NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NFL is taking the 2030 Super Bowl to Nashville and the Tennessee Titans' new Nissan Stadium after team owners voted Tuesday to hold the league's championship game in the Music City for the first time.
Once the Titans broke ground on the $2.1 billion enclosed stadium, a Super Bowl being played in Nashville appeared to be only a matter of time. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in November that Nashville lacked only the stage after setting a new standard for the league with record attendance at the 2019 draft.
“That for us changed the future of the draft, arguably changed the future of the Titans and the community,” Goodell said. "And I think this is the next great step in a remarkable football journey and a great community in Nashville. We can’t wait to be there.”
The Titans are on schedule to finish the new stadium directly across from the current Nissan Stadium in February, completing the three-year construction. Critics worried the planned capacity wasn't big enough to host a Super Bowl, though league officials were updated throughout the process.
Awarding the 2030 Super Bowl to Nashville gives the Titans three full seasons to work out any kinks.
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said the Titans are thrilled Nashville’s first Super Bowl is coming and thanked Goodell, her fellow NFL owners and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp for their partnership.
“We cannot wait for our community to experience an event of this magnitude and for the world to see the energy, hospitality, and culture that make our city so special on a global stage,” she said. “We look forward to bringing an unforgettable Super Bowl experience to Nashville together."
Nashville impressed the NFL when the executives who work on the league’s big events saw the Music City touch in 2019.
Bands played between draft picks and headliners like Tim McGraw helped cap each day’s events. Fans poured in for the party in the Lower Broad honky-tonk district. with other events at the Titans’ current stadium a short walk across a pedestrian bridge.
“We are grateful to the NFL for the confidence they have placed in our community,” said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Nashville has earned a reputation for hosting major events at the highest level, and we are ready to welcome the world.”
Only New Orleans and Las Vegas among NFL venues have more hotel rooms within a one-mile radius of the stadium, with the Nashville market area projected to have 658 hotels with more than 80,000 hotel rooms by 2030. Nashville currently has more than 61,000 hotel rooms available.
The new stadium is being built with $760 million in bonds issued by Nashville’s sports authority, with an additional $500 million in state bonds. The combined $1.2 billion in public funding was considered the largest public commitment in funding for an NFL stadium when approved in 2022.
Burke Nihill, the Titans’ president and CEO, said that the commitment from city, state and community leaders helped make Tuesday’s announcement possible.
“We are grateful to the NFL for the opportunity to host in 2030," he said. “Beyond the game itself, this event will create lasting impact for Nashville, our fans, and the entire region for years to come.”
The announcement adds to the NFL’s Super Bowl lineup of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, hosting in 2027 followed by Atlanta in 2028 and Las Vegas in 2029.
Nashville isn’t content with lining up just a Super Bowl for the new Nissan Stadium. Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, also controlling owner of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, is chairman of the Music City Major Events group assembled in 2023 to bring other high-profile events to the stadium.
The NFL also announced Tuesday that Minnesota will host the 2028 draft, a decade after hosting its last Super Bowl in 2018. Pittsburgh drew a record 805,000 fans over three days in April for the draft. Washington will host the 2027 NFL draft.
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Construction continues on a new enclosed stadium for the Tennessee Titans NFL football team Monday, May 18, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - The Nashville, Tenn., skyline is seen Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Construction continues on a new enclosed stadium for the Tennessee Titans NFL football team Monday, May 18, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Trains are rolling again on the Long Island Rail Road after a deal was reached to end a strike that had shut down the busiest commuter rail system in the country.
The first trains departed from Manhattan's Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal heading east toward Long Island shortly after noon on Tuesday. Trains were also scheduled to depart from other stations on the four main branches of the system after that time, with full service expected to be back across all branches at 4 p.m. in time for the evening rush.
“It was a difficult circumstance, but I’m very happy and I’m very pleased that we’re back in business,” said Robert Free, president of the LIRR, shortly before the first trains departed. “We’re back to doing what we do best, and that’s providing service, and keeping this region moving.”
Labor union leaders, meanwhile, began briefing rank-and-file members about the contract terms, said Jamie Horwitz, a spokesperson for the five unions. Voting was expected to take place over the coming days according to each union's contract ratification process.
Commuters in the eastern suburbs of New York City, meanwhile, muddled through another tough morning rush hour. Trains weren't ready for service in time for the commute into work as the agreement was reached late Monday.
The LIRR still urged riders to work from home again Tuesday if possible. Shuttle buses were offered from a handful of locations on Long Island to subway stations in New York City.
Five labor unions representing about half the train system’s workforce went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, halting service for roughly 250,000 commuters who use the rail system that connects New York City to its eastern suburbs every weekday.
Hallie Kessler was among the weary Long Island commuters who welcomed the strike's end. With the trains out of service, the 24-year old speech therapist commuted three hours home from her job at a public school in the New York City borough of Queens on Monday.
“Obviously I wish trains would be running when peak hours start so I could avoid the long morning commute, but happy to not deal with it in the afternoon when I’m leaving work,” Kessler said. “Curious what the deal says about future fares, which has been a big concern, but we’ll see.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and railroad officials have declined to disclose details of the new contract terms until they're approved by union members. But the Democrat, who is up for reelection, has stressed the deal won’t increase fares or taxes.
Free on Tuesday said the two sides simply “found another way” to make the numbers work.
“There are things in there that make it more affordable, make it more palatable for the unions to agree upon, and make it easier for us to fit within our financial structure,” Free said.
The first impacts of the walkout were felt over the weekend, as baseball fans had to find other ways to get to Citi Field in Queens to see the New York Mets take on their crosstown rivals the New York Yankees.
Hochul said the deal ensures basketball fans won't meet the same fate as they travel to watch the New York Knicks continue their playoff run on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above the LIRR's Penn Station hub in Manhattan.
The unions — which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and others — and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had been negotiating a new contract since 2023, but talks had stalled over salaries and healthcare.
The unions have said raises were needed to help workers keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living in the New York City area. The MTA had said the union’s initial demands would lead to fare increases and set a difficult precedent for negotiations with other transit unions.
The strike was the first walkout for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994.
Long Island Rail Road employee Sujit Saha helps a passenger find her train at New York's Penn Station, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Workers stand near the Long Island Raill Road ticketing counter in New York's Penn Station, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Rail passengers pass the Long Island Rail Road waiting room in Penn Station, in New York, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Tracks are empty at Mineola train station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Mineola, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Long Island Rail Road workers walk on the picket line outside of Penn Station on the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Commuters board buses to Long Island outside of the Jamaica–179th Street station as Long Island Rail Road workers enter the third day of their strike, Monday, May 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Long Island Rail Road trains sit in the West Side Yard on the first day of a strike, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
