Could the Super Bowl really be hosted in London?
At least one influential politician wants it to happen.
Sadiq Khan, the current mayor of London, wants to bring WrestleMania and the Olympics to London, according to a report by UK-based newspaper, The Evening Standard.
The timing of the announcement comes as Khan is hoping to be re-elected for a third term as mayor with elections set for next May 2.
Khan shared the story on his X (formerly Twitter) account on April 25, and added that he would make even bolder bids for sporting events in the city.
“If I’m re-elected next Thursday – we’ll go even further,” Khan wrote. “We’ll look to bring WrestleMania, Superbowl, and the NBA to London, and put together another bid for the 2040 Olympics.”
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London is already the sporting capital of the world.
If I’m re-elected next Thursday – we’ll go even further.
We’ll look to bring WrestleMania, Superbowl and the NBA to London, and put together another bid for the 2040 Olympics. https://t.co/kXcaEyhDYA
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) April 25, 2024
Khan’s bold claims got the attention of at least one of those sports properties as WWE’s Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative Paul Levesque, known by many as Triple H, responded to the mayor on X.
“Let’s talk,” Levesque wrote while quote tweeting Khan.
Let’s talk. https://t.co/PoLPS7RGv1
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 25, 2024
A WrestleMania in London would be the first time the wrestling promotion’s flagship event would be hosted outside of North America. Of the 39 times WWE has held WrestleMania, only two have been in Canada with the rest in the United States.
But the company has shown the desire to stage its other premium live events (PLE) around the world, with its upcoming PLE “Backlash” set in Lyon, France on May 4, and “Elimination Chamber,” its PLE before WrestleMania, set in Perth, Australia.
The NFL and NBA have opened their doors to playing games in London, with the NFL set to play several games across the pond for its upcoming season, and the NBA playing games in the city from 2011 to 2019. These were on top of games the major sport leagues played in other European countries like France and Germany.
The NFL has held games in London since 2007, including three last year.
Alex Pantling/Getty Images
The idea that the NFL or NBA could have some of its biggest games across the pond might be difficult to fathom in the short term. These deals could come with heavy pushback from the networks paying billions to broadcast these games, ideally during time slots that would bring in the most fans. That would be much more difficult in the London timezone — especially the NFL, whose Super Bowl is often the most-watched live event in the U.S. every single year.
But it’s not impossible. NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell mentioned in October that the idea of the Super Bowl in London “has been discussed.”
Related: The NFL has discussed plans to move the Super Bowl overseas
