The delay in the opening of the new stadium for the Chargers and Rams in Los Angeles will lead to a delay in the Super Bowl’s return to Los Angeles.
NFL owners voted unanimously on Tuesday to move Super Bowl LV in February 2021 from Los Angeles to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Los Angeles will now host the Super Bowl a year later.
The two teams in Los Angeles announced last week that construction delays related to heavy rains in the Los Angeles area would require the opening of the stadium to be pushed back to 2020. The NFL has a rule stating that stadiums must be open for at least two seasons before they can host a Super Bowl, which required Los Angeles to seek a waiver that the league’s owners opted not to grant.
Tampa was the runner-up in bidding for Super Bowl LV. Raymond James Stadium has been undergoing major renovations over the last couple of years so the stadium will look much different from the last time it hosted the big game in 2008.