When is Super Bowl 2021? Start time, location, odds, halftime show for Super Bowl 55

Billy Heyen

When is Super Bowl 2021? Start time, location, odds, halftime show for Super Bowl 55 image

The NFL definitely has a thing for Florida when it comes to Super Bowls, which makes sense. Just gotta cross your fingers that the rain stays away for one night.

Super Bowl 55 will take place in Tampa, Florida, at the home of the Buccaneers, one year after Miami Gardens played host to Super Bowl 54, which was won by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Tom Brady, now a Buccaneer himself, will clash with the defending champions in 2021's big game.

Tampa Bay is the first team in Super Bowl history to play in its home stadium. There will also be the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications hanging over the game.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it's to roll with the punches. It seems nearly impossible that the NFL would allow its showcase event to be canceled, so expect the league to take that approach and just plow forward. At worst, everyone can sit at home, listen to Tony Romo's brilliant color commentary on CBS and judge Roger Goodell's mask during the trophy presentation. 

Below is everything you need to know about the Super Bowl in 2021, the 55th iteration of what has grown into America's biggest sporting event.

SUPER BOWL PICKS: Against the spread | Straight-up predictions

When is Super Bowl 2021?

  • Date: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021
  • Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. (unofficial)
  • TV channel: CBS
  • Live stream: CBS All Access | fuboTVDAZN (in Canada)

The Super Bowl has never been played later on the calendar than Feb. 7, with Super Bowl 50 (Panthers vs. Broncos) and Super Bowl 44 (Saints vs. Colts) also played on that date. It comes, as it often does, after a scheduled off week following the conference championship games. The Pro Bowl is played during that off week.

The 2021 Super Bowl was originally slated to be broadcast by NBC as part of its rotation with CBS and Fox that was agreed upon in 2006. But to package the Super Bowl with the 2022 Winter Olympics, NBC switched places with CBS, allowing CBS to broadcast Super Bowl 55.

MORE: Live stream Super Bowl 55 on fuboTV (7-day free trial)

CBS has broadcast the Super Bowl more than any other network, as this will be the 21st edition of the game shown on CBS. The network will surely have its top broadcast crew on the game, which means Jim Nantz providing play-by-play details while Tony Romo adds color commentary. 

In Canada, the game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV, along with being live streamed on DAZN.

Every Super Bowl since 2003 has taken place during the first week of February. From 1967-2003, all but one Super Bowl took place in January.

Where is Super Bowl 2021?

  • City: Tampa, Florida
  • Stadium: Raymond James Stadium

The 2021 Super Bowl is taking place at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but don't call the city itself Tampa Bay — that's just a construct used by professional sports teams. Raymond James Stadium is located in Tampa, Florida, the third time a Super Bowl is taking place at that stadium and the fifth overall time in Tampa.

The game was originally slated to take place in Los Angeles, but some construction delays meant that the NFL owners voted in May 2017 to move Super Bowl 55 to Tampa and instead give L.A. Super Bowl 56. 

The NFL rarely awards Super Bowls to anything considered out-of-date, so it's only natural that Raymond James Stadium recently underwent renovations that include an advanced HD video system, with two large video boards (one at each end of the stadium) and four HD tower walls, ranking it as the third-largest video board system in the NFL.

Raymond-James-Stadium-020118-Getty.jpg

Raymond James Stadium holds 65,000 people and can be expanded to hold 75,000, although in 2020, the Buccaneers haven't hosted even 20,000 fans at a game yet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"The Tampa Bay area has enjoyed great success over the years hosting Super Bowls and we look forward to working with our local leaders in the coming months to meet the requirements for hosting Super Bowl LV in 2021," Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a release. "Today's announcement offers us the opportunity to showcase Tampa Bay's unique ability to come together as a host for world-class events."

Super Bowl 18 (Raiders 38, Washington 9) was the first iteration of the game to take place in Tampa at the old Tampa Stadium, which also hosted Super Bowl 25 (Giants 20, Bills 19). The game came back to Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl 35 (Ravens 34, Giants 7) and Super Bowl 43 (Steelers 27, Cardinals 23).

MORE SUPER BOWL: Halftime show | Ticket prices | Commercials

Super Bowl 2021 odds

  • Opening spread: Chiefs -3.5
  • Moneyline: Chiefs -175; Buccaneers +140
  • Over/under: 57.5

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers opened as underdogs to defeated Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. Kansas City was the preseason favorite (+600) to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles, while Tampa held the fifth-best odds (+1200) after signing Brady.

Future Super Bowl locations, host sites

There's a bit of added intrigue to the list of future Super Bowl hosts thanks to the NFL's recent decision to move the next Super Bowl that New Orleans hosts back to 2025. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome was slated to host the 2024 event, but a conflict with Mardi Gras combined with the NFL's 17-game regular season made that change necessary. 

According to CNBC, the NFL will decide on the 2024 host during the next year. It'll look for what it does with all its hosts — the latest amenities and renovations, prime location for fans and the head honchos, along with pretty much always choosing a warm-weather spot (or if needed, a dome).

