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Minneapolis will serve as host of Super Bowl LII in 2018 after owners selected the city's bid in a vote at the annual spring owners meeting Tuesday. Decided by the fourth vote at the meeting held in Atlanta, Minnesota will now host its second Super Bowl.
Of the three cities competing for Super Bowl LII, only Minneapolis could offer a brand-new stadium. The $1 billion indoor facility, tentatively called Vikings Stadium, is scheduled to open in 2016, which means it will host the NFL's marquee event after just two seasons.
Playoff Expansion
The game will be the second ever Super Bowl in Minnesota, and the first since the Metrodome hosted Super Bowl XXVI in 1992. In its bid, the city promised to "celebrate winter" during its time as host, although the game will be protected from the elements in the indoor stadium.
The selection of the Super Bowl site is just another in a long line of big media announcements the NFL makes throughout the offseason. We're at the point where we're getting pictures of ballots on Twitter:
balloting begins for Super Bowl 52 site. here's a card pic.twitter.com/PJo7DwMsfR
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) May 20, 2014
We didn't get the announcement quite as early as expected, however, as the first vote from all 32 owners did not return a majority. A team has to earn a three-fourths majority to be selected on the first vote. After the second round of voting, the lowest vote-getter was cut, and that was Indianapolis. The third vote, between Minneapolis and New Orleans, also did not return a supermajority (three-fourths vote). The fourth and final vote only required a simple majority (50 percent or greater) and that went in favor of Minneapolis.
The hosts of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Super Bowls have already been decided, beginning with Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The brand-new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., will host Super Bowl L in 2016, and NRG Stadium in Houston will serve as the stage for Super Bowl LI in 2017.
Finalists to host Super Bowl LIII in 2019 will likely be announced in the fall.