The Rams and Chargers announced on Thursday that the opening of their new stadium in Inglewood will be pushed back from 2019 to 2020, leaving the teams to play in their temporary homes for at least three more seasons.
It also leaves the NFL scheduled to play Super Bowl LV in February 2021 in a stadium that will have only been open for one regular season. NFL rules state that a stadium must be open for at least two years before they can host a Super Bowl, but the hosts can submit a request to waive that rule.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the waiver application will be made in light of the development and there’s history of the league granting them. A waiver was needed for the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey because the average temperatures at the open-air stadium were lower than the threshold mandated by league guidelines.
Given the league’s zeal to have a foothold in Los Angeles, it seems likely that a waiver would also be granted in this case and that should keep the game in place unless the opening gets pushed back again at some point in the intervening years.