NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville puts on a show like no other. Now it’s about to get a world-class stage to host the world’s biggest events.
The new Nissan Stadium will open as home to the Tennessee Titans in 2027, and shortly thereafter should draw some of the biggest sporting events, concerts, and shows to town.
“Our new stadium opens up opportunities we don’t currently have, realistically,” Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill said, “Obviously, the Super Bowl being one of those things, the Pro Bowl, even the (NFL) Combine.”
The stadium construction remains on time for a target opening in the spring of 2027. More importantly, the $2.2 billion project remains on budget.
The uniquely Nashville venue will feature a translucent roof that will shield fans and concertgoers from the elements and allow city leaders to pursue major events year-round.
“We had meetings this past week with the Rugby World Cup,” Nihill said. "Which, for an international audience, is a really, really big deal.”
Nihill’s already begun the process of pursuing events for the new stadium, alongside the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation and a major events group started by former Governor Bill Haslam.
At the top of that list is the Super Bowl. An event the city should be well positioned for with a new stadium to go along with a track record of success in hosting major sports events like the Stanley Cup Final and the 2019 NFL Draft.
“The same people who put on the NFL Draft event are the same people who look to spec out a Super Bowl and make sure that the NFL event will work there,” Nihill said. “A lot of these people are friends, and so we can have some candid conversations about what they are hoping to see, what they would need to see from Nashville, and I think Nashville's going to be able to put a really good foot forward when the time is right."
The next available Super Bowl is in 2029, and the Titans and Nashville will put in a bid. While there's no guarantee they'll win on the first shot, Nihill believes it's just a matter of when, not if, the big game comes to town.
“I don't think there's anybody, even if you would call the commissioner right now, that would not be very transparent that Nashville is going to get a Super Bowl,” Nihill said. “And if it does well with a Super Bowl, which we expect it will, we'll hopefully get multiple Super Bowls. It's just a matter of making sure the timing's right and that the first Super Bowl's done really, really well."
But the list of wants for the new stadium goes far beyond just the NFL. Nashville's expected to bid for the College Football National Championship, a Final Four, Wrestlemania, the 2031 Women's World Cup, and major concerts and shows as well.
Nihill believes the new stadium will open the doors to a golden era in Nashville entertainment. And he expects, when it does, the city will once again put on a show.
"I just don't think there's any place that compares to Nashville,” Nihill said. “So on some level, once we prove this a couple times, I think this is just going to be a case of landing the planes on the runway. When events have their earliest opportunity to come here, I think they're going to be rushing to choose Nashville."