Below are the sites the NFL has pinned as future Super Bowl locations.

Year Super Bowl host site
2021 Tampa, Raymond James Stadium, Super Bowl 55
2022 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Stadium, Super Bowl 56
2023 Glendale, State Farm Stadium, Super Bowl 57
2024 TBD
2025 New Orleans, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Super Bowl 58

Super Bowl halftime show 2021

The Weeknd will be performing at halftime at Super Bowl 55, and yes that's spelled correctly.

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye is a Canadian singer-songwriter known as The Weeknd. He'll be following up a Super Bowl 54 halftime show that featured Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. The Weeknd is a three-time Grammy winner with  a wide array of songs to choose from that hit a number of genres, from upbeat pop songs to mellower R&B tunes.

The Weeknd's three Grammy wins are:

  • Best Urban Contemporary Album: Beauty Behind The Madness (2016)
  • Best R&B Performance: Earned It (2016)
  • Best Urban Contemporary Album: Starboy (2018)

Sporting News' Joe Rivera broke down the ideal setlist for The Weeknd when the news was announced. Here's a look at the songs The Weeknd should perform

Super Bowl national anthem singer 2021

The NFL announced on Jan. 19 that the national anthem singers at Super Bowl 55 will be Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan. Church is a highly acclaimed country artist, while Sullivan has been a fixture of R&B charts as a top-notch vocalist.

As part of the pregame festivities, there'll also be a rendition of America the Beautiful. That'll be sung by H.E.R., another R&B artist who's received 13 Grammy nominations over the past three years.

Super Bowl 2021 tickets

If you're hoping to go to Super Bowl 55, know that it's not cheap. The COVID-19 pandemic could also change how many fans are allowed in the stadium, but the NFL right now is proceeding in its ticket sales like it's any other year.

The league's official Super Bowl ticket site offers four packages, starting at $6750. Those packages are as follows:

  • Touchdown club ($6,750) — includes ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, upper-level seats
  • 55 Live ($8,000) — includes ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, end-zone seats
  • Champions ($10,000) — includes ticket, all-inclusive pregame hospitality, NFL alumni experience, premium sideline seats
  • On the fifty (Price not listed) — includes ticket, increased stadium access (postgame on the field potentially), top sideline seats

A few years ago, Sporting News looked into how the Average Joe can afford to attend the Super Bowl. The easy answer, we found: It depends.

