the F1 calendar and has been part of the schedule ever since. This year, the Miami GP is already underway with qualifying scheduled for May 3 and the main race on May 4.
Alongside F1, Stephen Ross and Co. have also prioritized tennis at the Hard Rock Stadium, as the Miami Open was previously played at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne from 1987 until 2018. Then Ross agreed to a 30-year deal with IMG to move the event 20 miles northwest to the Dolphins’ home. To accommodate these changes, the stadium needed an additional $70 million to turn it into a state-of-the-art tennis venue, after a $500 million renovation in 2016. Those investments strengthened the venue’s position as an international sports destination, even as the NFL increasingly rotated Super Bowls toward newer stadium projects in cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
While these events have taken precedence for Stephen Ross and Hard Rock Stadium, the Dolphins owner still hopes to host the Super Bowl in the 305, despite the venue not adhering to the NFL’s demands.
“We are looking at how to make improvements,” Ross said. “I want to make the stadium always feel like a new stadium. We are looking at what the next phase will be and making the fan experience that much better.”
Although his NFL team hasn’t progressed well, the Dolphins owner has fulfilled the promise to improve Hard Rock Stadium time and again. Back in 2013, three years after Miami hosted Super Bowl XLIV, Ross pledged $199 million towards the expected $400 million price tag for the renovations needed to host another Big Game, resulting in the hosting rights of the Super Bowl in 2020. The stadium later added its signature canopy roof during the 2016 renovation, though newer Super Bowl venues today increasingly feature full roof coverage or retractable-roof designs that provide additional broadcast and weather certainty.
Hence, the Miami faithful shouldn’t lose hope about hosting another Big Game in the near future. Meanwhile, the Magic City will be part of a global sporting spectacle with the FIFA World Cup coming stateside. For the 2026 edition, Miami will host seven big-ticket games, featuring icons like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Vinicius Jr.
Miami to host seven FIFA World Cup 2026 games
Hard Rock Stadium, renamed Miami Stadium, will host seven matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The global soccer spectacle returns to the USA for the first time since 1994, with Canada and Mexico named as the co-hosts for the biggest World Cup in history. The 2026 edition will include a record-setting 48 teams, which will battle across 104 games in 16 cities.
And four of the group stage games will be in Miami, featuring Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cabo Verde, Scotland, Brazil, Colombia, and Portugal. The city will host a Round of 32 game, a quarter-final tie, and the third-place game after the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Miami may be without a Super Bowl for the foreseeable future, but the city is far from lacking on the world stage. With Formula 1, the Miami Open, and the FIFA World Cup 2026, Hard Rock Stadium remains one of the busiest venues in global sports. If future upgrades help the venue align with the league’s evolving hosting priorities, and once the upcoming Super Bowl rotations cycle forward, the Big Game could still return to the 305 in a later window.
