The Super Bowl returns to Minneapolis for the first time in 26 years, this time to the newly opened U.S. Bank Stadium. The only other time the city hosted the big game was in 1992 at the now-imploded Metrodome. Given Minneapolis’ reputation as one of the northernmost major cities in the country, it stands to reason that these two games are the farthest north the Super Bowl has ever been played.
Minneapolis is the farthest north the Super Bowl has ever been played
Of course, it’s only this far north because Minneapolis has a dome. But it’s a distinctive honor.
Thanks to the magic of Google Maps, we know that U.S. Bank Stadium sits at latitude 44.91, longitude 93.56. The only other NFL stadium farther north is in Seattle, and CenturyLink Field has never hosted the Super Bowl. So Minneapolis stands alone in the North when it comes to Super Bowl hosts.
The second-most northern city to host a Super Bowl is Detroit, which lies at 42.34 latitude, 83.04 longitude. The Super Bowl went to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982 and Ford Field in 2006. For third place, we head to East Rutherford, where MetLife Stadium (40.18 latitude, 74.07 longitude) held the game in 2014. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (39.76 latitude, 86.16 longitude) rounds out the top four, serving as the 2012 hosts.
Strangely enough, those are the only times the Super Bowl has ventured north. The NFL prefers holding the game in Southern warm-weather cities, and it’s no coincidence that three of the four cities above have domed stadiums. The 2014 game at MetLife was the only time a Super Bowl was held outdoors in a cold environment. But sadly, we never got a snow game out of it.
After the festivities are done in Minneapolis, the Super Bowl is heading back to warmer weather for the near future. From 2019-22, it will be hosted in Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, and Los Angeles, respectively.
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