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SAN FRANCISCO — With football in hand Monday morning, Zaileen Janmohamed reared back and threw a tight spiral to Kathryn Schloessman, who reached up and plucked the ball out of the air for a completion.
Just like that, the Bay Area handed the Super Bowl baton to Los Angeles.
The biggest sporting event in North America is staying right here in California, with Los Angeles officially on the clock to host Super Bowl LXI and build on the spectacular week the Bay Area delivered as the host of Super Bowl LX.
General view during the playing of the national anthem before Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectSchloessman, the President & CEO of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission and the CEO of the Los Angeles Super Bowl Host Committee, happily accepted the helm on Monday from Janmohamed, the President and CEO of Bay Area Host Committee, in a ceremony in downtown San Francisco that included 49ers owner Jed York, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Rams safety Quentin Lake.
Los Angeles will be hosting its second Super Bowl in six years. The City of Angels welcomed the football world in 2022 for Super Bowl LVI, which the Rams won in a victory over the Bengals.
“Just being here again and getting a chance to host another Super Bowl is so exciting,” said Schloessman. “It’s such a great opportunity.”
By all accounts, Los Angeles hit a home run in 2022. But as Schloessman pointed out, the world was still rebounding from Covid-19, so there were limitations to what the region could do.
That will not be the case next year in the week leading up to Super Bowl LVI, or the game itself, which will be played on February 14, 2027.
“There was a lot of stuff we wanted to do that we didn’t get a chance to do, that we have an opportunity to do this time,” Schloessman said. “So we’re really stoked.”
Lake, who grew up in Southern California and played high school football at Mater Dei, was still at UCLA when Los Angeles hosted Super Bowl LVI. He could not help but point out that the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 2022.
A general view of the national anthem during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty ImagesOr how determined they are to do the same next year.
“The last time the Super Bowl was in Los Angeles, a lot of good things happened, especially to the Rams,” Lake said. “So we’re hoping to look to repeat that.”
More than anything, he is looking forward to Los Angeles showcasing all of its great elements, while also benefiting from the impact the Super Bowl brings to the host region.
“At the end of the day, it’s more than just us. It’s really about the city. It’s about how we can bring hope, smiles, joy, and excitement to a city that’s gone through a lot,” Lake said. “To be able to have the Super Bowl come back to such an amazing city, a city of so much culture, so much diversity and ethnicity. It’s going to be awesome.”
These are big times not only for Los Angeles, but also for all of California.
In addition to the Bay Area hosting Super Bowl LX, the NBA All-Star game will unfold this week in Los Angeles. In June, Sacramento will host the 2026 X Games.
Later this summer, California will host 14 games as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And of course, after Super Bowl LXI in 2027, Los Angeles will open its arms to the world when it hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
“It says this is a great place to host major events,” said Schloessman. “I think everybody knows that we have the world’s best stadium. We have a great city, we have great weather. Everything kind of adds up. The entertainment industry and the media attention. It is a place to host international events. Those are the kind of credentials you need to be able to host these kinds of events.”
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