When will AT&T Stadium host another Super Bowl? It’s complicated

Fans head to the stadium before an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington.

Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer

The NFL’s announcement this week that Las Vegas will host Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 marks another year that one of the league’s best stadiums will be vacant for football in February.

When AT&T Stadium opened in 2009, then called Cowboys Stadium, it was billed as a venue that would enter into the Super Bowl site business.

Article continues below this ad

But the Arlington location has hosted just one Super Bowl in 2011.

The big question is why hasn’t Arlington hosted another one?

Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, opened in 2020, will host at least two Super Bowls by the time Arlington hosts another game.  SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., home of the two Los Angeles NFL teams, also opened in 2020. It hosted a Super Bowl in 2022 and is scheduled to host Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027.

Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.

The desire from the Dallas Cowboys to bid for another Super Bowl hasn’t waned but hosting other major events, such as the FIFA World Cup this summer, the NCAA men’s Final Four in 2030 and the the NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 20, 2027, has taken over. 

Article continues below this ad

While those events don’t conflict with the Super Bowl in early February, preparing the area for the NFL’s final game takes a tremendous commitment from multiple cities around North Texas.

“I will say with all these new stadiums coming on board, that makes it hard,” Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones said. “When you build a new stadium, a part of that is in many cases, a Super Bowl is awarded. We’ll see how it goes. The Super Bowl we had in Vegas when their stadium first opened, I enjoyed it. It was a great game, a great venue, a great city to have a Super Bowl.”

When Arlington hosted the Super Bowl,  an historic ice storm hit North Texas, resulting in a stadium worker dying when a chunk of ice fell on him.  There was also a lawsuit against the NFL over temporary seating that was inserted to increase the seating capacity, only to have some fans displaced to their dissatisfaction.

“I know the kind of venue we got,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “I know where we’re located in the central part of the United States for people to be involved. We look good on television in the venue. All of those things, we have and I can promise — I’ll bet on it — no ice storm the next time. I stand ready to bet on that.”

Article continues below this ad

NFL officials say it’s up to the member clubs to submit bids to host the Super Bowl and that hasn’t occurred from the Cowboys in recent years. Newer stadiums are quick to land open years for the game.

After Las Vegas in 2029, the next open year is 2030. Nashville will open a domed stadium in 2027 and there is an expectation it will bid for Super Bowl LXIV in 2030.

“Now, we wake up tomorrow morning and think about 2030 and that process,” NFL executive vice president of events Peter O’Reilly told the Tennessee Titans website. “We will move on that process pretty quickly over this next stretch, but nothing to report. Obviously, we’re excited about Nashville as a city and the stadium but nothing to specifically talk about in terms of 2030.”

So, why can’t the Cowboys bid for the Super Bowl in 2030?

Article continues below this ad

The issue is the NFL’s requirements.

North Texas fulfills the requirements of a 70,000-plus seat stadium, 35,000 parking spaces within one mile of the stadium, hotel occupancy, and other perks for NFL officials. 

However, the construction on parts of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas is delaying a possible bid.

NFL teams require a convention center that can host fan events and the famed Radio Row, where radio stations and sponsors are housed. The demolition work at the convention center won’t be completed until 2029. The NFL normally awards a city a Super Bowl bid three or four years in advance.

Article continues below this ad

However, hosting a Super Bowl for 2031 is possible. AT&T Stadium has also placed a bid to host FIFA women’s World Cup soccer games in the same year, which won’t occur until that summer. The preparation for that game, from getting the field ready to removing signage, would take place months in advance, such is the case now with the FIFA men’s World Cup games coming to Arlington.

“It has to be right,” Jones said. “It has to be under the right conditions. There are a lot of nuances and responsibilities that teams and markets take on when you do a Super Bowl. We certainly feel that we can do one. We’ll step up there at the right times. The way the Super Bowl goes, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes trading going on. All of that is a consideration.”

By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

Bidding to host a Super Bowl isn’t something Cowboys officials have forgotten, but other cities, major events and demolition work have gotten in the way. It’s just surprising considering the Cowboys’ stadium set the standard in how some of the newer stadiums were built.

Article continues below this ad

“We definitely want to host another Super Bowl,” said Monica Paul, the Executive Director for the Dallas Sports Commission, an organization that helps the city and local sports teams secure events. “I don’t think there’s anyone here locally that doesn’t think the same. Yes, we want to host another Super Bowl. It’s finding that right time, collectively.”

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.