Minneapolis, Indianapolis and New Orleans Among Finalists to Host Super Bowl LII

The NFL announced on Tuesday that the three finalists to host Super Bowl LII in 2018 are Minneapolis, Indianapolis and New Orleans.

NFL.com’s Albert Breer was the first to report these cities.

Despite an embarrassing blackout during last year’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, it’s not surprising to see New Orleans on the list of finalists for Super Bowl 52. New Orleans has hosted 10 Super Bowls, which is tied with Miami for the most by a single city.

Indianapolis hosted the NFL’s biggest game in 2012 when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots. The state-of-the-art Lucas Oil Stadium is a fine venue for a Super Bowl and is the annual host for the NFL Scouting Combine.

As for Minneapolis, the Vikings will have a brand new arena built by the time Super Bowl LII is to be played. The city hasn’t hosted this game since 1992, and there isn’t a better way to show off a new stadium than hosting the Super Bowl soon after it’s constructed.

The winning city will be announced at the next NFL spring meeting in May.

Here are the venues for the next four Super Bowls:

• 2014: MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey
• 2015: University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona
• 2016: Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco
• 2017: Reliant Stadium, Houston