Atlanta Falcons could host 2019 Super Bowl, information expected Wednesday
The Atlanta Falcons could be in the running to host a Super Bowl in 2019 or 2020, and are expecting more information during the NFL owners meetings this week.
With the new stadium on the way, Falcons owner Arthur Blank has expressed his desire to host a Super Bowl last year, and set his targets on 2019.
Per Vaughn McClure of ESPN, the NFL are set to announce which teams are in the running to host the 2019 and 2020 games on Wednesday.
"“The NFL said it will announce Wednesday during the owners meetings in San Francisco which teams will be in the running to host the Super Bowl in ’19 and ’20. Blank previously made clear his desire to host a Super Bowl at the new $1.5 billion Atlanta Stadium, which is set to open in 2017.”"
New stadiums have been picked to host Super Bowls in the near future. Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, will host Super Bowl 50 in its second season of use.
Last year, Minneapolis was named the host of the 2018 Super Bowl, which will be played in the Vikings’ new stadium, which is set to open in July 2016.
The Falcons will have an equally impressive new stadium by the time 2019 rolls around, which could help their bid to host a Super Bowl.
Blank believes Atlanta would be a great host, as McClure writes:
"“We’ve publicly said that we’re going to bid for the year 2019, the first year that we can,” Blank said last May. “Obstacles that we’re going to have to overcome is that there’s going to be a lot of competition. It’s a very competitive process. Obviously, we think the stadium will speak for itself. And we think the city and downtown will speak for itself.”"
The stadium is set to open ahead of the 2017 season, which by my calculations, will be at the perfect time in the Dan Quinn era. After two seasons of building the team, the Falcons could be set to make a strong push in their first season in the new stadium.
We won’t find out until next May whether Atlanta will host a Super Bowl in the next five years, but their chances could increase this week.