Super Bowl winners by year

Date Super Bowl Winner Points Loser Points MVP Stadium City State
Feb. 2, 2020 LIV (54) Kansas City Chiefs 31 San Francisco 49ers 20 Patrick Mahomes Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Feb 3, 2019 LIII (53) New England Patriots 13 Los Angeles Rams 3 Julian Edelman Mercedez-Benz Stadium Atlanta Georgia
Feb 4, 2018 LII (52) Philadelphia Eagles 41 New England Patriots 33 Nick Foles U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis Minnesota
Feb 5, 2017 LI (51) New England Patriots 34 Atlanta Falcons 28 Tom Brady NRG Stadium Houston Texas
Feb 7, 2016 50 Denver Broncos 24 Carolina Panthers 10 Von Miller Levi's Stadium Santa Clara California
Feb 1, 2015 XLIX (49) New England Patriots 28 Seattle Seahawks 24 Tom Brady University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale Arizona
Feb 2, 2014 XLVIII (48) Seattle Seahawks 43 Denver Broncos 8 Malcolm Smith MetLife Stadium East Rutherford New Jersey
Feb 3, 2013 XLVII (47) Baltimore Ravens 34 San Francisco 49ers 31 Joe Flacco Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Feb 5, 2012 XLVI (46) New York Giants 21 New England Patriots 17 Eli Manning Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis Indiana
Feb 6, 2011 XLV (45) Green Bay Packers 31 Pittsburgh Steelers 25 Aaron Rodgers Cowboys Stadium Arlington Texas
Feb 7, 2010 XLIV (44) New Orleans Saints 31 Indianapolis Colts 17 Drew Brees Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Feb 1, 2009 XLIII (43) Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23 Santonio Holmes Raymond James Stadium Tampa Florida
Feb 3, 2008 XLII (42) New York Giants 17 New England Patriots 14 Eli Manning University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale Arizona
Feb 4, 2007 XLI (41) Indianapolis Colts 29 Chicago Bears 17 Peyton Manning Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Feb 5, 2006 XL (40) Pittsburgh Steelers 21 Seattle Seahawks 10 Hines Ward Ford Field Detroit Michigan
Feb 6, 2005 XXXIX (39) New England Patriots 24 Philadelphia Eagles 21 Deion Branch Alltel Stadium Jacksonville Florida
Feb 1, 2004 XXXVIII (38) New England Patriots 32 Carolina Panthers 29 Tom Brady Reliant Stadium Houston Texas
Jan 26, 2003 XXXVII (37) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48 Oakland Raiders 21 Dexter Jackson Qualcomm Stadium San Diego California
Feb 3, 2002 XXXVI (36) New England Patriots 20 St. Louis Rams 17 Tom Brady Louisiana Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 28, 2001 XXXV (35) Baltimore Ravens 34 New York Giants 7 Ray Lewis Raymond James Stadium Tampa Florida
Jan 30, 2000 XXXIV (34) St. Louis Rams 23 Tennessee Titans 16 Kurt Warner Georgia Dome Atlanta Georgia
Jan 31, 1999 XXXIII (33) Denver Broncos 34 Atlanta Falcons 19 John Elway Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Jan 25, 1998 XXXII (32) Denver Broncos 31 Green Bay Packers 24 Terrell Davis Qualcomm Stadium San Diego California
Jan 26, 1997 XXXI (31) Green Bay Packers 35 New England Patriots 21 Desmond Howard Louisiana Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 28, 1996 XXX (30) Dallas Cowboys 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 17 Larry Brown Sun Devil Stadium Tempe Arizona
Jan 29, 1995 XXIX (29) San Francisco 49ers 49 San Diego Chargers 26 Steve Young Joe Robbie Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Jan 30, 1994 XXVIII (28) Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 Emmitt Smith Georgia Dome Atlanta Georgia
Jan 31, 1993 XXVII (27) Dallas Cowboys 52 Buffalo Bills 17 Troy Aikman Rose Bowl Pasadena California
Jan 26, 1992 XXVI (26) Washington Redskins 37 Buffalo Bills 24 Mark Rypien Metrodome Minneapolis Minnesota
Jan 27, 1991 XXV (25) New York Giants 20 Buffalo Bills 19 Ottis Anderson Tampa Stadium Tampa Florida
Jan 28, 1990 XXIV (24) San Francisco 49ers 55 Denver Broncos 10 Joe Montana Louisiana Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 22, 1989 XXIII (23) San Francisco 49ers 20 Cincinnati Bengals 16 Jerry Rice Joe Robbie Stadium Miami Gardens Florida
Jan 31, 1988 XXII (22) Washington Redskins 42 Denver Broncos 10 Doug Williams Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego California
Jan 25, 1987 XXI (21) New York Giants 39 Denver Broncos 20 Phil Simms Rose Bowl Pasadena California
Jan 26, 1986 XX (20) Chicago Bears 46 New England Patriots 10 Richard Dent Louisiana Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 20, 1985 XIX (19) San Francisco 49ers 38 Miami Dolphins 16 Joe Montana Stanford Stadium Palo Alto California
Jan 22, 1984 XVIII (18) Los Angeles Raiders 38 Washington Redskins 9 Marcus Allen Tampa Stadium Tampa Florida
Jan 30, 1983 XVII (17) Washington Redskins 27 Miami Dolphins 17 John Riggins Rose Bowl Pasadena California
Jan 24, 1982 XVI (16) San Francisco 49ers 26 Cincinnati Bengals 21 Joe Montana Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac Michigan
Jan 25, 1981 XV (15) Oakland Raiders 27 Philadelphia Eagles 10 Jim Plunkett Louisiana Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 20, 1980 XIV (14) Pittsburgh Steelers 31 Los Angeles Rams 19 Terry Bradshaw Rose Bowl Pasadena California
Jan 21, 1979 XIII (13) Pittsburgh Steelers 35 Dallas Cowboys 31 Terry Bradshaw Orange Bowl Miami Florida
Jan 15, 1978 XII (12) Dallas Cowboys 27 Denver Broncos 10 Harvey Martin, Randy White Superdome New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 9, 1977 XI (11) Oakland Raiders 32 Minnesota Vikings 14 Fred Biletnikoff Rose Bowl Pasadena California
Jan 18, 1976 X (10) Pittsburgh Steelers 21 Dallas Cowboys 17 Lynn Swann Orange Bowl Miami Florida
Jan 12, 1975 IX (9) Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Minnesota Vikings 6 Franco Harris Tulane Stadium New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 13, 1974 VIII (8) Miami Dolphins 24 Minnesota Vikings 7 Larry Csonka Rice Stadium Houston Texas
Jan 14, 1973 VII (7) Miami Dolphins 14 Washington Redskins 7 Jake Scott Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles California
Jan 16, 1972 VI (6) Dallas Cowboys 24 Miami Dolphins 3 Roger Staubach Tulane Stadium New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 17, 1971 V (5) Baltimore Colts 16 Dallas Cowboys 13 Chuck Howley Orange Bowl Miami Florida
Jan 11, 1970 IV (4) Kansas City Chiefs 23 Minnesota Vikings 7 Len Dawson Tulane Stadium New Orleans Louisiana
Jan 12, 1969 III (3) New York Jets 16 Baltimore Colts 7 Joe Namath Orange Bowl Miami Florida
Jan 14, 1968 II (2) Green Bay Packers 33 Oakland Raiders 14 Bart Starr Orange Bowl Miami Florida
Jan 15, 1967 I (1) Green Bay Packers 35 Kansas City Chiefs 10 Bart Starr Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles California

Billy Heyen